Due to some diabetic related changes in my feet I need to wear hiking boots. However, models with gortex or other waterproofing make my feet unbearably hot. Having difficulty finding non waterproof hiking boots - any suggestions welcomed.
I wore Zamberlan [TM] leather hiking boots on all of my foot-pilgrimages and was - and still am - very happy with them. Excellent arch support, fit like a glove, no sliding of foot inside boot, no pressure points, lots of toe space, very comfortable, no blisters. Extremely waterproof after coating several times on a hot day with the proprietary Zamberlan waxy waterproofing paste.
As is probably the case with most footwear manufacturers, different Zamberlan models are built upon different lasts.
To my great disappointment, the model that I had bought was later discontinued. A Zamberlan customer service representative very cheerfully identified to me the identification number of the last used to build my boots, showed me how to find the last number in their public-facing model descriptions, gave me several examples of other current models built upon that last, and assured me that they were had no plans to ever delete that last from their tooling inventory. The latter statement makes sense because sets of lasts are costly.
Some models of Zamberlan boots are re-sole-able. I have not looked into whether or not my model is, because the soles have at least another thousand kilometres of wear left.
The heel-strike areas of the original soles wear down after about a thousand kilometres. My solution is to install crescent-shaped replacement heel-strikes at home using solvent-based contact cement plus cobbler's ringed nails, on a cobbler's anvil. It only takes about 5 minutes per boot plus drying time for the adhesive.
I bought a lifetime supply of the heel-strikes and cobbler's ringed nails on eBay. The heel-strikes I use are made of an astonishingly-tough polymer that wears down much more slowly than the original sole material. The ringed nails must be as long as possible but not so long that they penetrate into the foot-bed.
Note for those who wish to be *extremely* prepared:
The replacement heel-strikes that I use also wear out after about a thousand kilometres.
I take with me on pilgrimage one pair of heel-strikes and just enough cobbler's nails (16) to attach both heel-strikes. That set of spares weighs almost nothing. If I need to install them I will either buy contact cement and a cheap hammer locally, or hire a cobbler to install them for me.
These boots were costly, are practically irreplaceable, and their loss would end my pilgrimage. I do not leave them unattended e.g. at the entranceways of albergues. I take them off at the entrance, put them in a grocery bag, and hide them under my bed. Also, I marked my initials on the footbeds in large letters with a white paint pen.
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