A blog about our love of Hiking. Gear we like, tips and tricks we've learnt and walks we love

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Starting to purchase gear - Boots

After a lot of research,  many hours scouring the internet and looking through our local outdoor/hiking stores we finally came up with some gear that we decided was best both for quality and for our budget.
I’m sure we aren’t Robinson Crusoe,  in that we are not operating on an open ended budget but we also wanted to have the best quality gear as we realised that a multi day hike with the wrong gear can be a nightmare.
We started with hiking boots as I decided that this was the most important piece of gear that we would own.  We would use them on every hike we would do whether it was just a day hike or a multi day hike.
I did not want to skimp on boots as I realised from my research (and now from personal experience) that a good sturdy and comfy pair of boots are absolutely essential.
I want to make it really clear that boots are a personal thing and what boot is right for me wont necessarily be the right boot for you. However, what IS important is that you are not tempted to buy the first pair of shiny new boots with all the fancy bits and pieces that you see.
You MUST try on and try on again until you are absolutely comfortable with the boots you have chosen. I won’t say this about any of the other gear but DO NOT be swayed by discounts or other offers. You will be walking up to 20-25klms per day over anything from a day to 8 nights with about 15-20kgs on your back for a standard hike. All that time with a wrong fitting boot is NOT worth any sort of discount or fancy offer.
After looking around for a couple of months I settled on a pair of Hi-tec Vlite hiking boots.

Things we looked for in hiking boot;
1.       Ankle Support
It is very important that you have very good ankle support. Many tracks through SE QLD (and in fact all over Aus) that we walk are QLD Class 4 tracks or above which are classed as rough with uneven surfaces and exposed roots and rocks. My wife and I have both felt our ankles being held firm by these boots when we have stood on a rock or root and our ankle has tried to twist over. Not a good thing on day two of a four day hike in the middle of nowhere with help a long way off.
2.       Tread
It’s also important that you have a boot that has different types of tread on the sole. You will be walking on different types of ground on your hike. E.g. sand, grass, rock, slippery surfaces, dirt etc. they all require different types of tread to keep your feet on the ground as securely as possible. Again, getting an injury from falling or hyper extending a knee is disastrous on a multi day hike.
3.       Waterproof
The boot we chose has waterproofing half way up the boot. This is fine for most walks in SE QLD as you will rarely be wading through water any deeper than half a boot height. However, if you are going in the rainy season or you are hiking in the Kosciusko National Park or in Tasmania for example, you may need a more waterproof boot. Hiking for days with wet boots and socks would be a miserable experience. We chose this boot because hiking in QLD in a fully waterproof boot may mean it doesn’t breathe very well and may be very hot.
4.       Quality
Self explanatory. This was important to us as I didn’t want to get half way through a hike and find the sole coming off or the seams opening up. We also don’t have the money to keep buying different shoes. Before this, the most I had ever spent on shoes was $100, these cost me $270!! Worth every penny but they need to last as long as possible.

There are so many more things to look at when buying boots. Have a look around and find out what’s important to you.
Remember, don’t skimp on boots!
More gear to come….

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