A sad, sad day soon

Broadback wrote

Quoted message said:

Need to start thinking for their replacement. All help appreciated.

I've heard Scarpas are pretty good. How about giving
them a try ?

Chris

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful person
Broadback <[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

Cleaning my trusty Scarpa leather walking boots yesterday I notice that
the leather is starting to crack, also they could do with re-soling. I
have already had them soled once, but now I think their end is nigh.
Are the non leather boots as hard wearing and lasting? Need to start
thinking for their replacement. All help appreciated.

No, none of the non-leather boots is going to last as long as leather
ones (unless you never go anywhere interesting at all) IME. Most leather
boots don't last as long as Scarpas (at least the Scarpas I have, which
seem to have thicker-than-average leather used in the constructions).
Nubuck is poorer than 'real' leather, and the fabric ones are worse than
that (but then I hit a lot of brambles, gorse, mud, briars, fallen
branches, and stuff .. fabric is not ideal for those; it gets chewed
up).

Maybe I'm hard on boots, but I seem to get about 1,000 miles tops, and
then they've had it - usually the uppers go before the soles, so if you
wore the soles out first you are already doing well.

The fabric ones do win out on the comfort stakes though .. lighter and
more flexible. PITA to clean though (as is Nubuck, unless you just wax
it).

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
9,423 Km walked. 1,827Km PROWs surveyed. 33.2% complete.

Broadback said:

Cleaning my trusty Scarpa leather walking boots yesterday I notice
that the leather is starting to crack, also they could do with
re-soling. I have already had them soled once, but now I think their
end is nigh. Are the non leather boots as hard wearing and lasting?
Need to start thinking for their replacement. All help appreciated.

Depends a bit on which model of Scarpa boot, how many years, how many miles,
etc..

We've had a pair of several year old, and many hundred mile Mantas replaced
(pretty generously I thought) by Scarpa due to a crack in the leather (they
said flaw in hide not seen in manufacture). Equally, I've had other pairs
of lighter Ranger's just wear out from use at a bit over 1000 miles.

If the Scarpa fits your feet, consider seriously the current equivalent
model.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

"Broadback" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Cleaning my trusty Scarpa leather walking boots yesterday I notice that
the leather is starting to crack, also they could do with re-soling. I
have already had them soled once, but now I think their end is nigh. Are
the non leather boots as hard wearing and lasting? Need to start thinking
for their replacement. All help appreciated.

It really depends what you want but I have seldom found the non-leather ones
to last as long. What I have taken to doing now is to buy more than one
pair of boots and I have one scruffy pair for general dirty jobs that need
boots like digging gardens, one pair of non-leather boots and one pair of
low-cut heel boots for warm weather and low altitude walking and my trusty
scarpas for serious expeditions on hard mountain rock. That way I seem to
have prolonged the life of all of them. As time goes on, the knackered pair
that I use for gardening and all manner of other bits fall apart and get
replaced by the next pair up, I buy a replacement and so it goes on.

"GSV Three Minds in a Can" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful person
Broadback <[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

Cleaning my trusty Scarpa leather walking boots yesterday I notice that
the leather is starting to crack, also they could do with re-soling. I
have already had them soled once, but now I think their end is nigh. Are
the non leather boots as hard wearing and lasting? Need to start thinking
for their replacement. All help appreciated.

No, none of the non-leather boots is going to last as long as leather ones
(unless you never go anywhere interesting at all) IME. Most leather boots
don't last as long as Scarpas (at least the Scarpas I have, which seem to
have thicker-than-average leather used in the constructions). Nubuck is
poorer than 'real' leather, and the fabric ones are worse than that (but
then I hit a lot of brambles, gorse, mud, briars, fallen branches, and
stuff .. fabric is not ideal for those; it gets chewed up).

A lot has to do with how you use them. For example, using Scarpas a lot of
roads and tracks wears down the tread very quickly and if you dont look
after tham properly e.g. when out in rain and they get soaked and you dry
them too quickly, they will often crack. My Scarpas are probably on the
edge of useable realistically which is why I am trying to limit their use a
bit. I found though that I started walking a lot more abroad recently and
leather boots are just too hot for walking abroad in europe and africa in
summer

Broadback said:

the non leather boots as hard wearing and lasting?

Unless they're the rigid plastic mountaineering ones, no. The point of
the non-leather is to get lighter and more breathable (which they then
bugger up by adding a waterproof liner nine times out of ten, d'oh!).
Which gives you something lighter and potentially more breathable, but
not so tough.
But while having the same pair of boots go on a long time is nice (my
old Scarpa Fitzies are about 20 years old!), if that longevity is at the
expense of carrying a lot of extra and unnecessary weight every time you
go for a walk then it might not be the best thing (part of the reason my
old boots are about 20 years old and still going strong is I only use
them on serious winter days out with crampons expected these days, not
that common).
I'd be inclined to only go with full leather boots for full-on
conditions, and if you have to change them more often then consider that
the price of moving more easily in greater comfort.

Quoted message said:

thinking for their replacement. All help appreciated.

If Scarpa have worked for you before as regards fit I'd make them the
first port of call (though not necessarily the only one) in seeking a
replacement.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Broadback said:

the non leather boots as hard wearing and lasting?

Unless they're the rigid plastic mountaineering ones, no. The point of
the non-leather is to get lighter and more breathable (which they then
bugger up by adding a waterproof liner nine times out of ten, d'oh!).
Which gives you something lighter and potentially more breathable, but
not so tough.
But while having the same pair of boots go on a long time is nice (my
old Scarpa Fitzies are about 20 years old!), if that longevity is at the
expense of carrying a lot of extra and unnecessary weight every time you
go for a walk then it might not be the best thing (part of the reason my
old boots are about 20 years old and still going strong is I only use
them on serious winter days out with crampons expected these days, not
that common).
I'd be inclined to only go with full leather boots for full-on
conditions, and if you have to change them more often then consider that
the price of moving more easily in greater comfort.

Quoted message said:

thinking for their replacement. All help appreciated.

If Scarpa have worked for you before as regards fit I'd make them the
first port of call (though not necessarily the only one) in seeking a
replacement.

Pete.

Many thanks for your replies everyone,I will look to replace them like
for like, and go from there.