hiking shoes ?.

I've just bought a of Inov-8 Roclite 286 GTX boots. Incredibly light (286g per boot), comfortable, gore-tex outer. Bivouac sells them, and the hiking shoe version as well.

I must admit I barely wear them anymore. But the longest lasting, cheapest,introductoryboots for the outdoors are Skellerup Bullers. athey will last two to three times as long as 500 doller boots and cost 130. Theyre only 1800 grams. They last forever.

Yeah. Might give Skellerup a go ?. Has some die-hard fans. http://thebloke.co.nz/bush-legends-skellerup-ashley-boots/ http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?action=print;num=1298014375 (How to set-up new Bullers) The Innov8's look light & airy, which is what I'd be after. If you Google 'Bivouac', just wondering how long the treads stay useful ?.

For me with lightweight hiking shoes (or boots) the stitching in the uppers always goes first, probably from the endless wet-dry cycle of most NZ tramping. I'm currently using OEX ones from FCO (under $100 when on special) as they have very little stitching on the uppers. As a downside although having vibram soles it isn't great tread. A pair lasts me between 1 to 2 years of fairly full on tramping. I think the shoe verses boot thing depends a lot on your ankles. I have very strong/flexible ankles so even with rolling them really hard I have never sprained one. I have considered the bullers but they don't make them small enough. The skellerup ones do, but just a little worried about cooking my usually quite hot/sweaty feet.

Yeah. Met "Mr. Te Araroa in sandles" in the cragieburn. Bet his sponsor's writeup skips the 60m slide he took on them on the Waiau pass!

I have good memories of the Bullers, tramping boots of choice during my student years after a pair of Asolos fell apart at the seams. On some trips back then, every tramper wore Bullers and there was often a scramble in the morning to get the best pair... I painted mine pink to avoid that. Some trampers rated the Hikers better but they (the trampers) were never considered hardcore enough to be listened to... Been a convert to trail runners for about 5 years now. Most of my tramping these days are on tracks, ridges and streams (Tararuas mainly) so not hardcore off-track or alpine stuff. Trail runners work really well in these conditions. I would still choose to use stiffer boots when appropriate though. It's a matter of choosing the right gear for the environment. The Saucony Xodus 3.0 are my current favourite and have been remarkably robust and grippy for me while tramping. It has a really thick and chunky vibram sole for a trail runner, and is comparable to most "lightweight" boots in this regard. I use the non-Goretex version as it allows the water to drain out much faster while walking, and the shoe also dries quicker as well. I have also used Innov-8 295/315's and Salomon Fellraiser's previously. These models were all good in mud/rocks/roots, but I found them slick on smooth wet surfaces such as river stones. To improve the life of the uppers, I coat all seams in a air-curable polyurethane product called McNett Seam-Grip. I also use Seam-Grip to create a rand around the lower parts of upper and over the toes. That allows the uppers to last as long as the sole tread, although for me the midsole is the thing that wears out (collapses) first. The trail runners I've used last me about 30 days tramping.

"There are John Bull boots and Sherpa boots and boots for the new chum But the ones I'd never be without are the ones that start with gum Built for rivers built for ridges Built for doing the ton Where can't you go in your gum - boots ...la la la ..... and when you're in the ice and snow You will have often seen The boys strapping their crampons to their gum - boots" The only bits I can remember. Sung to the same tune as a better known song on a similar but more rural theme. Forsyth and Cunningham 1978

Hi, I read your above discussion about hiking shoes and I kinda liked it. if you wanna read about the top best hiking shoes for beginners you can read them on flamingshoes.com/best-hiking-shoes-for-beginners.