In 2015, ahead of walking the Carros de Focs, I took a look at my Meindl ‘army style’ boots which had served me so well (from an Army Surplus stall in Andover Market – such good value). They had supported me on many happy adventures however, I decided that they had probably had their day. So it was off to Cotswold Outdoor in Salisbury to be fitted for some new ones. After trying a range of makes and styles I settled on Meindl again.
Many hundreds of miles and multiple terrains, these trusty boots finally succumbed to the pounding. It was not the reduced grip from tread-wear that did it – I guess this is so gradual that you compensate for the extra slipping – it was the breakdown of the Gortex which seemed to happen pretty quickly. A walk in the heavy rain just before Christmas 2022 and rather than the usual snug-dry toes, I was squelching. I guess there had been hints over the previous months but this was catastrophic. Luckily it was only a walk to a warm pub but anything more serious and it would have been a real cause for concern.
So back to Cotswold Outdoor and although the team had changed, it was still the same excellent service. Out came all the styles, lots of walking around the shop and jumping on their testing ramps, lots of patient attention from the in-store expert, and once again Meindl came out top with the Tonale GTX. I guess it should not be a surprise as bootmakers have a certain style and shape and Meindl’s must just suit my quite narrow and boney feet.
So here we are. Meindl’s call this one of their A/B range – which is an ‘introductory boot’. So it’s good for hiking and trekking but they don’t see it as a high mountain boot. I like them as they are more flexible that the hardier mountain boots and also lighter weight – which is good in warmer weather. They may not be as robust as some of the hardier boots in the range however, we are not winter walking so they have proved more than adequate -even in tough conditions. Also, they may not take crampons but they are fine for micro-spikes, which is all we have needed in spring snow.
Given the last boots we so successful, here’s hoping that the latest versions stand up as well and deliver as many happy memories. Feed back will follow as they bed in!
March 2023 Update
Well, what a disappointment! Having walked around the house with no ill effects (recommended as you can return boots that have not been outside) I went out for a few light walks through the water meadows – again all went smoothly. Then off to Dorset for a good hike along the coast path from Lulworth Cove. And after just 15km of up and down my ankle bone was very painful – not a blister-type rub but a bruising of the bone through repeated pressure. Definitely no way I could have done a second day.
On close inspection, it looks like Meindl have changed the way they construct the seam between the boot inner and the ankle cuff. If you look at the pictures you can see that the old boot had a cross-stitch type seam and the new one has a hidden ‘turned in’ seam. This creates a wrinkle which is enough to cause pressure on my ankle bone when walking. Looking at my wife’s Scarpa boots, they have a cross-stitch seam like my old Meidl – much smoother.
I have tried different socks and all sorts of lacing combinations but nothing worked.
Finally back to Cotswold Outdoor Salisbury to see if they could send the boots back to Meindl. They were amazingly helpful and not only took back the boots and my written note of the issue for Meindl, but also gave me a full credit which I used to get another set of boots. After going through a number of options with their excellent fitter, I came away with a set of Scarpa R-Evolution GTX.
It’s a similar profile of boot to the Meindl Tonale GTX however does feel a bit more robust – and so a little heavier weight – but in the whole scheme of things, I don’t think that’s an issue. The dreaded ankle seam is cross-stitched and smooth so fingers crossed! Further update to follow.
May 2023 Update
So, at last a chance to try out the Scarpa’s on slightly more testing terrain. Off to Sierra Grazalema in southern Spain for some late spring walking. Normally this is a pretty warm time of year however, the unusual weather meant we had cool, damp days. The upside is that we could walk the trail through the unique Pinsapar forest above Grazalema. These Spanish Fir are only found in Andalucia and Morocco. You need a permit to walk here because of the fire risk, and we have failed to get one twice, so we were happy it was damp this year.
The boots went very well and no repeat of the Meindl ankle issues. So, here’s to many miles of walking with them.