Boots Opinions

Good evening everyone. Do you think that the majority of folk prefer a high-leg boot like the Dovre extreme, or Altberg Gamekeeper, or is a 'normal' walking boot just as good. I currently have a pair of Altberg Tetheras which, in my opinion, are brilliant. I am considering buying a pair of the Gamekeeper boots, but would value your opinion. I am a big fan of Altbergs: they seem to be the best fit for my feet.

Many thanks in advance.

Hector
 
I personally prefer the meindl dovre's to the Altbergs but that's just me. If most of your stalking is rough ground then go for high leg. If it's pretty flat and easy going you can afford to go for something a bit more lightweight.
 
Got both altberg and Meindl not a lot in it except the gamekeeper don't require as much looking after with the coating beware the d rings though blood and snot rusts them knackering the laces !
Not much more that can be said thats not already
norma
 
If the majority of your walking is done on rough or steep ground, I'd go for the higher leg ones, and those which are the most comfortable. Incidentally, if you do a search for British Military Surplus Altberg Boots, you should find some second hand, in A1 condition. May even have been mentioned on here......
 
Good evening everyone. Do you think that the majority of folk prefer a high-leg boot like the Dovre extreme, or Altberg Gamekeeper, or is a 'normal' walking boot just as good. I currently have a pair of Altberg Tetheras which, in my opinion, are brilliant. I am considering buying a pair of the Gamekeeper boots, but would value your opinion. I am a big fan of Altbergs: they seem to be the best fit for my feet.

Many thanks in advance.

Hector
I can save you some £200 - search British Military Surplus and buy a pair of almost new (Grade 1) Meindl or Altberg for around £30.
In fact, they often arrive in new condition, in the original packaging.
Three cheers for the brilliant army procurement department, paid for by the Tax Payer!
 
Many thanks everyone for your helpful replies. From what I gather people favour a higher leg boot because they genuinely do offer more ankle support. Is that correct?
 
I recently counted and I've 7 pairs of boots currently in the pipeline including the Meindl Dovre extreme but I've never tried Altberg so can't comment specifically on them. However, I'm out around 100 days per year (often at things other than stalking) in Ireland or the Hebrides and have been doing this for around 25, maybe 30, years now.

My experience is that the lower boots can offer at least as much ankle support, if not more, than the higher leg boots. In fact I use Scarpa M3 3/4 season walking boots (since discontinued and replaced with something very similar) on very rough mountain stalking and my higher Douvres are not used in such tough conditions but in more lowland situations as I just don't feel as secure and well supported in them. So, my experience is the opposite of the higher boot offering more ankle support. I did go over on an ankle, with a big crack, when stalking on very rought hill ground in a pair of Scarpa M3s and was able to walk off the hill though the boot was a little distorted and so I retired it from hard use. My leg did go all sorts of colours from toes to knee but there is no question in my mind that the boot saved me a broken leg and I am also confident that my Dovres wouldn't have done such a good job. I think the Dovres are great and wear them a lot and there are some conditions in which they are perfect but on the specific matter of ankle support I don't rate them as high as some other boots I have.

I think there is a lot of "marketing" going on at present and so we are told that stalkers must have boot X to be safe etc. but this may not be supported by the facts.

As already mentioned both Altberg and Haix boots are now becoming available from army surplus. I'm currently trying to get on terms with a pair of the surplus Haix and they certainly seem to be great boots but I just haven't had a lot of chances to break them in as my recent walking hasn't been suitable for breaking in a pair of boots and so has required me to wear something else. My feeling is that the Haix will offer better support than my Dovres and the pair I got appeared to be brand new. For what it is worth I got them from these folks:

Footwear - British Military Surplus
 
Cheers for this link. I have bought a pair of Meindl Desert Fox boots this morning for this warmer weather.

Expect it to set in wet now until winter.
 
Depends on where you are stalking woodland etc high leg is fine on the hill I prefer a shorter boot that will take gators and with a ridged sole that will take crampons in the worst of weather, at the moment got a pair of Raichle fantastic boots comfortable and waterproof.
 
I've just bought a pair of Hanwag Tatra Top GTX. . . .
The last two pair of boots have been rubbish, time will tell how these perform.
 
Plus one for Mil surp.
Got a pair of meindl desert foxes yesterday. Grade A for £40, they look brand new. I saved about £80.
 
Chaps this morning was my first morning out in more than a bit of light dew in the Meindl Desert Fox boots. NOT waterproof or even resistant.

They have taken this long to break in.

Good value and ideal for the weather we have had but frankly not as good as my Brashers.

Tempted though for £50 to try the Altberg Defenders.
 
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well I can fully recommend the the Jack Pyke Tundra boots so far , I jumped a fence the other morning onto what i thought was a hard surface to find myself a half a foot deep in water and mud and not one seapage and we have had some heavy rain and one or two of our fields have not been cut yet for sileage and even then no seapage so I am pretty impressed so far.
 
I do a lot of foxing and beating for the local estate for which i use a used ( ie broken in) pair of german paratrooper boots that were £30 on fleabay....so far they have taken all that i have put them through with a good dose of dubbing and boot polish mix when they need it...Hugh.
 
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