Hiking Boots

23 Feb 2014 15:18 #59731 by ghaznavid
Replied by ghaznavid on topic Hiking Boots
HI-TEC sent me a pair of their new HI-TEC Altitude V i hiking boots to test. On my hike yesterday I took these boots - here's my review on them:

I my mind a pair of hiking boots should be evaluated with reference to three factors – weight, comfort and waterproofing.

The first thing I noticed is that these boots are light – roughly 600g per shoe. When you consider that 1g on the boot is worth 5g in the pack, this is great news.

These boots are very comfortable. I only had two days to wear them in before the hike, so I had only done about 3km in the shoes before setting out. I had no issues with blisters, or any discomfort apart from what is usual when traversing on a steep slope or walking over loose rock. On a few occasions when a rock would roll, the ankle support on the shoes was great. I was using double socks (a thin inner sock and a thick outer sock), which always helps with reducing friction on the foot – I believe most hikers do this.

The issue I did have though was with regards to waterproofing. For me personally – this is a vital aspect in evaluating hiking boots. However, as with any gear it is important to consider what they are rather than what one may wish them to be. For example, to compare these boots with boots that retail for double the price would not be a fair comparison.

I always use gaiters – otherwise your socks get wet and thus no degree of waterproofing would be good enough. Despite this, 3 hours in my feet were starting to get wet, and once this had begun – it wasn’t long from there before there was a swimming pool around my feet. Due to the mist we were hiking in, there was dew on the grass. I have found dew to be worse than rain or standing snow when it comes to trying to keep your feet dry.

What was impressive with these boots was the drainage. As we approached the end of the hike, the sun was going down and we had hoped to get through the 2 river crossings before it was dark. On reaching the first river crossing it was already getting dark, so I just walked through the water with my boots on – naturally they were completely soaked by the other side seeing as the entire shoe had been submerged. On reaching the car park at 7:30PM the inside of the shoes were still wet, but there was no standing water left in the boots.

The other issue of concern I found with the boots was walking over wet rock. Very few boots will hold firmly on wet solid clay, soaked mud or loose scree – but wet rock is an important aspect when river crossings or off trail routes are being used. This is especially relevant when river crossings are involved. On two different occasions the boots did not hold on wet rock, resulting in my feet ending up in a river.

So my overall view on these shoes is this – if you want to use them for full day/multi day hikes in wet areas, they aren’t ideal. For hiking in a dry area or for relatively short hikes they are great. However, it is important to emphasise that I am also not aware of any hiking boots in a similar price range that are more waterproof than these boots.

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03 May 2014 20:44 #60538 by Fitness
Replied by Fitness on topic Hiking Boots
So today I got the first opportunity to tat my new Tibets, I've had them since December and just haven't managed to get to the berg to give them a go, my target today was to Thamathu Cave and back as quickly as possible.
Boots were amazing, after my horrendous December experience with Merrells I was not expecting a comfortable walk. But these are great boots.
Look forward to giving them a go in snow soon.

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06 May 2014 10:18 #60582 by ASL-Bivak#
Replied by ASL-Bivak# on topic Hiking Boots
I concur with the comfort of La Sportiva's! I just tested my Trango Alphas on a day hike at Injisuthi and they are super comfortable. I didn't get any hot spots and of all the boots I have owned so far they rate as most comfortable with my Sportiva Glaciers coming a close second only because they are heavier.

I really like the ankle flexibility on the Trango's too. They are designed for technical terrain and are more agile than most low cut hikers. They sole is particularly good too with excellent grip and good edging.. :woohoo:

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06 May 2014 10:48 #60584 by Josh of the Bushveld
Replied by Josh of the Bushveld on topic Hiking Boots
I've been wearing my Salomon Cosmic 4D 2 GTXs almost every day for about 2 weeks now (sadly no hiking yet) and I'm very happy with them comfort-wise so far. Will try get some day hiking in this week to do more of a test. I replaced the standard Ortholite insoles with my pair of Pedag - VIVA Outdoors.

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06 May 2014 10:57 #60585 by Viking
Replied by Viking on topic Hiking Boots

ASL wrote: I concur with the comfort of La Sportiva's! I just tested my Trango Alphas


ASL is that the Trango alp boot as per this link? www.capeunionmart.co.za/la-sportiva-trango-alp-boot-m

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”

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06 May 2014 11:15 #60587 by ASL-Bivak#
Replied by ASL-Bivak# on topic Hiking Boots
not the same boot.. mine are Alphas. If you google it, you will see mine. The price is similar but Drifters has had a sale on them at R 1699.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Viking

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09 Feb 2015 15:18 #62812 by Asterix
Replied by Asterix on topic Hiking Boots
Do anybody have any experience with the Keen Durand Mid WP boot. I am interested in getting a pair. They fit me like a glove and is really comfortable in store. Not sure what will happen out hiking.

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10 Feb 2015 09:40 #62818 by _dB_
Replied by _dB_ on topic Hiking Boots

Asterix wrote: Do anybody have any experience with the Keen Durand Mid WP boot. I am interested in getting a pair. They fit me like a glove and is really comfortable in store. Not sure what will happen out hiking.




Personally I prefer a boot with Vibram soles.

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04 Oct 2015 20:26 #65298 by ghaznavid
Replied by ghaznavid on topic Hiking Boots
So Hi-Tec sent me a pair of their Hi-TEC Altitude Pro RGS hiking boots. That is Hi-Tec's top hiking boot. I have actually been quite impressed with them. There is a very big step up from the normal Altitude boots.

The listing of these boots on the CUM website is at www.capeunionmart.co.za/hi-tec-altitude-pro-rgs-wp-boot-mens

My report for Hi-Tec was as follows. Testing included my Free State traverse and my Didima/Monks traverse, amongst others.

Ghaznavid did a lot of testing before he wrote: HI-TEC sent me a pair of Hi-TEC Altitude Pro RGS hiking boots to test.

My first impression of these boots is that they are relatively light for hiking boots. The weight of a pair of boots can greatly impact on what you can manage in a day on a mountain, so I really like this.

The toes of the shoes also have an abrasion resistant cover – this should add life to the shoes when used on more rocky or overgrown terrain. After over 200km of Drakensberg use, the shoes are yet to show any real signs of wear, which is always encouraging!

As is standard with most hiking boots these days, the tongue is webbed; this adds greatly to waterproofing.

The shoelaces have 3 hooks for tightening, rather than the conventional 2 hook system. This enables one to tighten their shoe laces more effectively. It also allows the shoes to be taken off or put on with less effort, especially noticeable when wearing double socks.

The sole of the boots do not include the conventional gap two thirds of the way through the shoe, thus increasing your contact area with the ground. I like this feature.

The shoes are as grippy as one would expect on dry surfaces. Wet surfaces are inherently slippery, but to date the only falls I have taken in these shoes was on loose scree, and no amount of grip will do anything about that!

The only problem I have found with the shoes is with regards to breathability and waterproofing. The shoes don’t breathe very well, which means that your feet are always wet and smelly after a long day of hiking. In wet conditions, they remained dry inside for around 2 hours (about average for shoes of this nature). They took 3 days to dry through again when stuffed with newspaper, which is a tad slow and could be a problem if your shoes are wet from day one of a multi-day hike.

The following user(s) said Thank You: andrew r

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05 Oct 2015 05:39 #65300 by DeonS
Replied by DeonS on topic Hiking Boots
The smelly feet problem seems to be with all their boots - I wear a pair of Hi-Tec Vi WP hiking boots and I can not believe the smell after a few days of hiking. I did find a bit of foot powder helps.

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