I bought a pair of these last summer as my Magnums were getting a bit long-in-the-tooth.
For £30 I thought that they were worth a punt, even if they fell apart after a year or so.
Well, they didn’t even last that long! Took them on exercise on Greenham common and they have been pretty much torn to shreds. Ah well!
Next stop Lowas 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
they look just like Magnums but clearly looks can be deceiving !
i recall a fellow Staff member having some and paid a similar price to you, half what i did for my Magnums…
Mine fell apart after one annual camp! Then couldn’t get an answer from Karrimor as regards getting them replaced!
Stick with Magnums for the slightly higher price tag!
Got a pair of Cougars and Lowa. Both lasted me very well so I can’t moan really.
Sorry to hear yours have gone U/S.
It depends on what your looking at doing and your price range.
Are you on popstar wages?
Is it for walking the dog?
Just for cadets?
Or for a mix of civvie hillwalking/cadets/nijmegan?
I always prefer to shell out a little more for a company I know or are reputable. I prefer Non Goretex boots.
Lowa Patrols are hands down the best boot in my opinion. I have had a pair near on 4 years, and have smashed them. I use them for almost everything. Should probably have replaced or at least resoled them well before now. But I am a tad sentimental about them. And although the tread is wearing thin they are still going strong.
They are however a little heavy for a “camp” boot and doing phys in them.
I dont own a pair of hangwags but I am looking to buy a pair and have heard very good things about them! Good for on the hills. But also light.
I had a pair of Altberg Sneakers. as a “Camp” boot or range boot. Good mix of a light boot which could hold up to my lowas.
Many of the lads I know use Adidas GSG9s as a camp/phys boot. They arr very light. But not as durable or supoortive.
I had a pair of Magnum spyders about 5 years ago. I smashed them into the ground and they fell apart after 6 months.
I am looking into buying a pair of AKU 3000’s as a hot climate boot as I have heard fantastic things about this boot also!
Regardless of which boot you get, remember to look after it. Even the fabric ones.
Get a good tub of dubbing and polish. Or the set fabric cleaner.
A good pair of insoles would be a good investment too, Along with a pair of gorerex socks.
Gaitors are a fantastic investment too. Yeti Gaitors being the prime set I use, just a shame they are going to stop making them.
Don’t use dubbin on expensive boots, it ends badly.
Don’t use dubbin on expensive boots, it ends badly.[/quote]
Please, continue…
Because it’s made using tallow you can really kill nice leathers using it, according to the man who sold me my Alt-Bergs at least.
I have never heard anything like it. I have used dubbing on every pair of boots I own/been issued. Except jungle boots (obviously).
They increase its waterproofing and helps nourish and soften the leather. Aiding in breaking in the boots. I use both dubbin and polish whikst on camp anfmd in the field.
As far as I am aware, shoe polish has tallow in it anyway?
Of course its up to you to read up and make your own judgement as to whats best for your boots.
I believe dubbing can over soften the leather, potentially causing failure of the boot. I suppose as RAS says it really depends on your pretence and your expected life of the boot.
Shoe polish does use an animal wax like tallow, it is found in differing quantities depending on the polish you buy. Kiwi parade gloss has a higher content of it, so I tend to stick to normal Kiwi for my Alt-bergs. They are coming up to 5yrs faithful service so I can’t really complain.
A lot of the manufacturers advise only using their own-brand products with their boots, and kick up a fuss if the boot fails and you haven’t been following their recommendations.
Really? I’ve never had that problem using the stuff on my mountain boots. Ihave just pensioned off a pair of Meindl boots after over a decade because the soles were completely shot, not because the leather was ‘killed’. I only ever used dubbin type products on them.