Outdoor Ankle Protection Hiking Boots

Your usual size is not the size on this box.

Boots bought online turn up a size out more often than any other bit of kit, and you find out on the walk, not in the lounge room. A boot that is half a size short rubs the toes; half a size long slides and takes the heel. Either way you get a hot spot in the first hour, a blister by lunch, and then you are walking short steps, favouring one foot and going nowhere fast — which is how a good day out turns into a slow limp back to the car.

These are mid-cut suede hikers with a padded collar that comes up over the ankle bone, a moulded rubber toe bumper and a deep-lugged sole. Nothing exotic. The part worth reading is the size chart, because this boot is sold in US sizes and the supplier chart is US and European only — there is no Australian or UK column on it. Measure your foot in centimetres, match the centimetre row, and ignore what your last pair said on the tongue.

They are a walking and light-work boot. They are not a safety boot, there is no steel cap in them, and no water rating has been supplied — so treat them as suede, because that is what they are.

What It Does

• Holds the ankle on rubble: the collar sits above the ankle bone, so a rolled step on loose rock gets caught by the boot instead of your ligaments.
• Stops the stubbed toe: a moulded rubber bumper wraps the whole front, which is the bit that meets every hidden root and rock on a downhill.
• Yard work on the block: fencing, dogs, firewood, mowing the paddock — a boot that laces properly and does not fill with grass seed.
• One pair in the bag: low enough to wear off the trail and around town, so you travel with one pair of boots rather than boots plus shoes.
• Grip on wet rock: deep, widely spaced lugs that shed mud instead of packing solid and turning the sole into a slick.

Key Features

• Suede upper: suede leather with a textile mesh collar and tongue panel.
• Mid-cut padded collar: rises above the ankle bone, padded right around the back of the heel.
• Metal lace hardware: lace-up through metal D-rings and eyelets, with a heel pull loop.
• EVA insole: moulded EVA footbed inside a synthetic lining.
• TPR lugged outsole: deep block lugs with a raised heel brake for coming down hill.
• Rubber toe bumper: moulded cap over the toe and around both sides of the forefoot.
• Two colours: brown and grey, both with a contrast midsole flash.
• Medium width: supplied as a medium (B/M) width fitting.
• Eight sizes: US 7 through US 13, matched to foot length in centimetres.

Limits

What these boots will not do

• They are not waterproof: the supplier gives no water rating and no membrane is named. Suede soaks. Walk a wet creek crossing and you will finish the day in wet socks.
• They are not a safety boot: the toe is a round soft toe with a rubber bumper. There is no steel cap, no composite cap, and no AS/NZS 2210 certification. Do not wear them onto a site that requires safety footwear.
• The sizes are US, not AU: the only chart the supplier provides runs US and European against foot length in centimetres. An Australian men's size is not the same number. Measure your foot and use the centimetre column — see the chart under Specs.
• Mid-cut, not high-cut: the collar clears the ankle bone and no more. If you want shaft support up the calf for heavy pack work, this is the wrong height of boot.
• Trim colour varies: the brown boot appears in the supplier photographs with both yellow and orange trim. We cannot promise which trim arrives.
• No weight given: the supplier has not published a boot weight, so we are not going to make one up.

Q & A

I take a 9 in Australia. Which size do I order?
Do not order a 9. Australian men's sizing follows the UK scale and this boot is sold on the US scale, which runs about a size larger for the same foot. Stand with your heel against a wall, measure from the wall to the end of your longest toe in centimetres, then read that number off the chart under Specs. The supplier's own guidance is to allow up to 1.5 cm (15 mm) of space in front of the toe.

Can I wear them on a mine site or a construction site?
No. There is no protective toe cap in this boot and no Australian safety certification. Sites that mandate safety footwear will knock you back at the gate. These are for walking, camping, travel and work around your own property.

Will they keep my feet dry?
Not in any real sense. No water rating has been supplied. Suede handles dew and a light shower for a while and then wets through. If you need dry feet, you need a boot with a stated membrane and this is not one.

My feet are wide. What should I do?
The boot is a medium width. The supplier's advice for wide or deep feet is to take the next size up. That is a workaround rather than a wide fitting, so if you are a genuinely wide foot, go in with your eyes open.

How long will they take to get here?
Allow 10 to 14 days from the day you place the order, and give it up to 3 weeks before you start worrying. Regional and remote addresses run longer again. Delivery is free to Australia and New Zealand.

Specs

Size chart — measure your foot, then read across

Stand with your heel flat against a wall and measure to the end of your longest toe. Match that number to the first row below. The supplier's chart gives US and European sizes only.

Allow up to 1.5 cm (15 mm) of space in front of your longest toe. If your foot is wide or deep, take the next size up.