http://www.lasportiva.com/catalogue/catalogo.php?cat=1&Language=EN
apparantly these are the business from massive walk ins to steep alpine/water ice. Of course you will need a spare 1000 bucks or so...
There seem to be some awesome boots around for snow and ice work if you have the money, however the poblem with a lot of these boots is you have to carry them in your pack if you are crossing rivers etc to get to the mountains.
Having "retired" from snow work these days I have come to the conclusion that water will ruin leather in any boot, regardless of the price. I bought a pair of Merrells a couple of years back thinking that these cheaper boots will last me a year or so, but they ended up lasting as long as any boot I have owned(which is about 2 years). A second pair of Merrels are still going strong now.
In a boot I look for a good stiff sole. As a general rule the cheaper the boot the easier they bend but that is not always the case. There are some good stiff boots in the cheaper ranges as well.
I actually look forward to the "post leather" age for boots. Everything else has gone synthetic so why not boots. I see Salomon have a non leather tramping boot in their range. I wonder how that will perform in wet conditions.
There are a lot of considerations when buying boots. I believe that number 1 is comfort. If you have comfortable boots then you have good boots. Another is the tread on the sole. These new European and American boots have these plasticised soles which don't wear as much as the old rubber soles. However the downside is that the tread isn't as deep. The pair I have now has no instep or heel as such and I think this is a disadvantage.
As for waterproofness, just sales pitch as far as i can see. They seem to ignore the fact that all boots have a big hole inthem where your feet go.
Garmount ftw.....best boots in the universe. Lasted 2 yrs of tramping once to twice a month including 17 day tramp and a couple above 10 days.
They are of wide fit so no problem with blisters, also have an amazing sole. got lugs everywhere, including on valley thing between heel and toe with lugs on it so you can stand on pointed rocks without falling off.
Another good feature is self tightning boot lace things. Many more but you just have to get a pair amazing!!!!
As a possumer I have yet to find a make of boots that will last more than 3 months before I have to start thinking about where the next pair's coming from. I had 1 really good pair of ASolo granite (lasted almost a year) and have freinds who have had the odd pair go this far, but the quality control seems lacking - I've had 2 pairs fall apart within a week.
Meindl Makulu pro seemed really good, but I found they shrank after repeated wetting / drying - maybe that big tight rubber rand compressing the wet leather? Dunno - but ended off cutting them accross the front just to give enough foot room to get me out of the mountains. Still limp at the memory.
I'd agree with pmcke. It is wearing boots wet that is the problem - which in my job happens daily for a large part of the year. If anyone can find a make of boots that can cope with this I'd happily pay $1000 a pair.
I've tried them all as well, and I would have to agree that it is the continual wetting that they can't cope with. It doesn't seem to matter if they are a $750.00 or $150.00 pair. The best I've had were a pair of Lacrosse rubber I think the Deer Cullers were onto something with the Bullers
I've got big paddle feet with low arches and I've found that Scarpa footwear just fit me perfectly.
I have three pairs of boots for tramping in and choose between them according to the expected terrain. A big heavy duty pair of scarpa M4 for winter tramping/snow/ice/cramponing. These are about 12 years old and have a good amount of life left in them yet.
I also have a pair of lightweight scarpa nylon/suede boots that get used/abused a lot and so get replaced fairly frequently.
Finally I have a pair of bullers from my student days and I still use them if I know there's a lot of mud and water on the trip. They are fantastic in the bush and on the tops when there is no snow. Some people find them slippery and too flexible or not shaped right for their feet, or find they need to cut a notch out the back for their achilles.
As noted above, I've noticed that the lifespan of leather boots is shortened dramatically when put through multiple wet/drying cycles, regardless of waterproofing agent used.
My last pair lasted 2 years and they were wet every month of those two year as I go on all the non-popular/off-track with no bridged crossings. As long as you dry your boots (with paper inside) then add some dubin or niwax they go a long way. Well my garmonts did...only had to buy a new pair since my feet have grown. They got pretty thrashed over the last month but are still going strong and I reakon if I got asolo's the man was trying to sell me, they would be no more. Garmonts are the ticket.
To wax or not to wax (wet boots)?
OK: so my boots never dry over night. Just not realisitic in the types of accomodation we have.
So do you dubbin / nixwax wet boots? I alway believed no: you'll just trap water in the leather. But I'm open to convincing ...
Not that it really matters, because the leather has never failed in my boots yet. failures have been (most frequest first):
1. Lining falling apart
2. Rand falling off resulting in boot disintegration
3. Stitching failure
But I's still like to know what's best for the leather.
I just wear my boots on a trip, I never attempt to dry them or treat them on the trip.
When I get home I wash them with water, usually before I even go into the house and then dry them slowly. I put them in a cool dark place, away from excessive heat and leave them for about a week.
The main thing is to dry them slowly, that way the natural oils in the leather are not evaporated off.
When they are dry I treat them with Sno Seal. I have had the same jar for years, not sure if you can still get it. You need to gently warm boots and Sno Seal in the sun or by the fire to get it to apply nicely.
I gather by warming the leather you open the pores so the Sno Seal is absorbed better.
Never never try to dry them by the fire in the hut. I have seen too many boots burned and rapid drying is never good.
On note of my last comment I was meaning dry them after a trip....normally wax them when there dry...don't normally leave them in the sun or by a fire....the paper must dry them out? change the paper each day till there dry anyway.
