"......To all the boots I've worn before...."

My tramping footwear rogues gallery...

Here is my gallery of tramping boots/shoes I have worn and destroyed, I will add to this as time goes on! I intend to include before and after shots, and make some comment on quality, fit etc.

Wearing my Lowa Tibets in the  Waimakiriri Valley, 2018

Hi Tec Bryce, light hiking boot  (2012-2015) (Retired)


I brought a pair of these in 2012, I just didn't have the cash to buy a more rugged pair of boots because of all of the other tramping gear I needed at the time. They have worked well and have seen me through all of my trips over Spring/Summer/Autumn 2012-13.

Wearing my Hi-Tec Bryce boots at Ryde Falls, Oxford Forest Park in 2013

 I didn't expect them to last but I have been pleasantly surprised with how well they have stood up.  The uppers are still fine,  they have just starting to show signs of wear. I think they are good value for the $140 asking price. I will continue to use them for formed tracks i.e. those on the Port Hills, these could also be used on the Great Walks.



Light fabric Hi Tec Bryce boots,  purchased in 2012

Wearing my Hi Tecs up the East Hawdon Valley, 2013

Hi-Tec Bryce boots midway up the Hawdon Valley in 2014

July 2014: I have been using these boots for my fitness walking for about the last year, they are still holding out fine, I estimate I will need to dispose of them later this year as they have started to wear down on the sole. 

2017: I am only using these in the garden now as the stitching has started to unravel- they will get chucked when no longer useful 

Note: 2018 The Hi-Tecs have gone to the great tramping home in the sky...

Kathmandu Barigan, medium boot (2013-2017) (Retired)

I have recently acquired a pair of these boots for the very reasonable price of $100, they are a replacement for the Hi-Tec boots I have been using. I know Kathmandu does not have great name when it comes to durability, even if they only last a season they will have repaid my investment. Significantly they have a hard Vibram sole and are much stiffer than the Hi Tec's. 

Kathmandu Barigan, 2013

At the half way point in the Nina Valley in 2015

July 2014: I used these boot for all of the 2013/14/15 tramping season and found them very comfortable. Unfortunately they are starting to delaminate (a common problem), I have glued them up and will use them for day walks on the Port Hills etc. I should get a least another years use out of them on these shorter trips. They lasted as my primary boots for a year so they were worth the $100 I paid for them.

Wearing the Barigans on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, 2017

Sept 2017: I wore these very successfully on the Abel Tasman Coast Walk although they are now finished as tramping boots.  I had to glue and tape them up a bit to use but my repairs lasted the full four days without problems.

The Barigans after completing the Abel Tasman Coastal Track 2017

2021: Still using them around the house for yard work.... 

Asolo 535 TPS, medium boot (2013-2020) (Donated)

I brought myself a pair of Asolo 535 boots for the rocky gravel bashing trips I sometimes go on. These boots are from a good quality European maker, they have a much stiffer sole and the ubiquitous Vibram sole on them. I'm in the process of wearing them in as we speak. Obviously, because they are made in Europe the price is steeper, $500 for this type and brand.

Asolo 535 full leather boots, 2013

December 2020: I have given these boots to a work colleague who tramps as they were slightly too small for my feet. He has been using them on some tramps over the last six months and says he likes them. They are excellent boots so I will potentially buy a larger size some time in the future.

La Sportiva Valojet, medium boot (2014 -2020 ) (Donated)

I've recently brought myself a new pair of leather boots for the coming Summer tramping season. I have been wearing a pair of Kathmandu boots but as is the case with their gear they have started to fall to bits. These boots are Italian, La Sportiva Valojets, a medium weight leather boot with a Goretex liner, with a good quality Vibram sole. These ones were $350 on sale, normally $600.

La Sportiva Valojet, 2014

Wearing my La Sportiva boots on the QCT in 2016

The Valojets on the Harpers Pass track in 2017

Wearing the Valojets on the climb to Fyffe Hut in 2016

Update 2018: I have been using these very successfully for several years now and they are awesome. Comfortable right out of the box, quality materials and great workmanship are worth paying for in my opinion. The soles are still fine, the only damage is a rip in the rubber rand I got on the third trip wearing these boots (barbed wire fence...). 

La Sportiva boots are fantastic, I would buy these again but unfortunately they have gone out of production. 

2020: I have donated these boots to a charity box after they sat in my garage for three years without use. 

Lowa Tibet GTX, boots (2017-)   (Current Boots)

My newest and most expensive piece of tramping kit ever is a pair of Lowa Tibet boots. My La Sportiva's are starting to wear on the sole at toe and heel which is common for me. To this end I purchase a new pair of boots before the old ones wear out. I am currently wearing these in by wearing them to work and around the house.

Lowa Tibet GTX boots: I have big feet...size 13UK/14US/49EU

Lowa is a well known German company with a reputation for quality gear. These boots are great but quality comes at a cost...they cost an arm and a leg...$700 NZD for a pair. 

Lowa Tibet GTX boots: the lacing system

Lowa Tibet GTX boots: the chunky Vibram sole

I've used these boots on a number of tramps now and they have performed very well. They are heavier than some others I have worn but excellent for rough muddy tracks and off track travel. they were excellent on the Travers-Sabine Circuit...that is their real home gnarly tracks in alpine and rocky areas. The Tibet's would be great with crampons fitted as they have a solid firm sole. 

