The arrival of a new pair of boots
The boots intended for LEJOG 2018 arrived at my local Blacks on Wednesday 22nd March 2017, 1 year and 8 days before the intended start date. That might seem a bit premature but it isn't - here's why:
Boots are a big deal. It took two years of experimentation to find what works; trial and mostly error cost between £700 and £1,000. When I got it wrong I suffered pain that can be quantified by the total number of 200 mg ibuprofen tablets taken to counter it (over 100), plus the disappointment of getting it wrong and the envy of seeing my walking buddy find the right pair. And now I've found boots that work I'm stockpiling in case the manufacturer does something cruel like change or discontinue the line.
Time, money, pain, disappointment, envy - lessons that taught me to listen to my feet:
Synth boots/shoes are fine for dry summer walking. I wear mine when training and road walking where I can so I don't wear out my main pair. Synthetic material doesn't require maintenance meaning synth boots are easy to care for but they're not robustly made and have a short lifespan. In summer 2016 I wore out a pair of £80 Salomon walking shoes in 8 weeks. Treating synth boots with water repellent agents won't make them waterproof because they're not waterproof when new from the factory. They say they are but they aren't. Go and stand in a puddle and see what happens. In terms of water repellency and durability it doesn't matter if these get dirty or not so clean synthetic shoes are a matter of presentation, not function.
Good old clod hoppers. Much too heavy for distance walking. Suitable for outdoor work, walking the dog and skinhead gatherings. Leather needs to be maintained regularly to stop it drying out and cracking and therefore to keep it waterproof.
Combining the lightness and breathable internal lining from synthetic boots and the waterproof ruggedness of leather boots, they're light enough to walk distance, durable enough to withstand abuse and they're full immersion waterproof (providing water doesn't come over the top). The better they're maintained the longer they'll last.
These need scrubbing under the cold tap with a stiff plastic-bristled brush until they are clean. Shake them dry and treat them generously with leather proofing (Nikwax Fabric & Leather Proof and Nubuck & Suede Proof works well for my boots) to keep the leather flexible and to stop it drying out; leave this to soak into the leather for 10 minutes then dry off with a tea towel and apply a thick layer of polish (Kiwi dark tan works for me) with a stiff horse-hair or equivalent bristle brush. Leave the polish to soak in for as long as you like (10 minutes or 2 days...it doesn't seem to matter) and buff with a soft bristled brush to shine. The polish keeps the leather slightly moist from the leather proof which keeps it supple and stops it from drying out and cracking. This keeps water on the outside. I clean, proof and polish my boots after every walk. This can take 30 or 40 minutes, sometimes longer. The knowledge that this treatment will extend the life of my boots, keep my feet dry and my ankles protected is sufficient motivation to put the effort in.
Sizes also vary between different products from the same manufacturer. I always try boots on in the store with a fresh pair of walking socks and I'm not afraid of walking around the shop 20 times to test the fit. My walking buddy says you'll only know if a pair of boots are right for you after walking 100 miles in them, and being honest with yourself.
We were at Kingshouse Hotel on the fourth and final day of the West Highland Way and my feet started to resemble the padded paws of a big cat, probably due to walking for three days on rocky paths in thinly soled synthetic walking shoes. My boots proved a surprisingly tight squeeze - they were ever-so-slightly too small. This caused blisters on my little toes, as does everything else that isn't right in the world.
If my footwear doesn't fit me, if my feet get wet or if I haven't walked in a month and my feet aren't toughened up, I'll get blisters. Fully blistered little toes mean a miserable, agonising and slow walk. I've also lost toe nails - which isn't as bad as skinned little toes. Some folks don't blister like this and if they do, they can deal with the pain differently. For me, it's pain and misery which is only avoidable by wearing the right boots, keeping my feet dry and keeping my feet toughened up and softened up so they don't harden and crack (I use Flexitol heel balm two or three times a week to keep them soft - toughened skin kept soft is less likely to blister; hard dry callouses are more likely to rub and blister and yes there is a difference between toughened and soft and hard and calloused).
