Boots fo D of E expedtion

[TwigTheWonderKid]

Need to get DS1 some boots for his expedition (Bronze). I doubt he'll wear them much before he outgrows them so I don't want to spend a fortune but obviously don't want him to be uncomfortable either. So we're most likely to go to Decathlon or Sports Direct where I realise we won't really get any assistance from staff.

So any advice on what we need to look for (or avoid)?

all mine passed bronze with trainers on!

It depends on loads of things...
Have his feet stopped growing?
Is he likely to wear them more? Eg for Silver and Gold, scout camps, country walks?
If so you could spend more and he might use them for silver and Gold etc?
Does he have any foot issues? I have weak ankles which twist easily so ankle boots are better for me.

I have leather brasher boots that cost about £80 before I did my bronze, (15 years ago) I wore them for all three DofE expeditions and many other times, must have walked hundreds of miles in them. It was well worth the money because Ive used them so much.

All that said, they really will need breaking in properly, like 10+ hours of proper walking.

Thanks for all your advice.

He's only 13 so feet definitely haven't stopped growing which is why I don't really want to invest too much in boots. Will sack off the idea of Sports DIrect, which is greats as I hate going there, but sadly don't have a Go Outdoors anywhere near us, but do have a Mountain Warehouse so will try them!

It all depends on the assessor. Some stick to the rules, some don't.

Cotswold are brilliant for advice and choice.He needs decent boots and gortex so his feet stay dry. You get what you pay for and decent boots could last for years. My DD had cheap boots - blisters and wet feet. Now got some Scarpas . Worth every penny. And wear them in properly.

My daughter just had karrimor boots and they were fine, anti blister socks are an absolute must. I've seen kids feet that didn't have them and it's not a pretty sight!

My DS loved his DofE expeditions. The first time was the hottest day of the year and I was woefully inaccurate in sending him enough food. Having said that, he is terribly disorganised (22 and still is) and he told me what he needed.

We got him some boots from Sports Direct, I can't remember how much they were but they were cheap. I'd advise you to get him to wear them in well before going off, them rubbing his feet is the last thing he needs.

Check out their website.

Hope he has a great time.

It doesn't rain much where we are. If weather did look bad the week before, I would probably spray the boots (having bought boots cheap from Sports Direct) with some kind of waterpoofing spray.

I hate buying any type of clothing item online. 70% chance it will be obviously wrong fit/size within 1 minute of trying it on for real.

The sort of walks DD did for her DoE, trainers would have been fine, perhaps better than boots, tbh. But we are dry side of UK.

Agree with PP, Karrimors used to be perfect, and cheap, but quality has gone down and they wear out really quickly, having said that, if they are just for one weekend does that really matter? We now get Regatta for our country walks, which are better quality and last longer.

Really, DofE is such an industry now. If you are doing the Bronze you are basically just going for a walk in the country, and staying overnight in a tent. You do not need anything expensive or heavy duty. Walking shoes are absolutely fine. We found the boots too heavy and actually more prone to rub on the ankles. Unless you are going up the Eiger, you don't need ankle support (p.s. I have been up the Eiger without ankle support ).

GoOutdoors have cheap ranges of perfectly good walking/hiking boots.
These days boots don't need to be 'broken in'. That was in the old days of expensive leather boots before fabric boots and Gortex. Just wearing them round the house to make sure they don't rub will be fine.

Have had varied advice from go outdoors

Aim for tough solid sole, not too much flex between toe area and boot area, high ankle covering type. One assistant said definitely leather, one didn’t.

As llangennith said, these days they don't need breaking in. For what your son is doing, Mountain Warehouse are probably fine. Wear them in the house for a couple of days to make sure they're the right size, then maybe do a walk in the country the weekend before to get used to them.

To be honest, unless you're likely to be doing something like scree-running goretex uppers should be fine, you don't need leather.

There's no point paying a lot for boots while kids are still growing. (Once they've stopped, on the other hand... I have a 30 year old pair of Scarpas that are still going, albeit with some assistance from duck tape, but I can't bear to part with them because they are really comfortable, and take a pair of step-in crampons. I really should start saving for some new ones. Got my eyes on a pair of Meindl's which are 250 quid, which is horrendous, though if I get another 30 years out of them I think I'll have got my money's worth.)

I disagree w not rating Karrimor.
Dd’s Karrimors saw her through bronze, a school trip with a lot of hiking, and NCS, another school trip abroad and are still ok! Luckily her feet stopped growing age 13. I had to buy new ones for DS between bronze and Silver. I am hoping his feet have now stopped growing or he’ll turn into a clown.

I've been to two different Go Outdoors over the weekend and thoroughly investigated their reduced shelf. Yesterday we got dd some all leather boots (not in the sale) with the 20% off but probably bottom of the range and I got some from the reduced section.

Today we went to a different store and rifled through their bargains and managed to get dd a pair of better boots for the same price.

@SilentSister need for ankle support is entirely individual, I have twisted my ankle standing still on a flat surface lol...