Looking for decent pair of boots

[matas17]

So I have my boots for a while and I honestly can't remember the brand as they are your typical hiking boots. But recently I noticed they are not as a grippy as I would like them to be especially when running on wet surfaces. So my question is does anyone have recommendations for a decent pair of boots within a budget of lets say £150, that would be comfortable and if possible at least be water resistant.

[Shamal]

Hi 

Well I'm gonna get some flak but for my money viper multicam boots are an excellent choice. Around about the £80-£90 pricetag 

I've used them for years. They are comfortable and very hard-wearing and yes water resistant. Grip is excellent.I have a pair for game days and also a pair for casual.i wear them all day and no sweating or foot fatigue at all.

 

Regards 

 

[Monkman]

Viper are ok, own a set myself..great for summer in the heat.  I also have a pair of Lowa Zephyr GTX mids which are fantastic and comfy.  I also own a pair of German special forces combat boots that I picked up from my local surplus store....I can wade through a knee deep stream at my local site x3 times before they let water in through the socks..as I have retired my old Altberg boots as the treads are too worn. (Used for colder months)

 

Just go to your local surplus and have a looksee...sometimes you can find a bargain on hardly used boots.

[Guest]

I live in Lowa boots, the absolute best in my opinion.

 

Currently dailies are Renegade GTX

[concretesnail]

Lowa, altberg, etc. Salomon too. I'd start with a good outdoor retailer and go from there as best bet is to try a few types on, see what fits well.

Everybody has different shape feet and feet change shape as the day goes on so try to do your trying for fit in the afternoon.

[mightyjebus]

I'm a big fan of AKU boots and they have been used by some SF units. They are normally pricy but right now you can pick up a pair of A1 grade AKU's for about £52 posted, which is a bit of a steal.

https://www.britishmilitarysurplus.co.uk/shop/footwear/british-army-issue-aku-boots-grade-1-1537724.html

Edited March 15, 2022 by mightyjebus

[PopRocket123]

My altberg boots have been with me for years through snow, festivals, work and hiking as well as audit games. They're really well made, comfy and supportive. The only thing is suggest is get half a size larger and wear padded socks

[Sneaky]

M9 Bates desert boots, brilliant.

Also Mil Tec multicam boots, much cheaper and to my surprise excellent.

[Oneshotscott]

Lowa zephyr gtx all day. 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

ECW surplus boots.  Built like ultra tough hiking boots but all easy to clean and treat leather.  

 

Far too hot for me to run in, but fine for most folks.  

[Giacobbe]

Another +1 for the Lowa Zephyr GTX.  Very comfortable and they come in a few different colours too. 

[Cyberlawyer]

I'm also a fan of Lowa boots - For skirmishing I use their Recce boot (now discontinued but still readily available). I also really like the Altberg Sneeker as a light weight option.

 

Problem with boots is everyone can comment on features and build quality, but the single most important feature in any pair of boots is fit and that is an incredibly personal thing. My advice would be to go somewhere that have loads of options in stock with an open mind and try on everything and pick the one that fits the best, and buy those ones.

 

Just a note that 'best fit' and 'most comfortable' are not exactly the same thing although there is a high degree of overlap. For example Lowa Recce boots fit me well and provide a high level of support and as such I find them pretty comfortable and am able to wear them all day without issues. However the most comfortable boots I have ever had are the Adidas GSG9 boot. Here the improved comfort was due to an excellent fit and also the fact that they are very soft, lightweight and breathable. The trade off for the extra comfort is that they are not that hard wearing so have a much shorter lifespan than the Lowas or Altbergs.

[RostokMcSpoons]

I went old-school-ish and bought Austrian Paratrooper boots.    I can't fault the ankle protection and the build quality, and they've even been quite comfortable, but they weigh an absolute ton.  Well, a kilo or more each I think. 
The advantage is you can hose them off if they're muddy without stressing about it, but the disadvantage is they must be sapping my limited fitness, so I'll be in the market for some lighter boots at some point.  
Are all these Cordura style boots ok for wet / muddy conditions?  And do they have adequate ankle support?
 

