Oregon Hikers

Went boot shopping today, as I often do. Nothing but junk, as usual. I'm accustomed to them lying about water resistance, but now it's the season to make up "comfort ratings" for temperature. The worst I saw was -148F. Nope, that's not true, it's a deliberate fabrication, an imaginary number made up by the marketing department. As I was reading the hype, I predicted there would be a statement about water resistance. Sure enough, they're waterproof. Ha! Imagine a boot really could keep your toes toasty at -148F. Would you really want to wear that boot at a temperature where H2O exists as a liquid? Of course not, it would be completely impractical.

Worst part of it is, unless I want to hike barefoot I have no choice but to part with my cash in exchange for junk boots sold by unethical scumbags.

Thanks for reading my rant.

Maybe it's time to stop shopping for boots at Big 5?

Bosterson wrote: ↑

December 10th, 2018, 10:17 pm

Maybe it's time to stop shopping for boots at Big 5?

Honestly, I think I might START buying my boots at Big 5, or Payless, or Costco. None of my $100+ boots has ever stayed waterproof for more than 2 summers anyway; the cheap ones might be more cost-effective.

I'd like to be empathetic but I haven't come across this problem myself; then again I do insulation old-school, with socks.

What kind of boots are you shopping for?

Bosterson wrote: ↑

December 10th, 2018, 10:17 pm

Maybe it's time to stop shopping for boots at Big 5?

Ha, well done. I actually did buy a pair of trail runners there, something like $20. They were okay. Didn't hurt my feet, got many miles out of them. They just weren't a pleasure to wear though, always felt a little clunky.

Webfoot wrote: ↑

December 11th, 2018, 4:19 am

What kind of boots are you shopping for?

Waterproof, for mucking in warm snow like we get around here. I have a pair of sturdy uninsulated duck boots that are nice, because there's nothing to absorb moisture on the inside, so when they get wet (all boots will get wet) I can just change socks. But they were discontinued.

For boots in this niche, I like the Columbia line. I wish they used leather instead of fabric tongues. I might try something like this:

I've found that when I don't wear gaiters my feet often get wet. Like if it's raining or hiking through wet brush.

I use Goretex boots and they're fairly waterproof. My socks get damp from sweat.

Unless I walk through water that goes over the tops. I have not found a good solution for that.

Like everybody else, I share your boot frustration. For me, what worked is Scarpa Kailash GTX. I'm a long time Scarpa customer for hiking and tele boots (20 years). My first was a great fit and later learned they were made in Budapest (or near abouts). I bought another Scarpa when I wore them out and was disappointed. I eventually learned they were no longer made in Budapest. I use them for non-critical use. Last year I bought a pair of GTXs and discovered that the Italians have perfected the boot fit (for me, YMMV). The boots are waterproof even under the tongue. My daily mileage has doubled, no blisters caused by the boot, shallow creek crossings end up with dry socks.

I replaced my old T2X tele boots with the T2 Eco and have happily discovered that they are the most comfortable footwear I've ever experienced. Additional Scarpa pleasure for me is seeing the key improvements they make from model to model.

The only worry I have is that Scarpa might cheap out and then quality suffers until they see the light again. I've seen them stumble like that before.

Unfortunately for all of us, foot shape will dictate results.

First of all, water-resistant is not water-proof. So if your feet get wet, that should be expected. The resistant part is only if you walk through your front lawn from the house to the car, it never meant six hours out in the rain.

Second, water-proof does not mean your socks will stay dry. It just means you can stand in a creek and the water won't come in. The water coming out of your skin as sweat will be locked into your water-proof barrier and make your socks wet.

Third, the heavier the boot, the quicker it seems to crack, at least that's what I found. I wear lighter boots (unless I am backpacking) and that seems to be a happy median between moisture getting in and moisture evaporating back out...and $$$/mile. The moderately-priced lighter boot lasts longer than the heavy high-priced boot.

The only time my feet can stay reasonably dry is when I don't walk very far...on a rainy day or a sunny day.

The same goes for rain pants. I stay driest when my pants wick the water off of me. Otherwise, the wetness gets trapped.

I think Gore-tex like membranes keep out the water, even for many hours

The problem is sweat doesn't evaporate out so after hours my socks will get damp. Still, not as bad as with non waterproof boots. In my experience.

Well, I've pretty much always hiked in cheap Big 5 boots

I used to buy a +/- $50.00 pair of Hi-tec boots at Freds or Big 5 and I'd easily get about 750 miles out of them. Now though those same boots start falling to bits around 300 miles so I'm rethinking my strategy!