Why Some Riding Boots are Better Than Others?

/ Riding Gear / Boots, Riding_gear / 4 minutes of reading

Ok, so here is a thing, for us adventure riders, the best boot is the one that is comfortable and can be worn for many hours a day, day after day! …As well as with good protection, waterproofness, and long lasting, right? Sure, I think we all can agree on that, but I think I just described a unicorn!

Let’s just agree on one thing, it can not be a tank, a limousine and  a submarine at the same time. It’s either comfort, or safety – much like con…

A lot of manufacturers are working hard to deliver these unicorn boots, however not all are that successful, some don’t even care, some fake it till they make it.. And to make things worse, these days it is so hard to pick something decent without being misled by all the sponsored reviews that scream to everyone how good these boots are (or any other kit/ gear for that matter).. On top of that, unfair “Top ten’s“ create more confusion than anything else too.

Forma Adventure Boots, good for walking, not that great (safe) for riding.

Comfortable boots means that boots will be like slippers – soft sole, soft outer shell, they will bend and twist in all the places -just like slippers! But who would ride a heavy machinery, offroad, with slippers? No one with the right mind. Obviously any boot is better than no boot, as some sort of layer around will save riders skin, but that’s about it… Remember, bones shatter like glass, and heal slowly… very slowly..

Safe boots means stiff and not very natural feeling boots. A bit of flex here and there, but definitely not the boots someone would like to wear while hiking! Boots that won’t let your foot be bent in any of the unnatural ways are the safest. And by saying bent in an unnatural way I mean, bent backwards at the ankle, foot bent or twisted, ankle twist… as well as toes and heel protection, as well as shin guard…and then the back of the leg, as well as crushing the ankle bone etc… that’s a lot of protection and that’s a lot of restrictions! And where are restrictions – comfort ends.

Gaerne SG-12’s… good boot for riding, not that great for walking!

What concerns waterproofness.. it doesn’t really matter, as deep fords don’t care if your boots are made from goretex or toilet paper, It’s just an illusion. Something that has one open end can not really be called waterproof… Obviously feet will not get wet in the rain, or after splashing through a few small puddles, but in deep water waterproofness ends and fun starts, as something that doesn’t let water to go in – it will not let water to get out either…

Now for longevity of the boots… good materials are very important and anything that’s made from faux leather – i would say from experience – is trash. Almost always Gore Tex and full grain leather is the way to go. Stitched soles are always a wiser choice compared to glued ones. Double or even triple stitches all the way around will also last longer, never single stitches.

Price range is another thing to consider obviously but, let me put it this way, if a rider goes for a ride over the weekend, has a mishap and comes back home with a swollen ankle or broken bone? Will that person be able to do what they normally do for a living? And if not, how much that “downtime” will cost? It will take only one bad “off”, tumble or twist to pay off for the quality boots, you get the idea….

Guess what boot gave me 3 broken bones, 1 plastic boot 2 crutches an a month off work?

So yes, there are brands and makes of boots that are good and comfortable, but what fits one, might not fit the other, and when a friend says these boots are the best, remember, everyone’s feet are different and not just size, but also width and thickness as well as calf size, etc… do yourself a favour – pick a good local shop and go and try a few pairs with them, as that is something you can not do online!

Hope that helps, ride safe everyone!

…and for those who want to see how easy is to break stuff… well…wasnt even riding fast!

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