Club Obi Wan

Hey folks: A friend just got back from Peru where he was doing some actual archeology. While there his boots were stolen. For over a month he was forced to hike and work in a pair of boat shoes due to the fact Size 13's are tough to find in Peru. He has burned through two pair of hikers that have been advertised as guaranteed for life. He wants a real leather boot that can take a beating and be comfortable for long hikes. I know many have Aldens but are they really a Real world tough as nails boot. I was abit worried about the sole in terms of traction but outside of snow would it be a problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We are getting together on Tuesday to talk over what he should buy (and see pics of the dig). He just discovered COW but didn't have much time before heading off into the jungle.

Warm Regards
Kilgour Trout

I've never worn a pair of Aldens, but I've worn shoes without any treads, and it was very difficult to walk in them, I wouldn't want to go hiking in them. If you get a pair Aldens, you'd probably have to get some treads put on, though I'm no expert on Aldens, so don't take my word as the Gospel.

I just got a pair of LL Bean boots, the kind they used to sell. They may be the last pair ever made, I had to get them from a Maryland factory store. They're excellent, very nice. I would suggest checking on LL Bean for their Engineer boots (I think that's it) they look great. Not as screen accurate as the other kind, but I'm sure they'd do good in the feild.

I've been wearing LL Bean boots for 4 years, and the last pair lasted me 3 years, but they could go for 10 more, I just out grew 'em!

Just my $.02 if it's of any help...

Get a pair of White's.

www.whitesboots.com

I recommend the White's Lace to toe Smoke Jumpers. I own the Farmer/Rancher, and in my opinion, they are by far the best, most indestructible boots made today. Their Smoke Jumper has a huge Vibram lug sole for traction.


They're expensive (way more than Alden's), but they're handmade, and tougher than nails. The only thing you have to watch for with them is they're heavy as heck.

My dad has worn a pair for 14 years, and they are holding up great. In a couple of years, he'll probably send them back to be rebuilt, and then they'll be like new again.

Kilgour,
I'd strongly recommend a pair of Scarpa Treks. I've had the same pair for about seven years and they have served me brilliantly on many an expedition throughout the world- in Australia, New Zealand and especially Nepal. I've looked after them well with Snow Seal and polish- and they haven't needed any other maintenance yet. I did the Milford Track and Routeburn Tracks (in New Zealand) in January- this was over a week of hiking each day- and my feet didn't get one blister and were never uncomfortable. It rained like crazy too- but these babies hold up brilliantly... here's a pic of mine at one of the huts... )


As far as I was aware- Harrison Ford chose the Alden 405 because he was so happy with them during his days as a carpenter- not a mountain hiker- so they would be a good shoe for a workshop, but not out in the wilderness.

Good luck in finding the right shoe!

I imagine if you had Aldens re-soled, they would be the ultimate mountain climbing boot. :junior: -IJ

I'd recomend against them as a serious field boot. As cool as they are, and as great as they are for casual wear, they just don't compare to some of the hiking boots available today. They're not waterproof, and even if you waterproof them the tongue goes all the way down the front of the boot, and water will seep in. For the money you're going to spend buying Aldens and getting them resoled you could easily buy a pair of hiking boots that would serve you better. I just retired a pair of LL Bean hiking boots that lasted about 8 years, and the only reason I had to toss them was that they were finally too small to wear. You don't even need to go for anything fancy, mine wans't. It was a simple all leather hiking boot that I had treated with sno-seal and broken in the right way. I got the stitching reinforced and had them resoled once, and besides regular maintenenace thats all I had to do. Plus, LLBean has an excellent customer service department, so when I finally get around to replacing these boots, they'll accept them toward a trade-in.

I agree with GuyBrush. I have the LL Bean Cresta hikers and I have used and abused them. They were a replacement for a similar model they sold about eight years ago, which I still have, but decided to go for a replacement. I can't say enough about the LL Bean boots.
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores ... &feat=dp26

Two other sources you might check are Altama Boots (their Jungle Boot) and Cabelas. Cabelas has a number of hiking boots and hunting boots that would be rugged enough for Peru. They are not theft-proof, however. The Altama Jungle Boot is recommend by Jeff Randall, who has spent a good deal of time in Peru. Randall wrote a book "Adventure Travel in the Third World" in which he lists some gear that is valuable to take and other gear not to take. Everyone has their preferences, I offer these suggestions as additional choices.

