Light weight summer stalking boots

jackfish

Well-Known Member
Guys

What's everyone wearing for summer stalking boots, looking for something waterproof, light and quiet.

Cheers

Bryan
 
Had a pair of Scarpa Terra GTX for a years before passing them on. Ultra light calf leather, not especially high so not best for hill stalking, but perfect for the woods. Never had a comfier boot and if it wasn't for my glass ankles I'd still have them now.
 
I recently bought a pair of Scarpa Cyrus lightweight boots for a trip to Portugal and will also be using them for the summer over here. Very comfortable out of the box but check sizing.

I give any Nubuck boots/shoes a good dousing in the Nikwax proofer before use and at reasonable intervals thereafter, and these ones proved to be waterproof during the one day of horrendous downpour that we had.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/scarpa-cyrus-mid-gtx-mens-walking-boots-p350162

Using the Go Outdoors online price challenge I got them for just over £90
 
As pointed out by Erik the mil surplus boots are currently very good and the Grade 1 ones I've had have been new. I currently have a pair of the Haix "high liability" boots and they are waterproof (membrane lined) pretty lightweight and not overly warm and they are also, for some reason, the quietest boots to walk in that I've ever had. They did, for me, require a little bit of breaking in but I always find this with higher legged boots. For £50 you can't beat them and I have a lot of boots and would say that the high profile boots marketed to stalkers can't beat them either.
 
Meindle army surplus desert boots, I got mine on ebay, £25 brand new, always plenty on there. The most comfortable light weight boots I have ever owned
 
I'd say that used to be the case - I had a pair of trainers for years - totally waterproof and never even a loose stitch even when they ended up covered in paint and antifouling and the soles worn almost through.

So I bought a pair of lightweight boots for summer use (they were nearly £100) - never been totally waterproof and have now two broken lacing eyes. Yes they have been hard used - but that's what you pay for no? When I was back in the shop buying another pair of Merrils to replace the Salomons the yoof said "yes they are very variable in quality and you can't tell by looking at them" - seems like another product farmed out to a sub-supplier in SE Asia.

Pretty much anything by Salamon. Their footwear is excellent and so damn comfortable.
 
If you don't mind paying for premium, I can thoroughly recommend the Harkila Big Game GTX 8" boots (cheapest price here). They are so lightweight and comfortable, it feels like I'm putting on more a pair of comfy slippers than a pair of outdoor boots. Purchasing exclusively for stalking, I look forward to wearing them each time I go out. They will however NOT STAND UP TO ROUGH USE as the complaints I've seen on SD from purchasers who were expecting more from them on the hills testify. However, in addition to the comfort, keeping the Nubuck leather properly clean and treated, they are completely waterproof and for regular farmland/woodland stalking, they do me proud and I wouldn't personally want any other boot.

If however I wanted a more all round pair of boots that will stand up to abuse (but are commensurately a LOT heavier!), I would go with my Salomon Quest 4D 2 GTX Boots. They are the best pair of Military/Walking boots I've owned. Indeed, I've done a lot of walking as part of my recovery from Chronic Fatigue and my pair of these have stood up to a significant amount of abuse with very little maintenance over the last 18-months, other than cleaning and reproofing once, covering over 600-miles in the process.
 
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Altberg sneekers, out of the box, laced, ran up and down ranges shooting all day at a competition, not a hot spot or blister to be had, not the cheapest but amazing boots.
 
i think the big problem you're going to face is that due to the laws of physics and engineering, lightweight, waterproof and 'summer' don't fit in the same box.

in order to be waterproof a walking boot needs to be fitted with some form or other of plastic bag to go around your feet - not only does this make the 'summer' bit rather difficult, but that plastic bag is extremely delicate and so has to be protected on both sides by lots of material. this is not condusive to 'lightweight'...

go for a leather boot that does not have a lining (gore-tex, Sympa-tex, sweat-like-a-pig-tex, tesco-tex..). if you want something higher than the normal walking boot to cope with brush and vegetation the best you'll find on the market is the Alt-berg Defender: its entirely comfortable to wear all day even in very wet conditions, its pretty robust, you'll get them for about £40 - £50 on ebay, and unlike a lined boot its easy and quick to dry.
 
+1 for the Altberg Defenders, really good comfortable boots and great value. Although they are not advertised as waterproof as they have no membrane, I've not had a problem as long as you keep them waxed well (leder gris seems to be the best stuff), they dry quickly as Wyre says and for extra water proofing I wear a pair of Army surplus sealskins socks (around £15 from surplus stores). i really cannot see the point in spending £200 plus for a pair of boots that are no better, and in some cases far worse, than these.
 
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