Boots - Gore Tex or not ?

I have a pair of Scarpa SL's, though got them for much cheaper than they retail for . They do not have a goretex lining and have very good rigidity in the soles . They are as stiff a sole as you will get other than alpine boots . 2.8mm one piece sherpa leather . I too looked at the Andrews range that seem to be imported to Upper Hutt, but in the end decided to stick with what I knew and Scarpa SL's have been good boots for along time .

Well I'm going to give Scarpa SL's a try for the first time in my life. Bought some "Activ's" overseas for $323.00 NZ. They look like the typical light leather vibram sole padded tramping boot. However the lining is not goretex but some breathable natural fibre & the leather is thicker than with many boots of this style. Some reviewers reckoned they were heavy but to me used to the BootsNZ Trampers & Loggers & Skellerup Forestry chainsaw gumboots for tramping/working in they seem luxuriously light. I'm going to record when they are used & will report back on what sort of durability I get out of them.

I think they are good boots as far as boots go . The lining thing is a coconut derived greenie gimick . They are heavy, two hundred grams heavier than my bullers, but I like heavy boots as they feel solid and reliable . I bought them for the rigid sole which takes crampons, and obviously they are much more rigid than my Bullers . They will never last as long as bullers, but they are as solid and well crafted as modern tramping boots get in my opinion . The old SL's didn't have a rand but these new ones do, and they are still crafted out of very thick one piece leather . They are easy to break in, but the soles are quite stiff and can be tough on the soles of the feet . They will never beat my bullers, but man they are fun to climb up steep tracks on .

I've had (and still have Scarpa's) but prefer the Raichle boot, despite their reputation for shoddy soles (something I've fortunately never experienced) but recently I have been impressed by the quality and style of AKU....never actually owned a pair so cannot say how well they perform...would be interested to hear if anyone has tried them recently?

Madpom - the Scarpa soles are quite stiff - a little bit of flex, but not much.

Cheers DebK. Decided to go with the Andrews in the end with the leather lining option - ordered here but shipped from europe. I prefer the idea of leather lining to the fabric in the scarpa - since the lining has always been the first thing to go, figured I'd go for the toughest lining. Will let people know how they go.

Tried every pair of boots i could find. procrastination is a serious problem with me. carried my old boots with me today to compare and finally had it rammed home just what i had been putting up with for too long and bought a pair of Scarpa SL active fit time will tell.

Picked up Scarpa SL's this morning. My reasoning was that my old Goretex boots often get flooded in the Tararuas anyway.

they're nothing if not solid!

Man I love my new pair, I crossed streams a million times doing the Aorangi crossing the other day and water didn't enter the boots at all, some of the dunkings were quite long as well, no need for goretex . tramped in snow and sludgy bog in the Tararua in August, same thing .