Boots I've worn (& injuries caused by them)

From left to right (oldest to newest) the boots I currently own: Garmont model? (size EU 44 US 10.5 UK 9.5, worn occasionally over past 5-6 years), Keen Targhee III (size EU 44.5 US 11 UK 10, never worn), Meindl Burmas (size EU 43 UK 9, worn occasionally for about 6 months), Meindl Guffert (size EU 44 UK 9.5, hardly worn & only during the past month), Keen Targhee IV (size EU 44.5 US 11 UK 10, never worn)

Finding the right boot is probably the most important decision you will make when planning a walking holiday.  I think I got it right first time but, for a few reasons I'll make clear shortly, I'm still not 100% happy with that first brand.

Back in 2013 I was living in Canada and planning my first U.K. walking holiday, that would last a little over 3 weeks.  I went to MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) in Toronto and tried on a few brands but, because the front part of my foot is rather wide, I found I needed a boot with a wide toe box.  One of the brands that the salesperson recommended was Keen.  I believe it was the Gypsum Mid model.  At the end of day 2 of the holiday, I suffered an ankle injury that made it painful to walk.  As this was my first walking holiday, I was unsure if the injury was as a result of a) the boot I was wearing, b) the terrain I was walking on, c) that I hadn't trained enough or correctly, or d) a combination of those.  At the time, I blamed it on the terrain, as it was coming down a long steep lane at the end of day 2 that I felt the pain hit.  After about a week or so of recovery time during that holiday (that included some walking, just not entire days of it), I then walked 6 days straight on the Ridgeway National trail every day without an issue.

Subsequent walking holidays in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019 had me walking in Keen boots, most likely the Targhee II/III models.  The injury I suffered during the 2013 holiday I suffered again during the 2015 holiday, but I had been walking for over 2 weeks on some reasonably challenging terrain by then, so I blame the terrain on that day (a lot of large rocks that had to be navigated over and around), not the boots.

When it comes to Keen boots, here are my pros and cons:

Pros - comfortable right out of the box, wide toe box, great fit for my feet, extremely initial waterproofing (walked through streams in these), I believe I only ever had a blister wearing Keens on a day when I stupidly wore double layered cotton socks (when combined with merino hiking socks I have no problems), relatively inexpensive compared to some brands, flexible sole, good ankle support.

Cons - not at all durable (I can wear the tread off a pair of these after a month's walking, the hooks/eyelets on one pair pulled right off in the first week of use, some models eventually split along the sides), the waterproofing fails after around a month, as these are a molded boot they cannot be repaired (so they are throw-away boots once done), poor grip in the wet, one pair I had suffered from manure exposure and the smell never came out (so I had to throw them out).  Note: I have yet to try out my Keen Targhee IVs, which claim not to have the splitting issue.

Back in New Zealand, probably in 2017/2018, I was looking for some more durable, but still inexpensive, boots and went into Torpedo7 to see what they had.  The did a boot fitting and I came away with a pair of Garmonts which, at the time, seemed a little on the tight side (however, 6 years later they feel snug, but not overly tight).  I have no idea what model these are, and google doesn't help me identify them either (none of the online images look like the pair I have).  I've never worn these on a walking holiday but I've done a fair amount of local hiking and training in them, but probably few hikes over 20km.  At the beginning of April this year, I was doing a training road hike for 15km or so in these, and I suffered a left calf injury (which felt almost the same as last year's injury I experienced in Shropshire - see below with the Meindl Burmas - but worse).  For 7 of the past 8 weeks I have avoided any hiking, firstly because I couldn't without pain, and then because the physio I am seeing advised against it - in fact, just a week ago I was told I could now do short walks on flat terrain.  Today the physio okayed me increasing my walking time to an hour.  The calf muscle still feels a bit tight on occasion.

When it comes to these Garmont boots, here are my pros and cons:

Pros - durable as I've had this pair 6 years (but haven't used them for any walking holidays) although a small part of the stitching has worn through on the outside of the right boot, okay fit for my feet (but can feel a little too snug on longer walks, especially across the front), possibly waterproof but they have leaked when I walked through a puddle, never had a blister wearing these that I can remember, but I can predict I probably would if I wore them on a multi-day hike, relatively inexpensive compared to some brands, good ankle support.

Cons - toe box is not wide and at times can feel a tad tight, made of synthetic material that doesn't seem to be treatable in any way, hard sole (so I probably would not like to wear these day after day), these look like a molded boot so I doubt they can be repaired (if so, they are throw-away boots once done), a more rigid sole than the Keens (although this may not be a con), grip can slip in the wet.

