Quick boots help

[Unregistered]

I'm going to Nepal v.v.v. soon but i still haven't found any good walking boots (or rather i did but they didn't have my size, damn 6's). Therefore i'm hoping to buy something at least semi-decent in Kathmandu or Pokhara.

Can anyone recommend any good trekking shops that sell reliable womens trekking boots there? (And tell me where if you can as it's my first time in Nepal!!!)

MB

[Weka]

Please be VERY careful. It takes time to break-in boots and you can, as I have done, ruin your feet. I too am going v.v. soon but will have to walk in trainers as I over-did the first break-in day in my new, very expensive Italian boots and wound-up with heal spur injuries on both feet. I'd say you'd be better to take extant trainers and good sox rather than risk the pain that could result for ill-fitting or improperly broken-in boots. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

[Unregistered]

I'm gonna be in Nepal for over 2 months and i do not intend to go serious trekking for the first month though i don't know how long it takes to break in a good boot...

MB

[Sharon]

You will find several shops in Thamel. Spend a few days wandering and trying on boots. Then spend a lot of time walking in them to break them in!

[snaark]

I'd follow Weka's advice if I were you. I bought my La Sportiva boots last July and wore them to work for weeks to try and break them in, after which I didn't wear them for months. A few weeks ago I did a short (~10km) walk and I was in a world of pain. I have worn my boots everyday since and done a couple of long walks in them, but I still don't think they're 100% broken in. Maybe its me, but I think it just goes to show that good boots take a lot of walking to break in. If I were you I would wear something less technical that your feet are familiar with. It's not worth the the risk!

[Don Gibson]

If you're looking at hiking, I found my berghauses (sp?) to be very easy to break in. In fact within two days they did the trailwalker (100km/24 hour event) in terrible weather.

[Linwood]

I've had good luck recently with a pair of Montrail Torre GTX's. I looked around on a few hiking message boards for recommendations and a number of people had written that these boots were sturdy and easy to break in. Santa brought a pair in December and they have been very nice and easy to break in.

Good luck!

Linwood

[Ian]

You can’t “break boots in” since

1. Lightweight composites will stretch themselves anyhow when you wear them.
2. 3 / 4 Seasons trekking boots will have plastic toe guards and you cannot break these in – you adjust these by putting the boot in plastic bag in a big pan of boiling water to let the plastic soften then stretch them and keep them stretched until the plastic cools down in the new shape.
3. Mountaineering boots – ditto 3 / 4 seasons.

All you have to do is to make sure that they fit correctly. Try them on in the afternoon with trekking or mountaineering socks (your feet are always bigger then) and preferably after having done 10 miles or so. Make sure you use a slopping board so you can check out toe room.

Both my Scarpa SL and my Scarpa Vega plastic mountaineering boots I have worn straight out the box. With the plastics it better to have too much room, otherwise if can’t wriggle your toes you will get frostbite. Similarly my Meindl Scout composites.

If you have boots that feel as if they are going to need breaking in to get rid of tight points then they are the wrong size.

Ian

[Rakshi]

It may sounds strange as advertising but.... Last year I bought winter trekking boots AKU 8000. I have never experienced such comfort!!! Very light, fit like sleepers and warm. They helped me to cross Thorung la in winter last year. If you only have a chance do not hesitate , just get them. My wife got them this year and she claims the same. Very much comfortable shoes. However I have no idea if you coul get them in KTM///:-)

[yakshaver]

There is choice of boots in Thamel and Pokhara, mostly made in China. These days they are quite ok in quality. As Sharon says, you will need to buy them first thing after you land in Thamel, and wear them every day. Boots these days have a lot of padding and are designed so that you don't have to spend a lot of time breaking them in. Still, unless I can't help it, I would not just buy a pair of boots and fly out to start strenuous trekking that same day...

Prices of boots in KTD and Pokhara is much cheaper than other places, but they are not the originals. At least I have not seen any... Still they are very good value for money, and if you chose carefully, and buy the right size (half a size to one full size bigger than your normal shoes), and right shape in terms of narrowness of the foot, they should last you a few trekks.

[Ian]

Quick way to check size of boot if not sure with them on is to take the foot bed out (the lining inside the boot your foot goes on) and stand on that. It should be at least one thumb thickness longer than your foot with at least one pair of thick socks on.

If the length and width is OK but the volume too big, you foot moves around, you can replace the foot bed with a thicker one. Good idea anyhow unless the boots are low volume and they do not have any spare room, since you can get foot beds that give you better support, more insulation and which will help take the shocks better.