Wearing my Lowa's at the Packhorse Bivvy, 2018

Lowa Tibets on the Travers-Sabine Circuit, Nelson Lakes NP in early 2018

 I have recently brought another pair of Lowa's in this case the lighter Lowa Ranger III, so I currently have two excellent pairs of boots to wear as the terrain dictates. 

Lowa Ranger III (2018 -  ) (Current boots)

My Lowa Tibets are awesome boots but I also needed some lighter weight boots for walking the more front country tracks like the Great Walks (like the Abel Tasman Coast Track) and other less rugged trips.

The Lowa Ranger III boot 

I went with Lowa once again and brought a pair of their Ranger III's in a sale at Hunting and Fishing in late 2017. These are a lot lighter than the Lowa Tibet's but with the same excellent materials, comfort and craftsmanship.  

Great Vibram soles on the Lowa Ranger III

I'm currently wearing them in before putting them to use later this year...

Front view of the Ranger III boots

These boots have now be on a number of trips and I could not be happier with them. Comfortable right from the box, rugged and the soles are very grippy on wet surfaces. A real pleasure to use....this is now my preferred brand and type of boot. 

In my Lowa Rangers on MacKinnon Pass, Milford Track in December 2018...photobombed!!!

Heading up to the Bealey Glacier in 2018...

 

At the end of the Kepler Track in March 2021....

Asics Men's Gel Sonoma 4E, Trail Shoes (2015- ) (Current) (pair number four in use)

These are my current general purpose trail shoes, I am onto my fourth pair of these. I use these for general fitness walking as well as trips along the Port Hills and on day trips when the weather is fine. I wouldn't use these for a long trail like the Te Araroa, although they might make fair work of even that trail.

Asics Men's Gel Sonoma 4E Trail Shoes

My first pair lasted for about 14 months before they started to fall to bits. For $150 that is pretty good going when you consider that I use them for at least one 10-15 km walk every second weekend. I suppose I could go for a $300 pair of Asolo/Salewa/North Face/Innov8 trail walking shoes but why, these work just fine. 

Sole on Sonoma Trail shoes

I brought them from Rebel Sport, they are still available at the time of writing (September 2016).

When my second pair wear out I will definitely buy these again if they are still available. 

My Asics Sonomas in use on the Christchurch 360 trail, 2016

Note: 2018 I'm currently wearing my fourth pair of these fine shoes, they are becoming difficult to source so I will be looking for something else to wear at some stage...

Salomon XA Pro 3D trail runners (2017- ) (Current)

I have a pair of Salomon XA Pro trail runners for walking sections of the Te Araroa Trail. These ar available in New Zealand but I had to buy mine from Amazon US as they do not sell a US size 14 in New Zealand and that is the size shoe I wear. 

The Salomon XAPro 3D trail runner

Good chunky soles on these Salomon shoes

Ive worn these enough to wear them in and have used them on a couple of short walks on the Port Hills but have yet to utilise them on the Te Araroa. I will use these for much of the North Island Trail as trail runners are more suited to the conditions there (with lots of road waking).  I will use boots for the alpine sections of the South Island  and shoes on the flatter sections from Canterbury down to Bluff. 

Speed laces and airy mesh to keep the feet cool....

These were the main type of TA footwear a couple of years ago but people seem to have moved on to other brands; Hoka, North Face and La Sportiva seem to be the favorites at the moment (2018).

Hi-Tec Trail Blazer Outdoors Shoes (2015-2017 ) (Retired)

I was using a pair of these before I switched to the Asics shown above.  I mainly purchased them because they were cheap ($130 NZD) at a time when I could not afford better quality footwear.

Hi-Tec Trail Blazer Trail shoe

Wearing the Blazers on a section of the Christchurch 360 Trail

 These shoes were good for the first 4 months and then they started to disintegrate. First the inner soles wore through so I replaced with after market versions. Next the stitching started to unravel, this was repaired. I finally retired them when the sole delaminated, I have glued the sole back on but they cannot be trusted over a long distance. 

Hi Tec shoes are fine for around town but I just don't think they are rugged enough for trail use. 

I use these around the garden now.

Note: 2018 The Blazers have gone to the great tramping home in the sky...

Keen Newport H2 Hiking Sandal, (2017-  ) (Current)

It may come as a bit of a surprise, but hiking sandals can be a great option for a casual hiker. Sandals are light, which means you aren’t going to expend as much energy moving your feet over the course of the trip. They are perfect for water crossings or as camp shoes. Many people prefer a sandal with some kind of toe guard to help protected against rocks and roots.

Keen Newport H2 sandal

Hiking sandals are best used for short well maintained trails or as a lite back up when their primary boots are temporarily out of commission. An example would be the Abel Tasman Coastal Track during summer. Nice, well graded tracks, a lot of tidal crossings, warm weather conditions.

For perspective, some chap walked the whole 3000 km Te Araroa Trail in sandals a couple of years ago, so just walking the Abel Tasman would be luxury...ay, sheer luuuxxxurriiieeeee!

Naresh Kumar walked the whole 300 kilometer Te Araroa Trail in sandals

I have a pair of Keen Newport sandals which I occasionally wear around the place. I have yet to use these on a tramp because I just do not think sandals are a good tramping shoe for me. I could have used these on either of my Able Tasman Coastal Walks...I saw a number of other trampers wearing similar footwear.