forest wrote:Yep always a hot topic this one.
forest wrote: Mammut also seems to make decent boots (My walking mate has a leather pair he likes that are a few years old and still alive)
forest wrote: Now I'm a light weight runner man. As it's been said and many are against them for the reason of no ankle protection, too much foot flex, soft soles etc. That's a personal debate and I do believe you can re-condition your feet/ankles to be strong and use runners. That's if you don't have rubber ankles from previous injuries and I understand many are in that boat and boots will be better. Just don't think you'll walk straight out the back door with a 25kg back, offtrack for 6 days and you will be fine and feel better as you have flash light runners. Most likely you will be in pain for days and never wear them again. It's a process of time and if your packs over 15kg loaded I would probably not recommend runners as I believe the additional support of a boot is required with heavier loads. I must say I really appreciate the extra feedback from a track etc through the shoes being soft and flexible. It's also that feedback that causes a lot of pain if you've never done a few days with a pack in runners. Again, you just can't jump into them and tear off like boots. I feel the effort is worth it. I walked a few days a week after work on a rough track with a pack on for a few months getting used to the runners, after getting my legs/feet used to the runners I'll not wear boots again I fear. I must admit though that when I first purchased my inov-8's I lashed out 100km's in a few days on the GNW straight away. Man my legs were killing me and I thought my feet were about to fall off. I thought all this light weight shoe stuff was all crap. But it's not, you just have to ease into it.
As for offtrack. I do plenty and have never, never regreted being in runners since swapping. But again I'm fair used to them now and I feel that is the biggest factor. I think a light weight pack makes the biggest difference. In an alpine enviroment with fickle weather that's a lot harder to achieve, but still possible, just takes some effort.
I must say though that the lighter the choice of footwear, the less fatigued / sore I get after a long day.
forest wrote: Find that balance between the lightest shoe/boot you can wear that offers enough support/protection. Walker bliss right there. Everyone will find that point in there own way, due to there own circumstances.
Phillipsart wrote:I couldn't agree more with forest, you need a light pack to wear runners for hiking. Im packed for the Gold Coast Hinterland Great walk, base weight is 16 pounds, including my GoPro camera with accessories and a 350gram tripod in that weight, take out the Gopro and ill be way under 15 pounds. Including food and water 20 pounds.
Strider wrote:Phillipsart wrote:I couldn't agree more with forest, you need a light pack to wear runners for hiking. Im packed for the Gold Coast Hinterland Great walk, base weight is 16 pounds, including my GoPro camera with accessories and a 350gram tripod in that weight, take out the Gopro and ill be way under 15 pounds. Including food and water 20 pounds.
Since when did we weigh things in pounds?
Hallu wrote:Well you still got road signs in miles in remote parts of Australia =) I saw a couple on the Western Explorer in Tasmania.
Phillipsart wrote:Today just out of curiosity i went to try some Scarpa boots to see if any would fit me, they where all to narrow for my foot, salesman told me they will adapt to my foot, I've done this mistake in the past and taken the word of the salesman, believing they would adapt to my foot, in the end I've had to resell those shoes, loosing money. I will never be fooled again.
Gusto wrote:I think My AKU boots are made in Italy (not all models are). They seem to be a relatively unknown brand here in Australia as I think they are only sold in Snowgum stores. And many Snowgum stores only stock a small range of them. There is also rather limited information online for their range of walking boots too, I don't know why.
clelander wrote:
I have the exact same interest in finding a good all round pair of leather boots for Tasmania and also New Zealand, and today did the rounds of the 5 outdoor stores on Rundle St Adelaide. I already have a pair of Meindl Desert Foxes for summer hiking but can't really afford another pair of their mountain boots at the moment. The really helpful bloke at Scout Outdoor Centre recommended Aku Lagorai, as a professional outdoor educator he says they're close to bulletproof. However they don't stock them anymore
I'll be in Melbourne on the 15th, can anyone recommend what stores stock them and where I would get the best advice and service?
Strider wrote:Phillipsart wrote:I couldn't agree more with forest, you need a light pack to wear runners for hiking. Im packed for the Gold Coast Hinterland Great walk, base weight is 16 pounds, including my GoPro camera with accessories and a 350gram tripod in that weight, take out the Gopro and ill be way under 15 pounds. Including food and water 20 pounds.
Since when did we weigh things in pounds?
Strider wrote:Phillipsart wrote:I couldn't agree more with forest, you need a light pack to wear runners for hiking. Im packed for the Gold Coast Hinterland Great walk, base weight is 16 pounds, including my GoPro camera with accessories and a 350gram tripod in that weight, take out the Gopro and ill be way under 15 pounds. Including food and water 20 pounds.
Since when did we weigh things in pounds?
Picaro wrote:Strider wrote:Phillipsart wrote:I couldn't agree more with forest, you need a light pack to wear runners for hiking. Im packed for the Gold Coast Hinterland Great walk, base weight is 16 pounds, including my GoPro camera with accessories and a 350gram tripod in that weight, take out the Gopro and ill be way under 15 pounds. Including food and water 20 pounds.
Since when did we weigh things in pounds?
1788 !
Gusto wrote:As stated previously it's important to try on a variety of boots. The best place in my opinion to find Aku boots is Snowgum Moorabbin. Which is about 20mins by train out of Melbourne. The shop is amongst a cluster of Outdoors Stores (Kathmandu, Macpac, Mountain Designs and Outsports)
Not all Snowgum stores are the same. Most stores are company owned, a few stores are franchises. The franchise stores are often a little bigger and stock more brands and equipment than the company stores. The Manager of Snowgum Moorabbin used to work for a footwear company, so he knows shoes very well and stocks a good range of boots.
clelander wrote:give them a call a few days before my trip.
photohiker wrote:clelander wrote:give them a call a few days before my trip.
We're talking boots here for hiking in Tasmania?
Sorry, a 'few days' before your trip is too late. Boots need to be worn (in) before used on a hike. A few weeks would be minimum, even for lightweight footwear, a few days is asking for trouble.
People have gotten away without doing this, but far more haven't and bear the scars to show for it. Do yourself a favour.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 79 guests