Ah well, a pair of Hanweg Tarta LL ordered from Finland. Sadly the previous ZL importer closed up shop recently and so the few stores that did stock them only have obscure sizes remaining. So I’ll have to trust to the sizing guide and a colleague’s advice to add 0.5 as Hanweg make a small-sized boots.
Let you know how they go in a month or two! Meanwhile will have to hope that a resole on the Meindls actually happens, and lasts until then. The previous sole is completely stuffed by the 2 days of walking with it loose, so a reglue wasn’t an option.
Ironically the new boots from Finland cost less than the Meindl resole.
They look a reasonable boot, though I note Gortex lining. One heck of a variation in pricing depending on where you get them. Best price I have seen is $290 NZ and the worst nearly $500. It is ridiculous really, the price you pay for boots and the time they are going before failure…in your case at least.
Tatra LL is ‘Leather lined’, not to be confused with the Tatra GTX which is the goreytex version of the same boot. As stated above I cannot wear goretex boots.
Hi Matt have you considered wearing waterproof (sealskinz) socks as a way of keeping your feet dry and opening up your options for a comfortable, durable boot?
Couple of points you might be able to answer on that one though:
I’d be very concerned about both the waterproofness and breathability of the socks. They’d need to be more breathable than the goretex lining of the boots (which is failing to remove the water from inside the boot) whilst also being more waterproof than the goretex lining (which is failing to keep the reservoir of water trapped between the goretex and leather layers of the boot away from my feet).
So they’d need to expel sweat from inside whilst 100% saturated outside. And they;d need to do that in summer conditions with little (or reverse) temperature gradient across the membrane. Can they really do that? Breathable membranes work well in winter when it’s cold and dry outside, and you’re hot and sweaty inside. But my understanding is that they need an external temperature much lower than body temperature, and a lower RH outside than inside. Which is unlikely in wet summer conditions. Am I misunderstanding?
Query what you mean by ‘more durable’ boots in this context. As goretex lining in the heel box fails reliably within 45 days and leather lining has never ever failed on me, surely the boots I could then consider would be ‘less durable’.
I do agree that this would certainly open up a wider range of boots for me though, and probably many that are better built (apart from their quick-to-fail goretex lining).
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Personally, I just wish that the former ZL tramping stores had not chased the goretex lining fashion craze over a cliff chasing the tourist dollar. 15 years ago I could walk into any outdoor shop and buy a pair of boots that would reliably see me through 9 months with only minor failures and maybe even be coaxed to see out the year. Now I can’t buy anything that will last 1/3 of that.
We have a huge range of top end goretex boots that are comfy as in the shop or on a nice dry track, but fall apart in wet conditions. And we have a good selection of locally made, leather lined, tough-as, work boots that last forever in a wet paddock (like the Rossi’s or Lastrite’s mentioned above), but aren’t designed to handle steep terrain (no shank, not rigid enough to toe-in). Looking at UK and EU stores, you lot get the option of both of the above - mountain-ready, leather lined durable boots. But ‘Oh Sir, nobody wants those’ is all we get here. Despite just about every bush worker i know facing similar issues with durability and water retention from goretex.
Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind. And not just for boots.
I know of a local shearer who have ended up doing exactly that. Got an NZ Order of Merit for services to their industry not long back. But I bet they sit there and wish they were back on the handpiece, not stuck behind a computer!
I can’t really comment on their suitability for your specific requirements Matt. I’ve never worn them on serious long distance/multi-day trips. I find them more comfortable with a thin liner sock between them and the foot. Their main advantage is that they are quite a bit cheaper than a waterproof boot. Buy a pair and try them.
In terms of “durability”, I meant that if the fabric boots’ issue is simply a breakdown in waterproofness (?) and the boot itself is otherwise good, then these socks might be able to extend the life of the boot for a reasonable cost in terms of price and space/weight.
As an aside, your problem is down to the main flaw in modern consumer society. Our economies are driven by selling things. There is therefore little incentive to make things that last a long time. Until of course we start to run out of resources or places to dump our unused rubbish
Ah. understand your suggestion now. No, I dont mind how waterproof boots are. Water gets in through the big hole in the top soon enough!
The issue with the goretex lining failing in the heel is that there is generally a plastic structure behind it, that then becomes exposed & destroys your feet.
And yes, using the waterproof socks over your inner socks sounds more appealing than having them directly against the skin.
I have worn the Sealskinz socks and have not found them too hot. Although I generally only worn them with hiking shoes rather than boots during winter. From memory I have worn them once with my current hiking boots primary to keep my feet dry from the Gortex hiking Buckets I had I my feet
Like others I wish those that decided all hiking footwear need to have a waterproof lining spent more time actually hiking in them.
Might have to put a pair of sealskinz in the santa letter this year. Might be good to have with me ‘just in case’ for those days of putting wet boots on in the morning. Will be interested to see how well they work.
