Leather vs synthetic hiking boots - Top 6 Problems to consider

[@Julian_Kurt]

My guide to perfect boots / shoes. I work in an outdoor dealer in Germany. I've seen a lot of experience and a lot. Socks: The best socks for any weather are merino wool socks. The heavier the boot, the thicker the sock. The best is 70% merino, 30% nylon. The best are falcon, smartwool and woolpower. Boots: For most people, full leather without Gore-Tex is best. Can stand a lot of weather if cared for properly. Gore and synthetics work best for cold temperatures (below 18 degrees Celsius) or when you're in an area with a lot of rain. The heavier the backpack, the stiffer the sole for the boot. You should also really mess your foot up. I wear a British 10 in normal shoes and a 12.5 in heavy boots. The heavier the boot, the bigger it should be. If you want to use crampons, please buy them even bigger so that the effects of the movement are not transferred to the foot. If you slip in the heel, there is a catch to prevent this. The hook closest to the heel should be tightened until you no longer slip. If it still slips and you can no longer tighten it, the trunk is not for you. Lighter boots work well on light terrain, but if you want a boot for all activities, choose a stiffer sole. I don't really know much about the American boot market but I can reccoment a fiew european brand: Meindl: german, for wider feet Lowa: german, for slimmer feet Hanwag: german, for most feet ( I own the Hanwag Lhasa and its an absolut dream to wear) Break-in period: You should buy your boots at least 2 weeks before a big trip so that you can shrink them for at least a few days. I wear mine at work or at home to break in. Just use it as your everyday shoe for a few days. Daily care: You should always remove the insole after use so that the shoe and insole can be tried overnight so that you have a test shoe in the morning. Please also brush off dirt or water from the outside of the shoe so that it cannot dry out in the material. Leather in particular can suffer if there is dirt on the face fabric for too long. Routine care procedure: For a full leather shoe: You need a beeswax, a brush, water and a cloth of any kind. First of all, you want to make sure that the shoe is cleaned completely. Therefore, gently wipe the inner leather with a clean cloth to remove salt from the sweat. Remove the insole and rinse it well under running water if it is made of a textile. If it's made of leather too, just use the cloth you used in your shoe and clean it thoroughly. Then continue outside, where you can perfectly clean the shoe with a relatively stiff brush and plenty of water. In addition, the shoelaces should be removed and the tongue set up before cleaning, making sure that there is no dirt left behind. Now dry the shoe slowly to ensure that the leather does not dry too quickly, otherwise the leather will tear and discolour itself. Just leave it in a well-ventilated room overnight without the effects of one direct heat source. When the bone is dry, use the beeswax and a soft brush and cover the outer leather completely with a thin layer of wax. Make sure that the seams are completely covered and there are no dry spots. Now you can move on to the inside of the shoe and apply a thin layer of moisturizer to the inner leather. Normal cream from Nivea is perfect for that. Care for textile shoes: if the shoes are made of a textile outer material, the shoe should be cleaned in the same way. You just don't have to apply wax and cream, but only spray the outside of the shoe with a Gore-tex impregnation spray. Care for the large membrane The membrane only needs to be carefully cleaned. Most membranes are equally good. Some companies use their own membrane technology, which is no worse than that of gore itself. Care for the soles. Because soles are glued to the upper part of the shoe nowadays, soles fall off faster than before. Therefore, it is advisable to insert the rubber parts of a shoe, be it the rubble protection or the sole itself, and back and forth with a product that contains silicones. After some time, they escape from the rubber and it becomes hard and hard. Please be careful after using Rubber-Care. It will make the sole slippery for a view hours of walking This care should be carried out again after about 10-12 days of use in order to achieve the longest possible lifespan of the boot I would always go for boots and not shoes because they hold the ankle firmly and protect the foot area better from rain and dust. If a gaiter is used, a high level of rain proof can be achieved. Now get out and have fun with your perfect boot. Leave a comment if you have any critical Feedback or questions, thanks !!

[@carl8568]

Good info Julian, thumbs up for the beeswax. No love for Scarpa boots? What do you think about custom insoles? My new Scarpas, the stock insole seem very thin. I walked 6.5 hours in them with a heavy pack and was amazed at how sore my feet became in the aftrenoon/evening. To the point where I could barely walk!

[@Julian_Kurt]

Carl scarpa arent my favorite but if it fits with you. Have fun with them. I can reccomend the insoles from spenco called ironman. They are great. I wear them now for 5 month and they make my boots fit perfect

[@carl8568]

@@Julian_Kurt Ok cheers man 👍

[@mezmerya5130]

hipster nonsense. Lowa quality is shit nowadays. Hanwag is ditched by tons of retailers, because their east europe produced boots leak.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks for the comments.

[@georget.9496]

My wife and I are not very experienced hikers (30/40 days a year, weekends) so a few years ago when we decided to invest in good hiking boots we went for the leather option. They do need care but the benefits greatly outweigh the care and weight of the boots. Over time the leather has "formed" to our feet. We have hiked on goat trails in Crete, Greece at +35c totally comfortable to hiking in the Ardennes, Belgium in -10c and our feet felt equally comfortable. We haven't tried synthetic boots since these worked out so well for us. They were quite expensive and for the amount of hiking we do it wouldn't be practical to have both.

