Hiking Boots

Boerkie wrote: I bought a pair of Hi-Tec V-lite Altitude Ultra Luxe Wpi boots a couple of weeks ago.




I know most members are Anti-Hi-Tec but had a good look at the boot and it had all the features needed:
1. Waterproof - I know this is a running joke among VE members but so far it really seemed to be keeping out the water. I must add I do use Nikwax and could not yet test it on day-after-day wet weather.
2. Proper lace eyelets
3. Gusseted tongue
4. Virbram soles
5. Leather body
6. Comfy, removable insole
7. Light weight

It was however like leaving my feet at a Chinese torture school for a week breaking in the boots. The biggest problem is the stupid seam that crosses exactly at your ankle bones. Hi-tec and all other boot manufacturers should force the designers thereof to actually wear the boots. Maybe then they will start to think before adding seams just for looks. Overcoming this it seems to be a decent boot. I would've liked some sort of protection over the toe section as these takes a lot of beating on rocky trails. The leather on mine have scuffed quite a bit on the short trip I just did.

Will I buy them again? Ummm maybe, pending how long they survive.

The biggest reason I bought them in the first place is that they were the only decent boots CUM sells. Have looked at the Tibets at Drifters after my purchase and they seem great, but also lacks the protection over the toes and costs R500 more.

This what my boots now look like



Going for 2 years now. I wear my boots for work, industrial construction, hence the concrete on it.

I've done well over 2500km in them and although the Vibram soles just about had it, it is still really waterproof and comfy. I have replaced the inner soles at some stage with Hi-Tec's 3D inners which is great.

Will I buy them again? Yes if only they can sort the issue with the front of the sole separating from the leather at the toes. I'll try Intrepid's trick of car silicone to squeeze on more berg trip out of them.

Does anyone have a pair of boreal zanskar? Keen to hear feedback on these boots.

I don't know much about the boreal zanskar, but if you looking at shoes in that range check out the La Spotiva Vajolet, priced about the same as the Zanskar and look very similar. I recently bought a pair and tested the in wet conditions, they are fantastic. Check them out.

ghaznavid wrote: Interesting. I'll report back when I have tried mine in rain/snow. I see both are marked as snow/cold weather shoes.

Well, compared to my current Ion Masks (which are about as waterproof as my laptop) they can't be much worse.

Just weighed both of them, their weights are basically identical. From trying them on I have noticed that they are much more grippy than my Ion Masks - but that could be due to the fact that they are new and the IMs have done just over 100km (and are already starting to fall apart).

So my Hi-Tec Sierra Lite WP have now had a few Berg runs. Summary of them:
- When the soles get wet they have no grip on rock at all. They almost dropped me in a few rivers along the way
- They are relatively waterproof, but once wet they take days to dry
- They are relatively comfortable

Moral of the story - don't buy them. I won a pair in a competition and I almost want to tell Hi-Tec that I want a refund

Can anyone tell me how the Jim Green Monster boots are as hiking boots? Any experiences / feedback?

I have a pair and they are waterproof (although not tested yet). They seem to be a bit heavy but they are super comfortable.

I had a pair of Jim Greens which I walked in in the berg in for 10 years, tough as anything but they gave me some hectic blisters. They had "waterproof" printed in the leather on the side, but proved to soak up water like a sponge. So I would say a great boot for general purpose use, or day hikes, not so great for multi-day berg trekking.

I have the Jim Green Monster boots.

They are super heavy and will eat your feet until they are broken in. They were waterproof for first few months but now need nikwax or dubbin to keep them that way.

I'm sure they will last for ages but there really is no need to carry so much weight on your feet when you've already got so much on your back.

They definitely wont fall to pieces but there is a price to pay for it...

Has anyone tried the new Hi-Tec SpHike lightweight/'sport hiking' range? I'd be interested if they're decent and lightweight.
(I've tended to stay away from Hi-Tec in the past)

my first pair of hiking boots were Hi Tec but I won't go there again. They always hurt my feet and quality was not great. This weekend I hiked with 3 people using Hi-Tec's and no one was happy with their boots?!!

I have 2 pairs of La Sportiva boots - Glacier's = heavier boots for glacier travel and Halite's which are very light with a gore-tex bootie and they are both superb. The first time I wore my Glacier's was on a 17 day trek in the Nepal Himalaya and I didn't even get a hot spot on my feet... Enough said!

Ok, thanks.
I've also got La Sportivas, Thunger GTX (ladies size, I have small feet), but the leather is cracked on boot, and torn/detached from the sole on the other. I plan to repair them, (not decided yet on duct tape or 'shoe goo'), cos they're really comfortable and have served me well (though I've had to replace the insoles), and I don't feel like the expense of buying a new pair (they're about 5 years old).

I also have a pair of Karrimor KSBs which I bought for Kili, but they're a bit heavier and stiffer, good for longer trips, though I don't do much of those unfortunately. I've been using the KSBs since the other pair is broken, even on Sunday morning hikes, and they've been great.

Both pairs are heavy though, and I'd like to look at lighter options. I'm not a proponent of hiking without boots, I thought lightweight boots might be something to look into.