The old Vasque Sundowners were made in Italy and the best boots I ever owned. The new Sundowners are made in China and are far from the quality of the old ones. I've also had good luck with a couple different pairs of Zamberlan boots.Originally Posted by JclInAtx
For work boots, I'm pretty fond of my Nick's Hot Shots. I can't imagine I'll ever wear them out.
Limmer boots are seriously, seriously stout, made the old-fashioned way. I understand they're no longer made in New Hampshire, but in Germany. They were the famous staple of hikers back before "lightweight-injected-glued" became the keywords. http://www.limmerboot.com/# Part of the weight, I expect, is the leather midsole, which keeps the boot size stable while soles are replaced, so I would expect they're repairable. You hear stories of them lasting for decades.
Corcoran jump boot suggestion removed. Apparently they aren't made that well anymore. Too bad.
Last edited by Jaywalker; 02-05-2019 at 08:07 PM.
I've been getting a lot of mileage out of Keen Targahee II mid's and recently Keen Targahee EXP mid's.
I get about a year out of a pair and that's wearing them daily for desert mountain hiking, at the range and for work on oilfield locations. That's about as hard use as you'll find.
If you backpack with much of a load on really rocky terrain you have to watch out for stone bruises as the midsole is rather soft.
The only real downside to Keens for daily use that i've found is they can trap odors, occasionally they freaking stink... bad.
A good spray down with some hockey equipment deodorizer/cleaner when that happens and i'm good for another week or two.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
And that's when I stopped buying them. They were fantastic.
I'm thinking about a pair of Garmont T8 Bifida Tactical Boots. They're well-reviewed and not too expensive as footwear goes. They have a lighter version, NFS - "Need For Speed," which are lighter-duty and wear more quickly. I think they also have heavier-duty versions, too. I'd have a pair already, except I'm not certain yet I need an eight-inch boot. Still, when a manufacturer build that many different versions it's a pretty good sign of commercial acceptance.
I had a pair of the Bifidas that wore out in less than a year, and couldn't be re-soled. A singular data point, but wouldn't go back to them on that basis.
Which version?
Can any of the newer boots be resoled?
Last edited by Jaywalker; 02-07-2019 at 07:24 AM.
I'd have to go check (if I even kept them); I don't think many of the newer ones can. I only fixated on the resoling issue because its the sole factor standing between a great boot that needs some maintenance and a disposable item that would need to be replaced (and then broken in, etc) on an accelerated schedule.
My pair were good at what they were supposed to do... they just weren't durable.
No sooner than after I talked up my Asolos as being effectively bomb proof that this happened:
Guess who’s getting a new pair of boots for Valentine’s Day? That’s right! This guy.
Those Asolos can be returned to knocking around status ( as opposed to bet your life on them status) with some Gorilla brand clear contact adhesive. As you say, with Valentine's Day coming, a new set would be nice as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Clear...72573783&psc=1
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