Salomon Explorer GTX Boot - Women's - 2008 BCS

Last December we were in New Zealand to do the Milford Track and the Routeburn track. We had a day off in between. This was just as well, as I had a boot failure at the end of the Milford and had to quickly buy another pair of boots. I bought these one day and headed off to 4 days of gale force winds and rain on the Routeburn. These boots were perfect - no breaking in required they were comfortable right from the start. I had a blister and a lifted toenail from the Milford, but had no more foot damage at all from these boots. They also kept my feet completely dry throughout the whole 4 days. I am extremely happy with them. I was carrying about 18kg pack and am not a lightweight myself! I like to have good ankle support and these boots didn't let me down. The support was great, but also comfortable. My foot is also a little on the wider side so these were perfect.

nice fit, especially if you have a wide or square foot. Has excellent grip and the high boot doesn't rub on the ankles. Does great for going over steep, dusty, muddy, brushy, rocky, and so on terrain. Keeps water out of the boot unless it comes in from the top (a weakness any boot has no matter what type of waterproofing it has). No need to break the boot in, it bent in all the right places from the start. The laces are a bit long and you have to double knot them twice to keep them from unraveling if you are bushwhacking. I would recommend getting a better insole for the boot (something with archsupport perhaps not Dr, Schole's,) since it doesn't offer much cushioning against your foot's impact with the ground.

As per usual Salomon has not let me down, these are great boots for almost all terrain, there was no break in period. I threw my orthotics in and away I went on a 25km trek. I found the ankle support good and the tread was sufficient enough for a bit of a scramble. I will always buy this brand as they seem to fit my feet, I love the roomy toe box. I haven't tried them with anything more than a 30 pound pack, so we shall see how the boot holds on the overnighters, with a bigger pack.