Goodbye, Old Friends

- gear hiking scotland
Yesterday, Paul and I walked the Kelvin Walkway, a 10 miles (16 km) long walk from Glasgow to Milngavie, the official starting point of the West Highland Way. The walk would have been nice if there hadn’t been as much litter everywhere, but the sun came out, it didn’t rain, and it was great to stretch the legs for a bit again.

Glasgow’s river Clyde after sunrise
The walk follows the river Kelvin and starts where it meets the river Clyde. The second half of the walk was quite muddy in places so that once back home again I thoroughly cleaned my boots and inspected them to see if I can restore their waterproofness. When I filled them with water, however, the water came out through the fabric not only in the parts where seams had come loose or broken, but everywhere. So today, when my housemate Pete asked me to join him to go to Tiso, a big outdoor store, I came along and had someone look at my old boots. The diagnosis was serious, the condition terminal.

Apparently, the GoreTex membrane, which makes fabric boots waterproof, doesn’t last forever. Not only can it get destroyed by heat and dirt, but just the wear and tear and friction of the regular use wears the membrane down after just a few years. I don’t want good walking boots to last only for a few years, though. They cost a lot, it takes a while to pick the right ones, they need to be broken in and cared for, and I get attached to them. Even though I got my old pair for a pretty good price I was sad to see them go. I remember buying them from a very cute outdoor shop salesman at Tiso in Aberdeen, doing many walks with them in Germany, Scotland, England, Wales and Iceland, never getting any blisters. Even though I didn’t like their look (too big, too blue), they did serve me well. I left them at the Glasgow Tiso, where I’m sure the staff find them a good home. The laces and the memories are all I’m left with.



So, as much of a fan of fabric boots I am, I decided to get leather boots this time. Leather naturally has waterproof qualities (it’s skin, after all), however, the term waterproof is relative. There are leather boots out there which have a GoreTex membrane as well, just to be on the safe side. Once the membrane is gone after a few years of serious use, the leather, if well cared for, will still provide a decent waterproofness. I tried a few of them on, and they do feel much stiffer than my old Columbia fabric boots, the smooth leather ones even more so than the nubuck leather ones. Also, it seems like most female hikers have smaller feet than me, so that there weren’t many women’s boots that came in my size. I bought  a pair of men’s Meindl Burma Pro boots with GoreTex and MFS padding around the ankle. The one detail that I am not crazy about is the Vibram soles, which are known for their quick abrasion. But since these boots can be resoled if need be that’s not a major issue. I can’t wait to break them in!



Comments

NICE boots - now we are boot buddies ey;-) - Kat

Leather boots are great, especially in rocky environment. They really can handle rough treatment. But beware of smelly feet! ;) - der Erich