Karrimor Orkney lll Weathertite Walking Boots

With a summer of walking and backpacking ahead of me, followed by my first semester at university jammed packed with field trips, a new pair of walking boots was an expense I couldn't avoid. After my last pair suffered a almost bloody nail puncture last Autumn I have since been constrained to a somewhat uncomfortable pair of wellingtons.

Having done quite a bit of searching, for both quality and price I came across these ladies walking boots from Karrimor. These are the first piece of outdoor kit that I have had from Karrimor, and needless to say I am not disappointed so far. Retailing at £60.00 from Amazon.co.uk, they arrived quickly and I opened the box with too much excitement than should be deemed acceptable.

My first impression was that these boots were pretty beautiful, I believe it was last summer I did the review on my last pair of boots I brought (See post here), despite being outdoorsy and more than happy to be getting soaked with rain and covered in mud, I still want to look good doing it. Which I find a pretty difficult balance to achieve, but I'm not one to shy away from a challenge. Anyway, back on track, these were some pretty good looking boots, with some of the material being a pretty durable American Full Grain Leather. It took me a staggering 30 seconds before I managed to tweet a 'before' picture of them!

Another thing that I noticed was the sheer amount of laces, or more the surface area that the laces cover. Unlike other boots I have owned, the laces of the Orkney boots reach much closer to the toes, allowing for added support when walking. Something that you can really tell when you're in them!

I haven't taken these on a long trip yet, but with a few short walks on varying terrain, I am already pretty chuffed with this purchase! With boots that feel slightly big on me (I know that sounds weird, and on the photo they don't look abnormally proportionate to my legs, but when I put them on I'm at least a few inches taller!) they are surprisingly light, weighing around 670g, a very good quality on long walks, where the weight of your boots really shouldn't be added to the strain on your legs.

The material around the top of the ankle is currently a bit uncomfortable, but I am sure that once the leather softens with use that this will no longer be a problem. But of course if I do find any issues as I go, I will update this post at the bottom!

Gelert Walking Boots Review

First and foremost I would like to say that I am in no way sponsored or iffiliated with Gelert in any way. These are just the boots that I am currently using and wish to inform my readers off of my own personal experience!

Now I will say, I only ordered these boots because they were the cheapest decent looking (gotta look good ya'know) boots that I could find. For the last four years I have been wearing a trusty brand of Regatta, which, don't get me wrong, served my very well! But just a week before going off on holiday to Scotland I spotted a wee hole in the outerseam. A disaster. So I need some new boots, and I needed them fast. 

So here I am with a pair of Gelert walking boots. And I'm impressed! For you dear readers I have put these boots through thick and thin! And they have held pretty darn well! They lasted through a tough 10 mile hike, enduring dirt and mud. There is absolutely no visible damage to the boots at all, just some dry mud to clean off! Although there is a down side, I found these boots to be very painful around the ankles as a result of friction. With the constant varying gradient of the walk, with many steep inclines the material around the ankles, which does well to support the ankle, does begin to rub. Now I suppose I should have used thicker socks, or that they were not 'worn in' enough, I am just merely passing on my experience, information that some may find useful! (Or not, who knows!) 

But either way, I am very impressed! They have kept my feet dry whilst trekking through streams, even when the water submerged past the tounge (impressed!) They have supported my ankles whilst rambling on uneven dirt and rocks. So I suggest you take a look and give them a go! 

They can be found here: http://www.gelert.com/gelert-leather-ladies-walking-boots-186136?colcode=18613603

All the best, 

The Wilderneas Warrior