Thanks for sharing your experience in such detail. It’s truly a shame that this has happened to what was once such a good UK brand. I have used more brands of work and hiking boot that most people. In my life a 5 mile walk is more common than 5 minutes to the shop. Karrimor are only generally a midrange shoe in my opinion. And although the very first Karrimors I owned nearly 4 years ago were definately better quality; proving the change in ownership has effected them, they are currently the number 2 in lifespan for the shoes I have owned. Given that number 1 is Issue Millitary, not just military Grade; id still.spend the 40-50 pound they cost. Mind you for that money I would like to find a pair to last me 12 months or longer. However my previous pair still lasted 8 months before feeling a bit word and 11 months before the sole began to slip away from the body of them.

The padding is not as good as that of my previous bag and the pull-out waterproof cover let the rain through right from the start. I have to safeguard my computer by placing it in a carrier bag. The top handle started coming away at the seams after only a few months. I’ll never buy anything made by Port Designs ever again. Like Karrimor, the company (it’s French) is now using factories in China.Most definitely a quality boot with high and appropriate ankle- and shin safety in place where needed. With these you can easily drop the bike on your foot without injury. Very solid and well-made. Got an extremely good bargain price - € 178,- ( versus SRP € 310,- ) and have just had them on for a short test-walk in the living-room. It's minus 12C outside, so I'm not gonna use them outside yet. The BMW Santiago Gore-Tex boots I normally use are better at those temperatures and waterproof.

Based on what people are saying, on this blog and elsewhere, I won’t be buying any boots that bear the Karrimor name. I was also influenced by a friend breaking his ankle while we joined a technical riding course in a sandpit in August. His DRZ400 fell over his foot, and he fractured the ankle and had a 2 month recovery with plaster afterwards. Thought I would post this short review up in case someone else is looking for a top quality boot at a affordable price. (Disclaimer: I don't have any connection with Atomic Moto other than buying this set of boots, just sharing what I think is a great deal). For instance, Zaberlan hiking boots are handmade made in Italy. They are a little expensive, but I bet the quality is better than Karrimor.Done a few weeks riding with them now and they obviously need a good few weeks more riding before they break in and function well enough for my user profile. I’m not writing this Karrimor hiking boots review after only a few weeks or months of use. It’s not a first impression. It’s my honest opinion after putting my boots through their paces for around two-and-a-half years. I had my Karrimor hiking boots for a long time and I worked them hard in six different countries. Unfortunately, a lot of (once good) brands seem to be going downhill. Too many companies these days appear to want to cut their production costs to increase their profits.

I’ve gone through almost every good quality brand of boots or hiking shoes in under 6 months. The one brand I have never owned in Magnum Footwear. They are very expensive. The sidi are slightly softer more comfy , with better sole which allows you to walk and not to slip in mud , 100 % water proof ( goretex ) but more expensive . I prefer the looks of Forma ( former DIADORA ) but looks are not everything .extremely squeaky ( you definitely cannot wear these and remain unobtrusive. You WILL turn heads... ) And as for customer service, well forget it. Not interested and replace, reimbursement? 😁 Get out of here. I can’t say my feet ever felt unpleasantly hot when the weather was warm, so that must have been due to the vents. What I did notice was my feet always felt nice and warm in the winter. The Condition of My Boots When I Threw Them Away Although the upper part of the boot is probably about 80% leather, there are some mesh panels as well to help your feet breath. The mesh has been treated to repel water, but if you’re going to be going to a lot of very wet places it helps if you spray them with some waterproofing spray. When I was examining the boots I was also impressed by the quality of the plastic overlay around the toes. Stubbing your toe is not usually as painful as banging your ankle, but it still hurts so the more protection the better.

To most people 11 months doe not sound good. But for me 11 months is a long time. I regularly walk distances up 10 miles as part of a normal day. They get lasting pair of boots i ever owned was a pair of Soldiwler 95s (Standard Issue Military Boots). Price has always been a big challenge for me. Update: If you scroll down to the comments section, you will see the Karrimor brand appears to have gone downhill. I no longer recommend the company’s boots and would never consider buying any other Karrimor products. I have got two finalists to choose from ( The best boots on the market in my opinion but slightly different purpose ) Hi people i am about to push the trigger for new boots , long story short , did my research and decided i want something with Pivot point joint ( this is the best solution un my opinion ) to allow better movement as standard MX boots are too stiff and extremly uncomfortable for longer rides , i need decent protection and idealy goood water resistance . I did a small hill walk and wore a new pair which had just been broke in. The eyelets snapped off on the walk and left me having to stab holes in the fabric to cobble together some form of fitting to get home.

Things I noticed While Wearing the Boots

You are wrong when you say all walking boots are made in China or Vietnam. There are plenty of brands made in other countries of the world.