“Fabulous Boots”

“My husband and I have traveled to many countries while we were cruising full-time for five years on our sailboat and have hiked most of the Caribbean islands, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatelamala, and Mexico. I have also hiked in Equador and Peru at Machu Pichu and parts of the Incan trail as well as a three-week trek deep in the rain forest of Borneo. We hiked many parts of the Appalachian trail and in Scotland and Northern England. Now, a bit older (in our 60's) we live in northern Arizona and mostly do day hikes, but are planning to do the 191 mile Coast-to-Coast hike in Northern England this summer, taking three weeks to accomplish. For the past 12 years I have owned and worn a great pair of Mephisto GoreTex lined leather boots, which I paid a lot for in 1998, (like three times what other boots cost then). But, I discovered that the soles were starting to delaminate, probably because of the heat on our southern Caribbean cruising and I was afraid that they would not be waterproof enough for this upcomming summer trip. So I thought that I'd just buy another pair just like the originals. Much to my horror they were now priced five times higher than other boots! So I took a chance and ordered the Garmont boots and two other brands to try. When I put the Garmont boots on it felt immediately as if I was wearing my old Mephistos. I need a sturdy boot for ankle support and I feel that leather is the best for rock protection. That makes them a little heavier than other boots but not too much. I also have flat feet and fairly narrow heels. These boots give me great arch support and lots of room in the toe box for good toe spreading and articulation for balance without feeling too wide in the rest of the foot area as well as locking in the heel so there was no slippage. First time out of the box I did a 4 mile hike followed a few days later with a 6 mile, just to see if the boots would give me any trouble. There was no rubbing and other than them being a bit stiff at first I was overjoyed with their performance. I will head to England knowing my feet will be happy and dry. They have a good GoreTex lining and a full webbing in the lace up area. One more clever thing...the lacing loop that you need to pull on the hardest while tightening the lower laces has a ball bearing inserted in the metal loop, eliminating any lace chaffe, so my laces should not break as quickly as on other boots. Also, the top of the boot cuff is cut on an asymetrical angle eliminating most ankle chaffing. They really thought out the structure of the foot when designing these great boots. I also think that these boots look great and not too huge or clunky in appearance. I love the buff leather color as well. I can not find one thing about these boots that I don't like....I am so happy I that I found them!”