Hemingway Jones wrote:I agree with GuyBrush. I have the LL Bean Cresta hikers and I have used and abused them. They were a replacement for a similar model they sold about eight years ago, which I still have, but decided to go for a replacement. I can't say enough about the LL Bean boots.
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores ... &feat=dp26

Yup, those are them, thanks hemingway. These boots are tough as iron but really comfy once you break them in. Good ankle support too.

My Beans boots are made out of Ox-hide or something like that. I’ve owned them for over two years and they are just starting to break in.

The only way you could go wrong with Bean boots is to not get them.

This is interesting- the Cresta boots look as if they have the same soles as my Scarpas- Vibram soles- you can tell by the tread and the little yellow tab on the bottom. Scarpas are made in Italy- are the Crestas US?They look like a sturdy boot.

Thanks Fella's: I went over some of your comments with my chum and he is really thankful for the comments and reviews you've offered. He's heard of some of the boots mentioned but is impressed with the variety of different suggestions. He's intending to join COW since he is a IJ fan and interested in the gear. He gets his adventure by day as an Emergency Tech and takes archeology trips all over the globe when his sheckles add up. Ahhhh the single life eh!

Thanks again and keep the suggestions coming
I'm in the market aswell for a new pair. Wreckhunting season is about to begin Yippee!!!

Kilgour Trout

When I went shopping for hiking boots I took a buddy of mine who made it to the summit of Rainier in high school (for those of you who don’t know, Rainier is the tallest peak in the continental US at over 14k’). The first question is: what do you want to do?: day hikes, overnighters (extended), or climb mountains. One variety of boot will take a crampon- you’ll pay over 300US (at least) for those. If not serious climbing, then get a waterproof boot with as few seams as possible, seams will be the first place where water will get in. If you think you’re going to wear out the sole, then find a pair that can be resoled. If I didn’t buy my REI boots I’d have bought these:
http://www.vasque.com/products/m-sundownermx2gtx.cfm
Good luck!

Kilgour Trout wrote: I'm in the market aswell for a new pair. Wreckhunting season is about to begin Yippee!!!

Kilgour Trout

I am afraid to ask. Do you drive a tow truck or something?

Bufflehead I laughed pretty hard when I read your response . Doesn't it seem that transport trucks actually make sport out of scaring the hoogabooga's out of everybody. When they've been awake for 17 hours plus..."wreckhunting" becomes a real option. Growing up in the bush, my grandmother used to phone almost every afternoon to say.."The radio said another pulp truck squashed a bunch of people on Highway 11/17, that wasn't you was it?". She was such a sweet lady!
Actually...Wreckhunting to me (and my Adventure partner Farn54) means hunting for everything from Old classic cars, downed aircraft, abandoned mine equipment to even WW2 personnel carriers used post war for prospecting. Clive Cussler is right when he says the best places to find neet junk is where it gets really cold.

Warm Regards
Kilgour Trout

Neolithic wrote: ...so they would be a good shoe for a workshop, but...

For anyone else that wonders, they are fantastic for this. Really, perfect, for me.

On the traction note, snow is the only underfoot condition that has been questionable in my experience.

Cab

Well..I spent lunch with my chum who was 5 weeks in Peru. Man...what an adventure! Took 4 days to hike into Machu Pichu, spent days in the Jungle alone hiking incan trails, dodging scorpions and tarantulas (in his only other boat shoes), avoided being knocked into the amazon by really big crocodiles and most frightening, managed to survive being assaulted by two sharks off the Galapagos Islands. I was scared stiff just listening how the two sharks approached him, how he got to a coral reef where he booted the shark in the head, saw it go down and when he put his face into the water to see, found the shark had went straight to the bottom and then right back up. He found himself with his face looking right into the blasted sharks mouth!!! He raised up fast swung with his arms and the shark disappeared again. He was still over 300 feet from shore. Well...the fact that he was eating a chicken salad sandwich at lunch today tells you he got back in one piece.
After hearing his story...and seeing the incredible pics, he went on to tell a few other experiences in his travels. Experiences involving lions, elephants and hyenas. (nasty creatures to say the least. I have a new name for adventure..his name is "Ted!"

