Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

Categories


All categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

Open login screen

RSS Readers

Add to Google

Subscribe with Bloglines

Sunday, October 27. 2024

When sneakers are not enough

Sneakers are good for walking. I have different sneakers for walking, easy hiking, tennis, gym, boat, etc.


For trekking sorts of things on rocks and slopes, I like my Meindls. Yes, they are heavy but they are tough as nails and do not slip on anything. Not yet, anyway, and I have tested them on wet shale slopes, bouldering, and things like that.


They were perfect for the hill hiking in the Outer Hebrides, but overkill for the hikes in Provence. Well, we kinda avoided the steeps in Provence of which there are plenty.


Yeah, leather boots need some maintenance if used heavily. Good for a lifetime though.


I think gear-oriented people tend to overdo it, while others underdo it. I wish I had had those Meindls during all of those bird-hunting trips in northern Maine. Lots of uphill, downhill, swamps, downed trees, rocks. Sometimes snow, sleet, and hail.


Autumn weather is the best hiking season.


Happy feet matter.


What are your favorite heavy hiking/trekking/hunting boots for cool or cold weather?







Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 13:39 | Comments (24) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

Sorrels for winter. The real Canada kind, not the fakes.
I’m a geologist so heavy leather uppers and Vibram lug soles. After your first side hill across a scree slope you will be glad you got them. The best are those that can be re-soled, if you can find a real boot and shoe repair guy.
#1 rocdoctom on 2024-10-27 13:44 (Reply)
Back in the day, I bought some Dunham's Tyroleans. Lasted 5 years, with a lot of hikes- a lot of hikes at 8,000 feet and above. I regret that I didn't resole them.
#2 Gringo on 2024-10-27 13:57 (Reply)
My first pair of genuine hikers were the old style Scarpas. Oh how I loved those boots! But as I have gotten older my feet have stretched in length. I have read that that is more typical of women than of men. I have outgrown my Scarpas and tried another "good enough" pair for winter, but I have also outgrown them. My first Scarpas were a size 7 and I am now up to 8.5. DH's foot has grown only one size, but the end result is that we both need new boots for winter this year! We won't be doing any hiking, but I really like good quality that will keep us from slipping on ice and snow--any suggestions will be most welcome!
#3 faculty wife on 2024-10-27 14:55 (Reply)
Danners. Various configurations and functions. Wide toe box which matters to me. I use my ankle height lighter ones all winter walking dogs in the woods with varied terrain.
#3.1 Anniep on 2024-10-27 19:22 (Reply)
I like Red Wings. Sadly, they're made in China these days.
#4 snopercod on 2024-10-27 15:11 (Reply)
Sorrels for snow and slush for sure. I've been happy with my pair of Dunham Clouds for hiking; they're OK for light snow and ice, too. My wife calls them my Adventure Shoes.
#5 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2024-10-27 15:26 (Reply)
Danner.
#6 Stumpjumper (Link) on 2024-10-27 15:53 (Reply)
Alico Summit hikers, old school with Norwegian welt, have been my primary boots for a decade, they are awesome. Backups are a pair of Meindl hikers, less comfortable and harder to keep lacing tensions correctly balanced. In sloppy stuff my Schnees boots are a great upgrade from a Bean Boot. For truly deep snow, Muck Boots Muckmaster Mid.

I truly love the Alicos, glove leather lining means no hot spots, and they were an incredible bargain. Similar old school quality boots such as Limmer are $900, these were less than $300, and they have proved their worth many times over.
#7 Dan D on 2024-10-27 16:06 (Reply)
I'm an Alico fan. My go-to were the Mountaineer...heavy but fit the bill for my work. They were the replacement for my Raichles. European boot makers were always excellent. For custom boots it was hard to beat Whites. And in the 60's and 70's there was a bootmaker in Denver who did a good business with exploration geologists.
#7.1 rocdoctom on 2024-10-28 11:45 (Reply)
Bought a second pair of these Vasque's to go up a half size but the first pair is still holding out after years of grinding volcanic rock hiking in the Gila Mountains, Eastern Washington &etc. First pair look like someone has been after them with a belt sander but not a failure in construction yet.

A bit thicker socks in the new pair = warmth & extra cushioning.
#8 slm on 2024-10-27 16:39 (Reply)
My basic pheasant hunting boot (Minnesota: 10 all day hunts since October 12) is Russell Moccasin Bird Shooters. The moccasin design with triple vamp construction and top quality leather cradles my feet. For wetter or colder conditions Schnee’s rubber bottom shoepacs (insulated and uninsulated)are excellent. I like the airbob soles. I have Lowa boots for mountain country hunts. They don’t get a lot of use in Minnesota but they are comfortable and support my ankles. I like the lacing system.

In the past I have had Redwings, LL Bean, Browning, Dunham, Sorrel. These boots I use now are superior in every respect. I don’t have any experience with more current styles. I expect they are very good but these work for me.

