What I’ve Read This Month About Boots & Gears 2022

Welcome to the first post on the new Bestwalkingboots blog! I’m launching the blog with what I hope will turn into a regular occurrence: my monthly round-up of some of the best hiking-related content and news from around the web. The whole Best Walking Boots project is a new and fast-growing one, so please do sign up for the newsletter if you like the idea.

I’ve teamed up with a foot-care professional (Si of Mountainfeet.co.uk) and he’s going to be regularly contributing to the site. We are genuinely striving to become the web’s most in-depth and extensive walking and hiking boots review resource.

There’s a great deal of work to do and we’re working on a robust review format along with more individual reviews for the coming months. It’s still early days but things are looking bright!

So, let’s jump in…

Boots And Gear:

There have been several new boot models publicized this month. Teva has announced that they’ll be launching their three-season Riva Peak boots and Merrell has a new hiking shoe on the way. You might also want to have a look at the new Salomon XA Pro 3D. It’s a gorgeous trail running shoe.

Ever thought about attempting a long-distance trail in a pair of walking sandals? Check out this article about light hiking footwear by Chris Townsend, it may well change your entire perspective on boots.

For those of you who aren’t already aware of Engo, it’s probably fair to say that they’re offering the best blister-prevention product in the world today. I’ll be doing a full field-test and review of their patches at some point next month. The experiences I’ve had so far are all incredibly positive.

I also watched this video by Asolo. It’s about what’s involved in the boot manufacturing process. The quality isn’t great but it’s well worth a watch.

Hiking

I stumbled across this lovely little site about hiking that’s aimed at people who live in London. The woman who runs it, Catherine, seems to be very knowledgeable about how Londoners can incorporate walking trips into their busy schedules and there’s lots of good ideas here. I wish I’d found this resource when I was a student in the big city.

Great post from Pilgrim Chris about wild hiking in the Peak District (where I live coincidentally). Reading this might encourage you to get out for a night under the stars.

Alastair Humphreys also has a new project for budding adventurers that you may find interesting…can you manage £20 a week for the adventure of a lifetime?

Other Bits & Bobs

Mountain Safety: Andy Luke, a keen outdoors enthusiast, has started this new project that covers everything from trail-walking to mountain-climbing safety.

UKHillwalking.com: A relatively new site about hillwalking in the UK. Lots of good content.

Finally, I bought my first bottle of Smidge (well, it was actually a gift) so I’ll be testing it out in the countryside in February.

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