Boots

A good, comfortable pair of boots is the single most important item of equipment for a backpacker.  However, quality boots are often difficult to find in South Africa, and the wet summer conditions in the Natal Drakensberg ensure that they don't usually last for more than 50 days or so of hiking.  One approach is to buy a relatively cheap pair of synthetic (sneaker-type) boots that can be replaced with another similar pair on a fairly regular basis.  These can be supplemented with a more expensive leather or "waterproof" synthetic pair for winter.  All boots, however, should have the following characteristics:

• They must be half-boots - i.e. they must lace up to above the ankle, providing good ankle support in rough or steeply sloping terrain.  Low shoes are dangerous because they offer little or no protection from twisting an ankle, snake bite or rolling stones.  The laces must be done up the full length of the boot, and sufficiently tightly to provide the optimum ankle support.  The author has seen several twisted ankles caused by the fad of not doing the laces up fully!  Much design goes into the development of a good hiking boot, and to not use them as intended is rather like not wearing a seat-belt in a car!

• They should have a good tread (a Vibram sole is still the best). You will appreciate the value of a good tread on slippery ground, especially snow!  A good tread retains its sharpness for a long time, and it is the sharpness of the tread that makes the difference between being able to stay upright in these conditions or not.  For serious winter hiking (and mountaineering), boots should be capable of taking crampons, because in these conditions snow may clog the tread and render it useless, and only the sharp teeth of crampons will allow you to negotiate ice!

• They should have as little exposed stitching as possible since the thread may weaken with age and the course grasses of the Natal Drakensberg will eventually damage and unpick it until the boots become useless (most shoe repairers are unable to do a proper repair job because they cannot get their machines into a half-boot). Aesthetically appealing boots usually have multiple stitched panels but this ensures that they will not last for more than about 50 days or so of hiking.

• Ideally, the joint between the sole and upper should be covered with a strong, thick rubber kick strip all the way around the boot. This strengthens the boot and protects and waterproofs the joint.

• Boot laces should be long enough to allow comfort but not so long that they are a danger to the wearer! Always carry a spare pair of laces in case the ones in use snap or become damaged.

Serious mountaineers do not use sneaker-type boots!  Their choice is either leather (which may be lined with a synthetic, water-repellent internal layer), or plastic.  Plastic boots are something akin to 21st century wooden clogs and are only intended for really serious mountaineering because they are just too rigid to walk any great distance in over hard ground. They are usually worn with crampons in ice and snow conditions.

There is no such thing as a truly waterproof boot! All boots have a big hole in the top where your foot goes in, and any water above the height of this hole can leak in!  When a boot is claimed to be waterproof, this refers to the stitching below the top of the boot.  A so-called waterproof boot will not admit water via any of its stitching to the inside of the boot.  This is a nice feature because it delays the time taken for your feet to become totally sodden from walking in tall, wet grass!

Hiking boots cannot be "worn-in" by wearing them around the house or at work. No amount of walking on smooth surfaces will simulate even five minutes of cross-country walking! New boots have to be worn in on the job, which means that you will have to put up with blisters until they have softened up enough to be called "comfortable". This wearing-in period is best restricted to several Grade 3 hikes, but you will still need to take plenty of plasters and thick socks along with you! Generally, synthetic sneaker-type boots wear in the fastest and, if you are lucky, may never cause blisters. You can expect some blistering from the more expensive, waterproof synthetic boot. High-quality leather boots are likely to wear your feet out many, many times before they are worn-in themselves!

Last modified on 2011/11/10