Our very own Laura the Explorer knows what it’s like to take long walks. Really long walks.
She started by roving the paddocks with her Dad on Sundays, climbed Nepal’s Langtang Himal as a 13 year old, conquored Kokoda at sweet sixteen and has walked trails across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.
And because she’s been going walkies such a long time, she has a great filter when it comes to the right boots, apparel and accessories.
“There’s a basic kit, but more important than that are these objectives: 1 keep your feet dry; 2 have access to water and nutrition; and 3 stay in cover in extremes of temperature. If you keep those in mind, you’ll take what you need – an only what you need. Because the other pitfall of trekking is over-packing that leads to fatigue,” Laura says.
“Perhaps most important, though, is to make sure your walking boots are a good fit – for your feet and for purpose,” she says.
Laura’s first walking shoes were a hand-me-down pair of her brother’s Desert Boots. Wet and mud seeped in the uppers, between the tongue and laces. In the potato paddocks outside Ballarat, winter rabbiting was a misery, only made better when Laura’s Dad accidentally melted the DB soles when drying them fireside.
Next up were are pair of Aussie Disposals Leather All-Terrains with a thick, rigid, inflexible rubber sole that would have worked well as tank tread.
“I loved them, but those boots were terrible. I got ingrown toenails, all ten toes went black, I had to wear plastic bags between two layers of sock to keep my feet dry (from river water, snow and sweat) and the soles were so inflexible that I basically stamped all over Nepal,” Laura says.
Third was a pair of ultralight ‘waterproof’ trail boots which looked less 1870s safari adventure than the DBs, had a better and more flexible sole than the All-Terrains but which lacked the strength to last the distance and the river crossings on the Kokoda Track.
“Duct Tape held it together for both boots and pack on that trip, and I could have used some on my attitude, too, because Kakoda is a very challenging, haunting and dangerous place,” Laura says.
Back on home turf, and walking across the country, Laura says it’s not possible to achieve a one-shoe all-purpose result.
“Beaches require different grip to mountainside shale, just as rain forest trails require more ankle protection than flatland tracks. That’s why you won’t find a single boot to take you everywhere. The reality is that even the top of the range boots are built with a particular purpose in mind,” she says.
When buying boots for stalking, walking and hunting, you should consider a) your budget and b) your terrain, always keeping in mind the importance of dry feet.
Talk to the experienced team at Smiths Outdoors about their range of quality boots.