[@ALinsdau]

Enjoy!

[@GypsyGirl317]

I absolutely love my good quality leather hiking boots too. They're more comfortable for my feet.🥾

[@GypsyGirl317]

It's a myth about the 1lb to 5lb. Do some research on the topic. I forgot who it is I listened to, but it was an estimate, and he scientifically tested and proved that it's not that bad. Leather is a little breathable and my feet are definitely more comfortable at the end of the day hiking, with Merino wool socks inside. 😊

[@Blukiz_pr]

@@GypsyGirl317what model of leather boot you recommend?

[@brashachilles9725]

Perfect. Real world in depth advice found nowhere else. Again!

[@ALinsdau]

Glad it was helpful!

[@keen2b]

Also worth mentioning is the type of walking you prefer long distance with mixed terrain hills off grid or trail, I have personally experienced walking In semi stiff leather boots after 10miles my feet where so painful and sore, I couldn't walk the next day!!Another thing to consider walking in muddy conditions is the extra weight, No matter how eco friendly the tread is? And lastly your foot needs to bend as you walk!!! Try'ed and tested over 30years the fabric win's hands down you dont need Gortex, Just extra socks🙂🤔👍

[@ALinsdau]

Great pointers!

[@vickilinsdau8687]

Great review. Now I’ll know what to look for the next time I get new boots👍🏻

[@ALinsdau]

Glad I could help!

[@Ranteessa]

Something being synthetic doesn't mean it is going to be more breathable than leather. Personally I have found full leather boots (upper, liner, insole, all leather) as most usable in various conditions. Some cheap boots with synthetic materials like fake leather just feel like having plastic bags in your foot. Also durability of many synthetic materials is questionable. But you can definitely create good quality boots with or without man made materials.

[@ALinsdau]

Great pointers!

[@JohnDoe-mp1yn]

there's been few leather boots that are lightweight and breathable. the Altama jungle boots dry fast, breathe well, and are light. the Waxi boot used by South African and Zimbabwe/Rhodesian troops are supple and light because they had to be.

[@jimmyzulu85]

Do you think that synthetic mountain boots with a waterproof lining is a good compromise between the leather and the breathable ones if you encounter many water crossings in relatively bad weather?

[@ALinsdau]

I don't rely on the boots to keep out water if it's deeper than a few inches (or cm) for water crossings. I take my boots off & wear water shoes. If it's constantly rainy/snowy, it's a tougher call. I like my leather boots better. If it's the pacific northwest, I might go with synthetic waterproof to prevent the leather from being ruined.

[@Acarrdi]

Thank you for your reviews, great.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks for watching!

[@gideonwright8511]

Very useful summary.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@flt528]

Very helpful - thank you!

[@ALinsdau]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pastelsofneptune]

Would it be unwise to use leather boots in a mostly humid climate with lots of rain, say for example Malaysia? I'd like to get a pair of leather boots as I've heard that they last you a very long time (provided you take good care of them), though I currently live in the U.S. and haven't had much exposure to humid climates, so I'm not sure if I'd be making a huge mistake buying them or not. I suppose that yes, it would be subjective to the person wearing the boot, but considering that you've done a great deal of traveling could you possibly share your thoughts? I would really appreciate it.

[@ALinsdau]

If your feet get hot, get a breathable boot. If you expect bad weather, go for the waterproof.

[@NickandRachel]

Nice review!

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks!

[@NickandRachel]

@@ALinsdau no problem. We really enjoy making outdoor content also

[@littlegoobie]

depending on what i buy the shoe for, I find leather is the only choice for durability. all synthetic shoes rip the same way for me. It'll either be a horizontal cut across the top of the toe box, or split somewhere along the side of the shoe on the front half. If i only want lightweight, or there's a mostly synthetic shoe at a clearance price, i'll get them, no big deal when they go in the garbage.

[@robertkirk4387]

leather boots all day every day, they look better, last longer and are more robust. I don't care about an extra ounce here or there; I have muscles in my legs.

[@ALinsdau]

Good pointers.

[@mezmerya5130]

"Light boots" are nonsense. Either real full leather boot, without any stitches, or trail runner. Also, you may arrive at airport there will be +30c, then in 3 days you gonna be camping at 4500m, and it gonna be -5c, if you are lucky. Leather boot covers all this ranges, yes, it will be uncomfortable (not like you gonna be comfortable in the mountains at all, but lets imagine). Synthetic, even better ones, like 4d gtx, gonna die in no time(like 5 weeks max). There is some middle ground brands, like most salewa boots, but they are leaky af.

[@ALinsdau]

Thanks for the comments.

[@Robotack1]

Nice video but not comparing like with like. A synthetic boot with a membrane would be a proper comparison. Those Moabs are just mesh... Your video is more a waterproof Vs non waterproof kinda thing

[@ALinsdau]

Great point!

[@sophieedel6324]

What keeps your feet warm has nothing to do with the shoe having goretex or leather, neither material can insulate you from the cold and keep you warm. Hiking boots have a layer of foam in them, between the outer layer and inner layer, that's what keeps you warm, the bigger that layer is the warmer it will keep you. It depends on the specific shoe. Regardless, shoes are not there to keep your feet warm, warmth and moisture will promote fungi infections, socks are there to keep your feet warm.

[@ALinsdau]

Good pointers.