Alico New Guide Mountaineering Hiking Boots (For Men)

When I opened the box and saw these beauties in the plastic bags, my first thought was "magnificent!". A wonderful piece of real boot-making craftsmanship, delivered to us by Alico and STP at the same price as boots spat out of a machine in some Asian sweatshop. And in wide sizes no less!!! Thank you! These are for people who want a heavy-duty mountaineering boots without resorting to rigid plastic mountaineering boots. Don't mind the negative comments in some reviews, this is just misunderstanding. Of course the boots are heavy and stiff, they're made for spending hours climbing boulder stairways with a 70-pound pack. Yes, the boots are high volume, they're designed to be worn with the heaviest-weight trekking socks for insulation and padding, while you're cramponing up an icy couloir. These aren't for day hikes to the local overlook. The soles are heavy and stiff, the ankles are very supportive with internal reinforcement. Time to man up! You know if this boot's for you.

I don't know why boots of this quality are available at the prices one can find at STP, but I highly doubt that you will be able to find anything like this at less than twice the price later on. Perhaps it has something to do with the Italian economy. These are really high quality boots. I wear a solid 12, 12 1/2 would be actually ideal for me, as most others feel, I think a little bigger is a good idea on hiking boots. I ended up buying these in both 12 and 13. I also bought 2 pair of both size 12 and 13 in the Summits, I figure I will wear the Summits more. In effect, I am buying boots to last me to the grave. As time goes on anything but junk is nearly unaffordable, modern technological society has given us some great things, such as the microwave oven and scoopable cat litter, but for the most part we get more junk quan[...] rather than quality as time goes on. There are advantages to wearing size 12 for me, and also size 13. Being an old coot my feet are not what they used to me, a bit tender, so a bit more roomy is nice. I put Superfeet in the size 13, that works well. I don't feel that my heel raises up any more with the 13 than the 12, that is the big thing. The boots have a great design, mostly I get more toe space with the 13. That is nice when doing down hill hiking, or wearing the boots over an extended period. Also teet tend to get bigger with age, mine have some, I used to be 11 1/2. To I figure I will mostly wear the 12's now, and the 13's in the future as I age. Well enough about size, but I know a lot of people wonder about that; you hear things all over the ball park if you research online and don't know what to think. Bottom line is that the design is great and sturdy, so you can wear a bigger size if in doubt; as you break them in you will be able to get them snug enough with a proper insole to replace the one that comes with the boot. Other than Superfeet, these are hard to find, I think gel absolutely sucks well water and nearly everybody is moving that direction, perhaps to accommodate the fact that the average American weighs about 20-30 lbs. more than they used to. The SOF Hiker that STP sold was decent, but that has been discontinued and replaced with gaudy gel insoles. I think that I bought the last pair of size 13 SOF Hiker's on the planet a few weeks ago. Regarding the sturdy side of these boots, yes they give you a lot of support., the Summits and especially the Guides. But they do break in. I used to wear boots that had more cushion and thought that was preferable, but like a lot of things once you get used to solid support you grow fond of it, then prefer it. If you are active it is really easy to hurt yourself; wearing boots with support like these Alico boots can save you from injury. I now wear them mostly all the time, and look at people who wear soft soled shoes all the time as well, "they don't know any better". I still wear Teva sandals and such, particularly when I am going to be in the water, but not as much as I used to. I prefer these high support old school boots. You do get used to them, even the Guides get comfortable. Regarding those who claim that old school boots are obsolete, well I disagree strongly. And besides, nothing looks cooler than these, synthetic materials look wimpy to me, ugly and not impressive. These are real he man/ he woman boots, I just love them and feel good wearing them.

Thick leather, thick sole, but it needs some time to get use of your feet. If the fold of the shoe is not right, the shoes will be over. In addition, the string is poor.

I am now working on my 2nd pair of these boots and have a 3rd pair still in the box at home. I work in Central Florida in the land management department of a government agency and my days can take me from dry upland pine forrest to wetland marsh to open grazing land (sorry no mountains in Florida). The Alico Guides, which I wear every day, have consistantly outperformed all the other bootsI have owned from almost all the other major manufacturers. Yes they are big and heavy but to me that just says sturdy and reliable and its is something you quickly get accustomed to. As far as quality goes, nothing else I have owned even comes close to the superb craftsmanship of the Alico Guides, you can see it as soon as you open the box. Sizing is just about spot on and it has been my experience that these boots are good to go right out of the box with little or no break in. A good set of aftermarket insoles and a good pair of marino wool hiking sox keep my feet comfortable all day and periodic application of silicone based waterproofing keep them dry in most conditions. I can not give these boots a higher recommendation and the same goes for their price at Sierra. Just get ready for the " Red Shoelaces" comments, they have become my "trademark" at work and I have actually found a supplier of exact replacements for them.

I always forget to write reviews, but for these I will. I have the Alico Summits, to, and after 1,000+ rocky Nevada miles over 7 ears, they fit like slippers and I am considering getting them resoled and fresh stitches. Four stars only because they really are not for everyone. I had the Guides bought for me for a 6 month research expedition in Kodiak, Alaska. I used them for 8 or more miles each day, kicking steps into scree and rock on steep slopes in constant rain whilst looking for nests of Kittletz's Murrelets. I also walked through miles of mucky bogs and soggy tundra with very heavy packs. In all, they took about 600+ miles that season. They still have hundreds of miles left in them, if not more. I need to resole them, because the vibram is very rounded from the rocks. The boots of my crewmates (an Asolo heavy hiking boot...forget the model, and Scarpa Charmoz) were unserviceable after the same abuse. Their waterproofness was great for a long time...very good. But i mistakenly put mink oil and other products for full grain leather on them, and it killed the Perwanger leather for waterproofness. Get the silicone stuff made for them mentioned in the other long review. These were hard to keep warm with my feet and lots of socks while hnting caribou on the North Slope...not meant for winter really, unless it's mild (above 20defF). When soaked and wet, each boot is about 4 pounds or so. Pretend you're skiing. The bottom line is that these are incredibly sturdy boots of a very high quality. They are called the Guide, I have come to realize, because you almost have to be a guide (doing gnarly stuff EVERY day) for them to make sense for you to own. Tips if you buy these: -Have a good reason to go with such a heavy boot. Construction, trailwork, heavy/daily hiking/mountaineering tasks. -Give yourself a few weeks of daily mellow use to break them in. Wear good socks whilst doing so. I didn't have time to break them in, and regret it. -Get some real insoles. Superfeet or better yet Sole. -Order a size that will allow for a sturdy insole and some thick socks. -Be aware of creasing patterns as the tongue gets situated. The tongue hardly responds to lace tightening when new, but eventually will. Make sure the fold is even on both sides as they begin to soften. -They may pinch/rub the tops of your toes as they fold, but just tough-up and get through it. Won't be forever. -Get a pair of spring-loaded shoe horns or shoe trees to keep in these guns when it's off-season. -Prepare for a lifetime of use, and ridicule from folks using super light boots made of light materials. Their jeering might be right...this boot might be overkill for what you do. I think you know if you are the type of person who needs such a heavy and rock solid boot. These things are not for trail hiking hikers or daytrotters. If you want these just for their looks, they will probably destroy you. I wish I could go and tell the bootmakers in Italy who make these things all the times I've had while laced into these incredible pieces of craftsmanship.