New Boots vs New Trainers

Merrell Mid Moab Boots

 

In winter conditions I wouldn't consider wearing anything but my Meindl Bernina (review here) clodhoppers. They offer awesome support and are toasty warm.

There is a monstrous compromise though and that is the weight! As a direct result the fatigue sets in far far quicker than in trainers. I swore by my North Face Hedeghogs! They were awesome and have only recently crumbled, they have split, which is devastating. So I'm now on the lookout for a replacement.

I thought about going the same and going in for another round with the North Face Hedgehog but am also considering alternatives. Why not got for a lightweight boot? So that's where I think I'm headed.

I've dug about and the Merrell Mid Moab boot seems to come up as being pretty highly regarded and well received by most that have got them. They're goretex and have vibram soles so should suffice nicely. I'll keep the North Face Hedgehogs in mind as a lighter weight flat option but only need one pair for now and will se how the Merrell Mid Moab boot goes.

Whilst my Meindl Bernina will always have their place I think a lightweight shoe with the support of a boot will kill numerous birds with just the one stone. A difficulty I may come up against is the widened of my feet. When I bought my Meindl Bernina I did so because they were the only boots I could find that would house my wide feet. We'll see how the Merrell Mid Moab boots go on that front.

Clogs for my fat feet - Meindl Bernina Review

After running my last boots into the ground to the point where they leaked like old boots (ha ha). I decided I was long overdue a new pair seeing that they would see a fair amount of use this year what with taking on the Lakeland 3000's and the National 3 Peaks as well as whatever other yomps I'll get out for.

I went over to see the guys at Trailblazer Outdoors in Pickering, who I have to say are awesome. They spent an age with us and walked us through (still going..) different uppers/soles etc of boots and the benefits/drawbacks of each (attention and knowledge you certainly don't get in the likes of Blacks or GoOutdoors). Once we'd got the jist of everything we then went to their boot room to try on the wares.

It transpired however that my feet are like dinner plates and are about as wide as they are long which is a bit of a pain in the derriere when tasked with finding suitable sturdy footwear. Starting with a normal fit boot suiting my spec I was pretty crippled across the widest part of my foot (big toe to little toe). I then moved up to a wider boot which felt little different. Boots seemingly do give with wear but not to any great extent so if they don't fit when you first try them on they will likely always give you a bit of grief. When these didn't fit, shopkeeper Andy told me to take the boots off so he could have a look at my feet.

A sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth ensued. Seemingly I have very odd shaped feet which were only to be accommodated by the Meindl Bernina, and if they didn't do the job I would have to revert to the workshop to fashion something out of old hose, tyres and bits of string - not the best for the frosty days. Fortunately they fit like a glove, they are by far the most comfortable boot I have worn to date.

The Meindl Bernina isn't the cheapest of boots but at the end of the day if your footwear isn't comfortable you are in for a bit of a grind of a day and we all want to go out and enjoy the hills as much as we can.

We went out shortly afterwards onto the North York Moors to test drive them and they seem tip top. Fair play I did get a touch blistered but even with already broken in boots I get blistered if I havn't been out in a while so that is nothing too out of the ordinary. That aside though, they aren't to weighty and they offer as much support as I will ever need them for, an all round winner.

I would say that the only downside with these is that they will require a touch more attention to aftercare then most boots as they aren't goretex but that's no great shakes. You should always wash your boots after a yomp and it takes all of 2 minutes to rub waterproofing on them.