Recommend me a pair of hiking boots, budget $400

Originally Posted by mr monty

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Grab a pair of Asolo hiking boots from STP. They have a large selection and additional reductions.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Aso...Processed=true

This^ as a close second to Vasque Skywalks made in Italy if you can find a pair. Best boots you will ever own.

Originally Posted by enginerd917

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LL Bean duck boots

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Very good suggestion. Or one of the various variants they offer. Waterproof, they offer lined options, and generally last ages.

Originally Posted by enginerd917

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LL Bean duck boots

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I almost bought a pair of the duck boots a couple weeks back. But decided against it b/c I want to be able to wear these boots to work as well (business casual environment....I go to school and work).

Originally Posted by The Gooch

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This^ as a close second to Vasque Skywalks made in Italy if you can find a pair. Best boots you will ever own.

doing a search on ebay yielded:

Vasque Skywalks

Almost bought them until i realized that they are narrow.

I am originally from Chicago, so know the importance of a good boot for winter. Duck boots do not breathe well, and so you are going to feel compelled to take them off whenever you are indoors, which is a pretty big faux pas unless you tend to hang out in a lot of drum circles.

Every Chicagoan with a penchant for style has been in the same dilemma that you are in now. As for the more fashionable boots, such as the Paraboots, they do not have any Gore-tex in their design as far as I can tell, so could fall short in waterproofness. Perhaps more importantly, do you want to worry about what the salt from the roads is going to do to your beautiful soft-hide boots?

Again, winter boots are a way of life in Chicago, and it seems that everyone from the crunchies in Ukraine Village to the power brokers in the Loop wear Vasque Sundowner GTXs. Yes, they are "not what they used to be" when they were made in Italy, but they are still a solid boot. Further, they actually look better after they have been through a few hard winters. Plus, at $175, they are a veritable steal.

Originally Posted by dshin

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doing a search on ebay yielded:

Vasque Skywalks

Almost bought them until i realized that they are narrow.

Oooh man, those are the original originals. I like the model that came after those. Resoleable and watertight. Not heavy by rugged. I've bought at least one pair every year for the last 15 years.

Look, for me

Don't have experience with the other brands mentioned, but I'll throw these out there: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,...s-For-Men.html As has been mentioned, easy to find STP coupons that will drop the price further. Heavy as hell though, and take forever to break in. Probably overkill.

For really inclement weather, I bought the Sorel Caribou boots. Otherwise, I think most of the hiking boot options are reasonable suggestions. I agree with the comments about not sitting around in them.

Originally Posted by pebblegrain

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Get gore-tex lined HUNTING boots, not hiking boots. Most good hiking boots are designed to only be comfortable when you have 30 lbs on your back
Yes Hunting boots are comfortable and are designed specifically for the type of terrain that a particular species inhabits.Russell has the most experience and highest quality for the money overall IMO. http://www.russellmoccasin.com/ They make bespoke boots and shoes,including ones made from hides that you supply yourself( http://www.russellmoccasin.com/yourhides.html ),and will make you whatever you want and are all handmade.They are also leather experts and will tell you what dressings/oils/creams will work best on every kind of leather,in every environment and application.Here's one of their quick guides: http://www.russellmoccasin.com/leather_care.html Their repair prices are also reasonable. http://www.russellmoccasin.com/repairs.html

I'm ashamed of myself, but bought a similar pair of Gucci boots two weeks ago. I won't wear them with the pants tucked in, so the logo won't be visible. They were 75% off (I paid about 250 USD), I could not pass the offer. Pics are not mine, they are on sale here, and probably on other sites

Vasque, Danner, or Asolo will all have what you want, though most Asolo's look a little less classic and more technical to me. Choose a light hiker from any of these.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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To walk around his university campus? Really?

Absolutely. As a Snow Belt native, all of your pansy hunting boots and Trickers won't cut it. There's slush, salt, and cinders out there that will eat most boots for lunch. Then the melting snow soaks your feet once you're in doors. And college campuses are worse than city streets.

Originally Posted by cross22

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Actually hiking boots are not a good application for this. Get a real snow boot with a softer sole which will be way more comfortable than a stiffer hiking boot and will have better traction too.

This is out of date. Light hiker boots are comfortable from the start, and have excellent traction. I still wear the pair of Vasque Sundowners that got me through 10 Ohio winters. I dunno about snow boots, but the OP wants something that still looks good at work. Nice, classic hiking boots walk that line.

Try on a pair of Keylands and you will buy them. Light hikers that are also sturdy enough to handle a week backpacking with a 60 lb pack. Comfortable right out of the box. Backpacker Magazine Boot if the Year for their versatility.

Sundowners, Asolo, etc. are also good. Try the Keylands.

Originally Posted by KPO89

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My children will laugh at this trend someday.
Our children will laugh at us one day, no matter what.

Originally Posted by cross22

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Actually hiking boots are not a good application for this. Get a real snow boot with a softer sole which will be way more comfortable than a stiffer hiking boot and will have better traction too.

As an inhabitant of "winter land", I can emphasise the importance of getting the proper soles on the boots. Most hiking boots & work boots that I have seen come with a hard, durable sole. The best will have a standard black Vibram sole, and the cheaper ones a similar substitute. Those soles are great in moderate climate and when walking on pavement, dirt, rock ... about anything other than ice and snow. And they get worse on ice and snow when it's cold out.

Think of these as the foot variety of all-season tires with nice big nubs but no grip on ice at all ... you need winter tires with the softer rubber.

The best I have found for this is Vibram "Gumlite"; you can get the lug soles if you want better traction in snow too, or the flatter crepe style soles if you are focusing on ice traction. Probably, you will have to get these added on by a cobbler afterwards, but it's worth it. Falling down an icy flight of stairs is dangerous to say the least, especially with hot college chicks watching.

Pediwear is waiting for restocking the Avoriaz. According to the email they sent me, you will have to wait till mid January .

you don't want hardcore hiking boots, you want winter boots. they are more functional for everything you want (warmth, trudging through snow, etc)

if you want something thats awesome in snow and also looks good in the office, you are SOL. closest thing would be shell cord boots w/ commando sole or the C&J's pediwear sells with waterloc sole or some such thing. but again, these aren't winter boots per se, they are just a lot better than average at walking in small puddles, ice, light now, rain, etc