Under $300
Durable Vibram hiking sole, Goodyear/Norwegian welt
8-10" height
All leather (or at least up to ankle)
Uninsulated
Eyelets or speedlaces preferred, but hooks can be replaced
Made in USA preferred
Will be all-purpose use
What I have come up with is Danner Ft Lewis.
I’m not thrilled with is the Goretex, which I assume will make them hot, but I understand you can’t have it all. Also I’ve read the heel of the insert may wear prematurely.
I appreciate the link. Just read the whole thing…my parameters are pretty restrictive, and it looks like there just aren’t a lot of tall boots with standard Vibram soles. At this point I’m even thinking about loggers, like Danner Flashpoints, but I have no experience with tall heels, and don’t know how those would be for everyday plus hiking, etc. I’ve been wearing Vasque, Montrail, etc. 6" boots for 20 years and am ready to get into more “serious” boots. So more help needed! Should I even be considering loggers? The tall euro boots (e.g. Scarpa) are all over $300.
Danner Acadia, they’re lighter than the Ft. Lewis. The goretex may keep them a little warmer than a boot without it, but its not thinsulate. Its not going to keep your feet warm in the cold thats for sure. I wouldn’t spend money on good boots without goretex.
check out the OTB Desert Ferdelance Boots #902 - they lack your leather recommendation (well, not really, they are suede) but I own the Bushmasters and they have been fantastic. Im a long time Red Wing supporter, but as much as I love them, they havent come along in comfort as others have…my Red Wings are my AKs of my boots.
Danner’s are great boots. I was issued a pair in 2004; not sure which model, but they were waterproof and super-comfortable in both hot and cold environments. The only negative thing I can say about them is the attention I received because were military issued, which was mainly random strangers asking the typical “what branch/mos/etc.” questions.
X2 for Danner Acadia for the non-thinsulate model. I wear these all year 'round and I do not find them too hot for the summer. They are also lighter than the Ft. Lewis. Fantastic footwear.
Unfortunately the Hanwag and Scarpas are both 6" and I really need 8". I’ve tried the Acadias and prefer all leather, thus the Ft Lewis idea. Wish they were available in non-Gore to keep the heat down. Lowa Elites look great, but $320…and I still don’t get a normal Vibram sole, so I’d have to have the store send them to Lowa to resole. I will look into those OTBs as a lower cost solution. Thanks, and Merry Christmas, all!
Thanks…it appears they do not make Recons uninsulated, and although 200 g isn’t much, I think it would make desert summers rough.
I just picked up a pair of Scarpa SL M3s. I compromised on many of my criteria, but ultimately feel very good about the purchase. I can tell already I’ll need to work on the insides where my pinky toe touches, so I think this is what they mean by Euro last vs rectangle US feet. For that reason I considered Lowas my close second choice. I especially like that the Scarpas only have 2 hooks near the top, so I am less likely to catch my other foot and trip…and I can have them changed. Scarpas call 44.5 size 11, whereas my last pair called 44.5 a 10.5. So therein also makes people say they run narrow.
I am in the rough cross slope scree and rocks so much, I appreciate the construction, and I am simply used to backpacking boots. I wanted to move to a mil boot for the speedlacing and height, but I can’t give up the factors I have been used to in Vasque, Merrill and Montrail for 20 years. Thanks all.
I can’t tell you how much I love my LOWA’s. I had the Desert Seekers in Afghanistan and they held up amazingly well. Great ankle support. The color is slightly olive and it was noticed by the non-gun carrying leaders… Luckily they wouldn’t chase me outside the wire to yell at me, but it’s annoying to change boots minutes prior to leaving on a mission.
I bought the LOWA Zephyr GTX 6" in civilian brown when I got home and they are my footwear of choice when my converse’s won’t cut it. I like them so much that when the .mil version came out I paid the 200 beans for the 8" Lowa Zephyr GTX’s in tan. I have turned some heads as far as if they are allowed, but they are so close that nobody has made a stink yet.
All my shoes insoles get replaced with Green Super feet and I must mention that I’m a US size 9, but a size 9.5 in lowa’s.
SOS
Update - I forgot about the Asolo Fugitive GTX’s. Most of my buddies get issued them for their team boots. They love them I keep telling them to try the LOWA’s and they do the same for the Asolo’s. Both are great brands, but I’m the type of guy that when something works I don’t change it. (Unless I’m testing something that is).
Its Lowa’s conversion from Euro to US sizes that is off. I have the same size foot as you and came to the same conclusion. All my footwear is 42.5 which corresponds to size 9, and this is almost universal. Almost. The Lowa’s are 42 for size 9 and 42.5 for size 9.5, so it is not even that they run small, they just don’t do the conversion the same as everyone else.
Another reason why I like going into REI, finding boots I want, trying them on till they fit just right, and then buying them online for cheaper.
I think the main thing I learned from you guys and over at snipershide is the quality brands to look for like Lowa…which also have extensive good selection (banff, banif, mega camp, etc.). As I said, I really wanted to do Danner, but the Euro brands are simply a step up. After wearing the Scarpas all day yesteday, I pushed on the spot where my pinky toe touches with my folded pocket knife, and will continue to work it until it’s golden. Also gave a quick coat of Aquaseal. People say they’re too stiff for normal wear, but that’s normal for me.
+1 on danners. i like the 8inch gtx in a safety toe. all brown leather with enough volume to fit really nice inserts. it takes about a year to get used to the weight of big steel toe boots but once you do i think its really worth it. then you’ll have another pair of steel toes that you keep nice as dress shoes. choose a boot with enough volume to use a moldable insert or orthotic so you can wear out many inserts in the life of the boot. your legs will get stronger and your feet will be happy.
Danners are great, and US made if you gotta have that. I have 3 pairs: Recon, Combat Hiker, and Mountain Light II. The Mtn light are the ones I wear the most. All my Danner’s had relatively long break in periods, so dont get too peeved at them if they chew up your feet a little in the beginning.
That said, on a daily basis I’ve been wearing some gore-tex Salomon’s :eek:
