Fabric Hiking Boots Are an Advance Over Leather Boots

Not too far in the recent past there were only two sorts of hiking boots. The first was the sort made of fabric. These were often known as desert boots because they were cool and light and were great for helping to keep down sweaty feet in the heat.

The other sort was the traditional leather boot that was used for mountaineering and hiking. This was better at keeping feet warm and relatively dry. Quality here depended on finding a mountaineering boot with few seams that could let the water in. A good classic was the Scarpa Manta mountaineering boot. But they were heavier than the fabric boots. And if the going was hot then they were not very comfortable to wear.

But luckily new materials have completely changed the world of hiking boots. Now you get really light and cool fabric ones that are still waterproof because they use a breathable liner such as Gore-Tex or something similar known as eVent. These allow water vapour to go through but stop liquid water. The great thing about these is that you can even wade through puddles and shallow streams and come out with completely dry feet on the other end. Yet during a day of hard hiking you do not end up with feet that are completely wet from perspiration.

These liners have their failings. They can get quite easily ruined. For instance if you get some sand or gravel in the foot, your foot can soon work this into the waterproof lining and ruin it. That would not happen with a leather boot. So for real expeditions or big mountains leather is still probably best. But for most other purposes there is no reason why you should not use a new fabric boot. Your feet will probably thank you for it. They are also so cheap that your pocket book will too.

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