Really nice humble guy with a way to get into trouble with all sort of creatures and people.

Had to share
Kilgour Trout

P.s. He is looking at the suggestions given and will hopefully join soon to offer his own thanks.

Wow!...uh...Wow. And to think that I thought eating Japanese food was an adventure.

My favorite hiking boot of all time has been the Pivetta hiking boot. I bought a pair in 1974, and they lasted until just a few years ago when my wife threw them out because she thought they were too old to keep. :evil: I don't know what sort of welt this is called, but there were no visible stitching where the upper, where it attached to the sole. All of the stitching were inside, on the bottom under the inner soles. Hand stitched. There was one seam in the whole upper, and it was on the inside of each boot, about halfway. Absolutely the best that I have ever owned. Italian made, full grain leather, Vibram soles, and listed as a heavy duty mountaineering boot. Perfect for hiking in rough country., especially where the going was rough. And these boots, properly cared for(I used Snow Seal), literally will last for decades. When my wife threw them out, they were superbly broken in, and very comfortable. I got physically ill, because I knew that this old Italian boot company had went bottom up in the 80's. I surfed ebay for years trying to find a mint pair in my size and lucked up last Fall. I now own another pair, vintage 70's, and brand new, never resoled.I lost track on the resoles on my first pair. These boots cost me an arm and leg back in the 70's. Over 2 bills. But worth every penny if you are looking for longevity, comfort, and security. I just had to tell you guys about this brand since we were talking boot choices. Fedora

I bought a pair in 1974, and they lasted until just a few years ago when my wife threw them out because she thought they were too old to keep.

Agh- Fedora, that's terrible! My condolences to you!
Glad you found another pair.



www.trailspace.com/gear/boots/reviews-by-date
Here's a link you may find useful- but geez- there's tonnes of boot reviews on it, happily, you can search under brands- still very comprehensive.
Haha- the Treks I recommended have a review saying watch out for blisters!
The dangers of offering advice I guess, they work beautifully for me though...

I know these are not as exotic or classy as Aldens, but I've hiked through the jungle of Central America, through rainforest and terrential downpours, climbed to the top of mayan temples and over ruins, climbed mountains in Guat, walked across borders of Belize & to the coasts, been on Caribean islands and thru ocean to palm trees, through Europe, from the top of the Eiffel to the Mediterranean all in a classic pair of Timberland leather euro boots with No damage to them. I believe they're indestructable AND they're comfortable too. Just my experiences and $0.02.

I would recomend danner Acadia or a pair of Gamont Broncos,i have a pair of both,the Garmonts are a 1 piece leather and tough as nails
www.garmont.com

My vote is for the Vasque sundowner, hands down the best hiking shoe out there IMHO.

Cheers
I j

Ah, heck. Just go barefoot!

(Sorry, I've been into the hops a wee bit.)

As a former firefighter I can vouch for White's Boots. Just ask any forester, surveyer, or wildland firefighter what they'd wear, and they'll usually say White's. Custom made. Rebuildable. Comfortable as anything. Sure they're a bit heavy, but once you're used to it, your dogs will thank you for them.

I wore out too many pairs of Red Wings to count. Vasques are a season or two then they're usually shot, unless you are a real lightweight (with exceptions, of course).

Now THESE look interesting:
http://www.whitesboots.com/display-boot ... ot&p_id=49

I spotted these as well, back when this thread first popped up. I gave them serious consideration for a while, but other expenditures got in the way, darn it.

I suspect I would probably go for a pair of the higher built boots, just based on personal preferences, anyway.

Anyone here ordered from them lately? What's the wait time?

Yowza! Nice boots, but for the price, I could get a pair of Aldens and have them altered with Vibram soles for cheaper...

Those are very interesting boots. I like the hiker boots too. Owning Aldens has taught me never to go cheap on the feet. RonC told me that in the field if you tear your shirt or your pants you can still get home. If your shoes fail you, your chances of survival diminish.

And speaking of Aldens, my first pair are due in next week -- and I only ordered them LAST week! WOOHOO!!!!