Having had cheap, non-repairable, boots for a decade, I decided I wanted something durable that could be repaired and that would last me 20 years or more.  I also wanted something with a wide toe box, as I have found those to be the most comfortable for my feet.  I recalled that I had been recommended the U.K. brand AltBerg at some point (possibly by mountain leader Mark Reid) and I was about to go on another U.K. holiday, so I looked up where I could purchase a pair, and luckily the outdoor shop in Church Stretton (where I have visited during each U.K. walking holiday) stocked them.  I was willing to pay a fair amount for decent boots and budgeted around £300 (over NZ$600).  So, when I returned to the U.K. last year, I went to that shop and had a boot fitting done (my second, after the first time in Torpedo7 five years previous).  The advice based upon the fitting was not to get an AltBerg model, but a pair of Meindl Burmas in size 9 UK, 43 EU (note, I did not know what size my other boots were when I tried these on, but only now, while writing this post, realise they are the smallest pair I own).  When I tried them on, they felt rather tight, but they were leather and I was told they would stretch a bit.  Also, while in the shop, they had the required width of a finger or two between the tips of my toes and the front of the boot, which apparently makes these the correct size.  I paid my £320, left my worn-out Keens with them and headed out in my fancy new leather boots for a long walk.  About an hour in, the boots became very tight.  Another hour later, while heading downhill, my toes were ramming against the front of the boot (even though the boots were laced correctly and my heels were snug in the back of the boot).  I had asked the shop owner about room for when your feet enlarge while walking, but he assured me that feet do not increase in size - well, mine bloody well were.  Over the 3 weeks that I was staying in the area I managed to hike on only 6 occasions because of foot/leg pain/injury.  I suffered a tight left calf muscle, a swollen and tender right ankle (similar to the injury from 2013 and 2015), a blackened toenail (that eventually fell off), and lower back pain (I think because of the insoles I was sold to replace the stock ones that came in the Meindls).  I had the toe box of the Burmas stretched by the shop owner a few days after I'd bought the boots (no returns once worn, he had told me) but they were still too tight.  I don't blame the brand/model, but the size/fit is not right for me.

When it comes to these Meindl Burma boots, here are my pros and cons:

Pros - leather (so reasonably waterproof with the right treatment), durable (these should last decades), can be repaired (i.e. replacement soles), seem to have good grip, good ankle support.

Cons - rigid sole (although this may become more flexible over time), narrow toe box (so not a great fit for my feet), expensive compared to most brands, require breaking in (although I haven't gotten blisters in these to date).

I loved the look and quality of the Meindl Burmas (just not the sizing/fit), so I researched to see if they had a model with a wide toe box, and they do - the Meindl Guffert.  In New Zealand, Meindl boots go for over NZ$600, but I found an online retailer that was selling the Gufferts a lot cheaper and, even with international shipping, I saved over NZ$100.  Before I ordered them, I also found a New Zealand shop that sold them and I went there to try on a few sizes, because I wasn't going to get stuck with another pair of too tight, expensive boots.  I wore these boots today for a 6km walk on flat ground, and they felt very good.  The sole is more rigid than any Keen boots I've worn, and they might be a tad heavier (I haven't weighed them), but I think I am going to like these boots.

When it comes to these Meindl Guffert boots, here are my pros and cons (so far):

Pros - wide toe box, leather (so reasonably waterproof with the right treatment), durable (these should last decades), can be repaired (i.e. replacement soles), seem to have good grip, good ankle support.

Cons - rigid sole (although this may become more flexible over time), slightly heavier than other brands, expensive compared to most brands, require breaking in (edit: I've walked a 1 hour hike for each of the past three days and, although the first 2 days were fine, today I developed a rather large blister on each of my feet - near the back but on the inside of the foot, behind the ankle but down closer to the heel).  (edit the second: a 4th walk in these caused blisters on the healing blisters, however a 5th, 5km, walk recently had no hot spots or blisters, so perhaps I'm finally at the broken in period).

Although I have now purchased the Meindl Gufferts, I may still stick to Keens when doing a U.K. walking holiday because, other than the times in 2013 & 2015, I really haven't had issues walking day after day in the Keens.  I'll train in the Gufferts and see how they feel, so I may change my mind in time for my upcoming 2025 U.K. walking holiday (yes, you heard it here first, folks!), and this time with company (for some of it).

On another note, the reasons for not posting since December are as follows:

 - being injured for the past 7 to 8 weeks

 - prior to the hiking injury I was doing training walks (so no real trails)

 - or I was walking trails I have already done and posted about

 - the one trail I haven't previously posted about that I've walked this year I failed to photograph a section of, then the injury prevented me from returning to correct that error.  Even though I'm allowed to do the distance again, I'm not yet allowed to do the terrain, so that walk's post will appear sometime in the next month hopefully

I'll leave you with a photo from today's autumn meander along the Stoneham walk in Kawerau.