It's also worth noting that shoes and boots are disposable items and need to be considered as such.
With all this in mind, I was happy to pick up my second pair of Meindl Kansas size 12's. These are leather-synthetic hybrid four season boots. The pair that did me in before the GGW happened to be my first pair of Meindl's, Toronto's, also size 12 but which were too small in the toe cap and a touch too narrow. You'd think that would have put me off the brand but the fact they were full immersion waterproof, solidly made and that my walking buddy had similar problems with boots until finding Meindl's Bhutan boot which worked for her after a year of putting up with painful wrong fits, well, it made me look again. I was in Blacks 3 days after the GGW with my father; by chance they happened to have a pair of Kansas boots in my size which I tried on and they fitted so perfectly my father bought them for me as an early Christmas present, for which I am still most grateful. Four weeks later my walking buddy and I walked the Wayfarer's Walk from Inkpen Beacon in West Berkshire to Emsworth on the coast in two days - that's two 12 hour days. They were perfect. To date I've walked 470 miles in those boots over 6 months and they've been wonderful. They look off the shelf new. I'm hoping they'll last a year/1,000 miles before they need to see a cobbler. So by this time next year I'll know if my new pair of boots will last me the 1,000 miles of LEJOG.
Boots are a big deal. It took two years of experimentation to find what works; trial and mostly error cost between £700 and £1,000. When I got it wrong I suffered pain that can be quantified by the total number of 200 mg ibuprofen tablets taken to counter it (over 100), plus the disappointment of getting it wrong and the envy of seeing my walking buddy find the right pair. And now I've found boots that work I'm stockpiling in case the manufacturer does something cruel like change or discontinue the line.
Time, money, pain, disappointment, envy - lessons that taught me to listen to my feet:
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| New (left) and old after 6 months/470 miles. |
Getting it right matters because getting it wrong matters more.
My walking buddy and I walked the Great Glen Way in September 2016. The weekend before the GGW I walked a 24 mile circular training route in a pair of slightly too tight leather hybrid boots and I realised after about 18 miles that my little toes were blistering terribly yet I still had 6 miles/2 hours remaining with no shortcuts or public transport, so I had to walk on ruined toes. After limping home I ditched those boots on the spot and faced the immediate dilemma of what to wear on the GGW. I had relied on those boots all season; they were waterproof and solidly made and I'd worn them on plenty of occasions before and they hadn't mashed by little toes, but this time they failed me. And it was my own fault. They were ever-so-slightly too tight. I deployed a clod-headed tactic of trying to wear them in but of course, flesh gives out before boot leather. And that's all it takes. So I had to wear a pair of brand new synthetic boots bought in the summer sale. I knew these would be fine providing it didn't rain. The forecast looked fine for Inverness until the day we left, when we flew into a storm that required full waterproofs. My already blistered feet were soaking wet before we even left Inverness. 35 miles later, hobbling into Invermoriston, my little toes were skinned, my heels badly blistered, both feet pruned, peeling and sodden. The remaining two days of the walk were spent in agony. Never again, I vowed, would I make such a fundamental error.Synthetic boots are lightweight, they're not durable and they're not waterproof.
Synth boots/shoes are fine for dry summer walking. I wear mine when training and road walking where I can so I don't wear out my main pair. Synthetic material doesn't require maintenance meaning synth boots are easy to care for but they're not robustly made and have a short lifespan. In summer 2016 I wore out a pair of £80 Salomon walking shoes in 8 weeks. Treating synth boots with water repellent agents won't make them waterproof because they're not waterproof when new from the factory. They say they are but they aren't. Go and stand in a puddle and see what happens. In terms of water repellency and durability it doesn't matter if these get dirty or not so clean synthetic shoes are a matter of presentation, not function.
 |
| Synthetic shoes |
Leather boots are heavy, durable and they are waterproof.
Good old clod hoppers. Much too heavy for distance walking. Suitable for outdoor work, walking the dog and skinhead gatherings. Leather needs to be maintained regularly to stop it drying out and cracking and therefore to keep it waterproof.
