Hiking boots
Posted by blitheringidiott on Apr 19, 2008 · Member since Nov 2006 · 28 posts
Ok, so I'm in the market for a new hiking boots and I would really prefer a pair that don't make me feel like I'm wearing someone else's skin over my socks. Any recommendations for a vegan-friendly brand? Garmont seems to have a few pairs. Has anyone tried them? Any information would be really helpful! Thanks!
Garmont has been good to me.
I have a pair of mens 9.5US that are brand new, but too small for me. They are the old style. For sale, good price for fellow vegwebers.
I actually prefer trail sneakers over 'hiking boots'. There are more synthetic options, they weigh a lot less and are less expensive.
If you are doing day trips, this is the direction I would lead you in. At this point I don't own hiking boots and I have done and planing more weekend excursions. Marshals typically has $30 NB trail kicks, unfortunately they are made in china...
If you want to spend a little more and wish to support a vegan biz http://www.mooshoes.com/ is fantastic.
Other good sources are http://www.campmor.com/ and http://www.rei.com/
I think mine are Garmont as well. I bought them from MEC (www.mec.ca) serveral years ago. I like them and would buy them again.
K^2
Will you be doing trail hiking or off-trail hiking? Will you be carrying a backpack? If so, how long do you figure a trip to be? A weekend or a week? I spent my 20s hiking and I used to buy super nice boots, before I came to the realization that for general trail hiking I'd rather wear trail">http://www.rei.com/Search.do?vcat=REI_SSHP_FOOTWEAR_TOC&cm_re=toc*toc*wn... running shoes. Boots are heavy and overkill for trails. If you're going above tree line you'll likely boulder scramble and I had a harder time balancing with boots on. I guess the only place I liked boots more was when I was bordering squishy meadows. If you're not going to be aroud squishy areas, I'm with kannas, go with trail sneakers. I pay about $100 a pair, but I have messed up tendons at my arches, so I am super careful about my feet.
I like inov-8. My favorite brand is North Face Merrell (duh!), but they haven't made a decent model in a while. The footbeds/soles still totally rock, but the shoe material kind of sucks now.
If you're set on boots, I haven't bought any since being vegan. My favorite were all leather, so I can't be of much help.
I also prefer trail running shoes. These are the ones I have: http://www.merrell.com/Product/NZSZZZ/Womens-Active-Footwear/Multi-Sport/Womens/Desert-Sage/J13836/Siren-Ventilator.aspx
I received them as a gift from my parents, and I love them. I have high arches, and these have a lot of support. They are also SUPER lightweight and really breathable. And they're made from synthetic leather.
Will you be doing trail hiking or off-trail hiking? Will you be carrying a backpack? If so, how long do you figure a trip to be? A weekend or a week?
I'm actually planning a several month backpacking trip, on and off trails, so I'm looking for a pretty sturdy boot.
If you're looking for vegan boots, Garmont makes a vegan hiking boot. I haven't had a Garmont shoe before, so I don't know about the fit, but it's a good brand. The shoe is $129, which is comparable to similar boots.
I love Merrell's soles, but I don't like their top fabric of recent years, so my solution has been to get shoes, take out the footbed, and put in SOLE footbeds. You put them in the oven and then stand on them so they mold to your foot. The nice thing is that you can switch them out between shoes.
If you buy your shoes online, check out zappos. They offer free shipping both ways, so it doesn't cost you anything to send a pair of shoes back if they don't fit right.