[Jedi_Master]

Salomon Forces Quest 4D GTX boots

 

From Edgar Brothers they are £130 but currently out of stock https://online.edgarbrothers.com/collections/boots/products/salomon-forces-quest-4d-black

Mine took 4 weeks to arrive because they were on back order at the time.

[matas17]

Thanks everyone for replies, Ill look into all these options right now.

[Cannonfodder]

German para boots. Well under your budget, comfortable and waterproof. I got mine here, I paid a bit less for the supergrade ones but they looked new 

 

https://forcesuniformandkit.co.uk/products/2000-issue-german-para-boots-new?variant=29385364308062&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google+shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwlcaRBhBYEiwAK341jdDclwqosbGnLT4WXutgPwsHmyKal_IrUavwezxHtMW8iMUHLrTO3xoCB1sQAvD_BwE

[EDcase]

You mean these older Vietnam style: German Para Boots - Super Grade - Forces Uniform and Kit

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by EDcase

[Guest DrAlexanderTobacco]

On 15/03/2022 at 21:44, concretesnail said:

Lowa, altberg, etc. Salomon too. I'd start with a good outdoor retailer and go from there as best bet is to try a few types on, see what fits well.

Everybody has different shape feet and feet change shape as the day goes on so try to do your trying for fit in the afternoon.

Really important comment to take note of - if you've never had to try out boots before (your current ones notwithstanding) this isn't something you can hope to get right first-try if you're ordering online. Different makes will have different profiles i.e. La Sportivas are quite thin.

 

Once you've got some brands in mind definitely go to somewhere like Go Outdoors, Decathlon, Millets etc. to try them out rather than just ordering a pair

[Skara]

All boots fit different.

It's one of those things you just can't buy online unless you have tried them (by tried I mean having used them for at least a month), especially boots can make or break your day.

 

Spend some extra money and buy them from a store you can go to!!

 

With that being said, for the last 10 years I've been wearing Crispi boots. Okay it's an Italian brand so it might not be available over there but damn they're comfortable and durable (my last pair, which was also my first pair of Crispis, lasted 8 years and has gone through a fuckton of kilometres including basically half the Santiago de Compostela trail in Spain).

[MagpieTactical]

I am currently a pair of Adidas Terrex Mid boots (can't remember the exact model) with Continental sole. 

Wear them all year round, with some merino wool socks. 

 

My feet are always dry, never cold, never too hot, can't fault them to be honest 

[Wavey_Gravey]

+1 for the terrex.

 

I also have a set of Salomon XA ultra and they are great but the fit is very narrow so would 100% recommend trying boots on rather than buying blind.

[C-Diddy]

Don't underestimate the need for good socks too. Go natural fibre.

[Crazy_Crystal]

20 minutes ago, C-Diddy said:

Don't underestimate the need for good socks too. Go natural fibre.

Definitely this... it really does make such a difference and are a relatively cheap thing that makes your life more comfortable. even decent quality merino wool socks can be had very affordably from places like mountain warehouse etc.

As far as boots go i love my salomon's but mine are nearly a decade old and the newer stuff sounds like its not made quite as well. whatever you do it's 100% worth getting to a shop and trying some one...it's the two things in airsoft not worth saving money on (The other of course is eyepro)

[Aengus]

Anyone use safety boots? Would be nice if I could use them for work as well.

[mightyjebus]

The AKU's I mentioned above (https://www.britishmilitarysurplus.co.uk/shop/footwear/british-army-issue-aku-boots-grade-1-1537724.html) just turned up as I was after another pair.

Photos for reference. Looks like someone wore them for about 5 minutes as there isn't a mark on them. Even the soles look brand new. They retail for £170-£150 but I got these for £51.99 all in.

You might want to spend an extra tenner in a set of insoles for them.