Leather/synthetic hybrid boots are lighter, durable and waterproof.
Combining the lightness and breathable internal lining from synthetic boots and the waterproof ruggedness of leather boots, they're light enough to walk distance, durable enough to withstand abuse and they're full immersion waterproof (providing water doesn't come over the top). The better they're maintained the longer they'll last.
These need scrubbing under the cold tap with a stiff plastic-bristled brush until they are clean. Shake them dry and treat them generously with leather proofing (Nikwax Fabric & Leather Proof and Nubuck & Suede Proof works well for my boots) to keep the leather flexible and to stop it drying out; leave this to soak into the leather for 10 minutes then dry off with a tea towel and apply a thick layer of polish (Kiwi dark tan works for me) with a stiff horse-hair or equivalent bristle brush. Leave the polish to soak in for as long as you like (10 minutes or 2 days...it doesn't seem to matter) and buff with a soft bristled brush to shine. The polish keeps the leather slightly moist from the leather proof which keeps it supple and stops it from drying out and cracking. This keeps water on the outside. I clean, proof and polish my boots after every walk. This can take 30 or 40 minutes, sometimes longer. The knowledge that this treatment will extend the life of my boots, keep my feet dry and my ankles protected is sufficient motivation to put the effort in.
Sizes vary between manufacturer.
Sizes also vary between different products from the same manufacturer. I always try boots on in the store with a fresh pair of walking socks and I'm not afraid of walking around the shop 20 times to test the fit. My walking buddy says you'll only know if a pair of boots are right for you after walking 100 miles in them, and being honest with yourself.
Feet expand over time; sizing needs to take account of this.
We were at Kingshouse Hotel on the fourth and final day of the West Highland Way and my feet started to resemble the padded paws of a big cat, probably due to walking for three days on rocky paths in thinly soled synthetic walking shoes. My boots proved a surprisingly tight squeeze - they were ever-so-slightly too small. This caused blisters on my little toes, as does everything else that isn't right in the world.
What works for me might not work for you.
If my footwear doesn't fit me, if my feet get wet or if I haven't walked in a month and my feet aren't toughened up, I'll get blisters. Fully blistered little toes mean a miserable, agonising and slow walk. I've also lost toe nails - which isn't as bad as skinned little toes. Some folks don't blister like this and if they do, they can deal with the pain differently. For me, it's pain and misery which is only avoidable by wearing the right boots, keeping my feet dry and keeping my feet toughened up and softened up so they don't harden and crack (I use Flexitol heel balm two or three times a week to keep them soft - toughened skin kept soft is less likely to blister; hard dry callouses are more likely to rub and blister and yes there is a difference between toughened and soft and hard and calloused).
It's also worth noting that shoes and boots are disposable items and need to be considered as such.
With all this in mind, I was happy to pick up my second pair of Meindl Kansas size 12's. These are leather-synthetic hybrid four season boots. The pair that did me in before the GGW happened to be my first pair of Meindl's, Toronto's, also size 12 but which were too small in the toe cap and a touch too narrow. You'd think that would have put me off the brand but the fact they were full immersion waterproof, solidly made and that my walking buddy had similar problems with boots until finding Meindl's Bhutan boot which worked for her after a year of putting up with painful wrong fits, well, it made me look again. I was in Blacks 3 days after the GGW with my father; by chance they happened to have a pair of Kansas boots in my size which I tried on and they fitted so perfectly my father bought them for me as an early Christmas present, for which I am still most grateful. Four weeks later my walking buddy and I walked the Wayfarer's Walk from Inkpen Beacon in West Berkshire to Emsworth on the coast in two days - that's two 12 hour days. They were perfect. To date I've walked 470 miles in those boots over 6 months and they've been wonderful. They look off the shelf new. I'm hoping they'll last a year/1,000 miles before they need to see a cobbler. So by this time next year I'll know if my new pair of boots will last me the 1,000 miles of LEJOG.
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