I do wish there was a good canoeing/portaging boot or shoe.
#9 Jeff Sieve (Link) on 2024-10-27 18:08 (Reply)
Military boots are awesome. They have come a long way since the boots they had when I joined back in 1964. They have the best cold weather boots, best warm/desert boots and the best boots for hiking. One trick is to go to an Army/military surplus store, or even look one up online. Because they will be selling the exact same boot that the military issues BUT it will be under the manufactures name. They will have the military styles, the knockoffs, and name boots that you are unlikely to find other places. Even Bass Pro Shop will have these boots, usually "not" actual army boots but essentially the same thing for civilians. One thing to keep in mind is that they will have some poorly made boots to but usually the low price is the clue that you are getting junk.

My answer? I moved to the Southwest and I wear Teva sandals. I wear them to dances, restaurants, hiking even rocky or gravelly trails, to church, to the pool, rain or shine. I've walked a couple miles up the Virgin River in Zion in sandals and I've walked to Scout Lookout in Zion.
#10 OneGuy on 2024-10-27 18:57 (Reply)
Keene is my favorite. I have pairs for hiking, serious hiking (boots) walking, and yard work. I first bought them when doing a major deck project on my house where I was climbing over rocks and rough framing. With sneakers, my feet really hurt but the hard soles on the Keene shoes protected them yet provided great comfort.
#11 DMW on 2024-10-27 20:38 (Reply)
I hike an average of 30 miles a week over rocks, roots, ridges in Arkansas. Climbing & sliding are common. Lowa is the boot I've found, gore-tex, solid sole. I love them, and I wear out usually a pair a year. Pricey, but worth it.
#12 Emil Turner on 2024-10-27 21:35 (Reply)
L.L.Bean heavy hikers. They fit my foot (narrow heel, wide forefoot) and are sturdy as all get out. I like the hard toe, since I've had rocks and other things drop onto me while climbing steep hills or gathering rock samples.
#13 LittleRed1 on 2024-10-27 21:43 (Reply)
Fabiano Mountain Boots. I went through 2 pair of them, still have the second pair, in really good shape.

They were made for Eastern Mountain Sports, EMS, by Eddie Fabiano in south Boston. He came from 3 generations of Italian bootmakers, and after he designed them, he found a bootmaker in Italy to produce them for him.

They were built to take a beating, and mine did. You can still find them on eBay for a premium. They were the only boots I ever saw that used screws to attach the Vibram lug soles to the last. And speedlaces all the way up to the top, so you could lace them up tight, in a jiffy. Awesome quality.
#14 Aggie on 2024-10-27 23:58 (Reply)
Vasque boots is now a subsidiary of Red Wing, FYI. And also - FYI Red Wing has the best technology for fitting you, as well: A precise measurement of each foot, and then you walk back and forth on a specialized pressure pad that notices where your weight forces are being distributed and makes a recommendation for the proper insole to go with your boot. It's really good, well worth a visit.
#15 Aggie on 2024-10-28 00:05 (Reply)
Not hiking books, but work boots: I had a pair of Wolverines for women that were the most comfortable shoes I owned. I have fat feet and a high instep, so comfortable shoes are always a challenge. These had good ankle support and steel toes.

I got them for visiting construction sites, but they were so comfy, I wore them for many other things: winter wear, light hiking.

The soles did something weird after about ten years, but the rest held up. The comparable ones from Wolverine were just not as comfortable. But I am not visiting construction sites these days.
#16 Lee Also on 2024-10-28 07:00 (Reply)
The best pair of running shoes I've ever owned were made by Mizuno. Japanese of course.
#17 Lord Heathen on 2024-10-28 07:01 (Reply)
Most well known brands have served me well once broken in. Various LL Bean models have been my mainstays. They can be a bit heavy but I never minded that as much as some people. Right now, however, I have a pair of Lytos (some italian brand I hadn't heard of before) that I absolutely love.
#18 eeyore on 2024-10-28 07:14 (Reply)
Custom boots from Peter Limmer in New Hampshire (https://limmerboots.com/). Got my first pair when I was 16, had them rebuilt a few times, needed a new pair when I was 45 and my feet had stretched a size. Fabulous boots — hiked and backpacked all over, never got a blister. Heavier than some would like, but I’m a big guy and I’ve blown out my ankles — need a little support.
#19 Doctorg on 2024-10-28 11:21 (Reply)
That's what I'm talkin' 'bout ! Nice boots, and the heaviest one is very very similar to Fabiano mountain boots. Thanks for the reference !
#19.1 Aggie on 2024-10-28 15:43 (Reply)
Fabiano medium weight hiking boots. I bought them 40 years ago at EMS in Boston. I'm on my 3rd or 4th resole...

I use Snowseal for the water.
I've hiked in all conditions, mostly in the Adirondacks.

They look like these:
https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2023/03/12/640e713256b2f8ca91b393f8/m_640e713dffb5d02bfb1e74fe.jpg
#20 Earl Wertheimer (Link) on 2024-10-28 11:42 (Reply)
Zamberlans... I forget the model and just had them resoled but for a large individual like myself, 6'2" and heavily muscled, ( with perhaps a bit of adipose around certain areas) they are great with those ankle twisting rocks so common in Pennsylvania. Always wanted a custom pair but when I hit 60 I decided that the boots would outlive me...
#21 Stephen M Lawrence DMD on 2024-10-28 19:11 (Reply)

Add Comment
(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)

By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email
addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications.

Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u],
[url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here.

Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA

BBCode format allowed
 
 
A Chris Southern Consulting website.