New Boots Required

On Sun, 23 May 2004 20:03:33 +0100, "Knowlege is powder" <noyouc@ant>

Quoted message said:

My Salomon Exit 2000 have finally started to come away at
the sole, I have been really pleased with their comfort,
rarely giving me much blisters, the only disadvantage being
not very waterproof.

So I need a new pair of hiking boots, I have thought about
going with Salomon again, does any one have any tips.

I've heard that Salomon are good for those with odd shaped
feet like mine is this true?

My views (for what they are worth). A good fit is the
most important thing and this can vary very much between
makes and your foot shape/size. So find a good shop,
with knowledgeable staff who most importantly have
plenty of stock of different makes. They should also be
able to measure correctly and have a ramp for you to
walk up and down.

Spend as much time as it takes to get the fit you want. I
drove all the way from Dorset to George Fisher's in Keswick
to try and buy my boots. Very pleased with my Hanwags that I
eventually acquired (more ankle support than most). Stick to
the recognised soles like Vibram - I had some French boots
that were great until you got on wet rock; then they were
like roller skates.

Also bear in mind that good socks make a huge difference as
well (I didn't believe this until I bought some Smartwool
socks - expensive though!)

You can probably get away with a [censored] rucksac, a bin bag for
a pack cover and a supermarket bottle for a waterbottle -
but you can't manage with [censored] or ill - fitting boots.

I took my lightweight (as it was going to be hot) cheap
boots to Mexico a few months back to walk across the Sierra
Madre mountains to the Pacific. Big mistake I should have
taken better boots - suffered with bad blisters.