I'm on the other side there. I'm annoyed to keep finding jackets *without* pit zips. Maybe for some of you non-sweaty people, the membrane works well enough, but for me, 'waterproof-breathable' is a joke. Pit zips don't solve everything, but they make a solid difference. I wish my softshells and windbreakers had pit zips. Pit zips in everything!

I don't get it either. I had an old pair of full leather boots that I started wearing again this summer after fixing them up. I forgot how great they are. For the past 4 years I've been wearing Goretex lined boots. Don't like 'em.

Needless to say my full leather's are done for now and I'm on the market for new ones. Started looking. Can't find ANY! I think Asolo may have? Like you said all there is out there is full leather and Goretex lined. WTF?

I will find my full leather's without the stupid Goretex dammit!

I saw some here, but I didn't try them on as I could see without trying them on that they were too narrow in the toes. Having square feet really narrows down my choices!!

there's always these
http://www.gronell.it/gb/tradition/tradition.html

They do have wide width versions, for example:

http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/ren...d/3108470442/3

But depending on your foot - a wide width might be good in toe area of the boot, but too wide elsewhere...

Tracy, check Dayton out. Local company with rich history you can form a relationship with, which is cool.

They say no footwear leaves their shop without getting your best fit and if that doesn't work: "Are you hard to fit? We also offer fully custom or bespoke sizing and lasts at competitive rates."

The Hard Toe Toughie and X-Boots have traditional Vibram outsoles and it doesn't look like they're steel toed but you can confirm that. The only downside I see is they're likely not lined but you can help that with thicker socks. My work boots are unlined and they keep my feet dry and toasty with quality leather and good socks. Depending on time of year and conditions, they just may not be adequate though.

http://www.daytonboots.com/collectio...s?gender=womem

If they last 10 or more years, they're not all that expensive when compared with replacing cheaper boots more often and as you probably know, good long lasting boots will become the most comfortable thing you'll put on your feet.

Good luck!

Thought I would chime in here since I worked with the OP to fit her boots. I also received the email from meindl with regards to the request for leather but seeing as I had seen you a few days before I thought this request was older so my sincere apologies!

For the fit that you require the selection is quite limited if not non-existent.

There are a few models that are leather lined and in a shoe/lighter duty we may be able to find something that works but in a boot that meets your needs there definitely isn't something of that nature that would fit.

In the non traditional (glued) there is a couple of models unfortunately most aren't to your foot type and will not fulfill your needs.

Meindl of course makes a full selection of traditional shoes/boots ranging from a city shoe all the way up to mountaineering. All leather lined and made to stand the test of time. In the leather lined more modern boots there are a handful of models and in the shoes whether it is city or trail there are more options.

I would suggest looking at the Murano or the Lugano for a leather lined trail shoe. This comes from the comfort fit selection so it is designed to be wider in the front as well as having a squarer toe box. http://www.meindl.de/english/modelle...l2.asp?ID=1365

I think you got the revolution sock if memory serves me. If you feel it is too hot, you could try a lighter weight sock which in the Meindl range would be XO Sock which is quite popular with people in hotter climates (quite a few canadian armed forces members wore them on tour in the middle east with their safari boots and were very happy with the results)

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop me a line at info@ajbrooks.com or drop by the showroom!

We will happily bring in anything and never sell leather over gore-tex or vice versa. We sell on fit and needs of the customer first. With that said over the years the number of people wanting leather lined boots has become less and less and tends to be more and more from people wanting a traditional stitched boot which we normally have stock of. We did stock a few other models of leather lined but after making an assessment we made a call that the demand just wasn't there only selling a few pairs a year. With that said we will order something if it is available!

I think the boots you fitted me with are a winner in terms of fit, and I learned a lot about boot fit in the process of buying them. So nice to have a knowledgeable boot fitter help me with my purchase instead of, "Oh here's the box, let me know if you need anything else."

They are too hot though with the Goretex, but I can overlook hot a lot more easily than I can overlook pain from poor fit. But in general I would love to see the public stop demanding Goretex in leather boots, especially well-made boots like Meindl, so that we can go back to plain leather (for those of us who still want leather boots). So I am not criticizing you for selling leather boots with Goretex; I'm criticizing the general public for demanding it where it's not needed so that the manufacturers feel they have to put Goretex in all of them in order to sell.

Btw the Meindl socks are awesome. I don't feel the sweat but I do feel the heat.

I was surprised to see Valhalla's selection of straight leather boots on the website yesterday. They have La Sportiva Karakorums (general mountaineering) and Pamirs (backpacking) which are both non-goretex boots, both in women's lasts. The Glacier WLF is a men's boot but may still fit you, it has no gore-tex either! The Scarpa fuego is being dropped from the line-up much to my dismay as it's a super solid boot. No goretex, no rand, just beefiness. Too bad.

I love my Scarpa leather + goretex backpacking boots. They are way more comfortable for me on long hikes than light hikers or running shoes and they are very waterproof (although whether they would be equally so without the goretex, I don't know). I also recently bought a pair of fabric + goretex Salomon mid-height hikers and they're great too, although not nearly as comfortable as the Scarpas. The goretex in the Salomons works great to keep my feet dry, although I do admit they are a bit hot.

Regarding ankles, my experience doesn't jive with the argument that boots do not offer much better protection than low or mid-cut runners/hikers - they are much, much better, especially when I'm tired and going downhill.

I finally broke down and tried trail shoes for hiking...twice descending scree slopes, and my opinion is they suck, at least for me. Two hikes, two different pairs of trail shoes, same result. For me it has nothing to do with the ankles. It's the lack of stability of the foot within the shoe, ie heel sliding around from side to side without the stiff leather holding it in place. It was way more fatiguing on the muscles of the feet trying to hold steady and not slide. And they were as painful to wear as any boot has ever been. I am going back to boots for al but the gentlest walking paths.

I definitely think that people have different priorities, and different strengths of feet and ankles, and there is no one solution for everyone.
But if your heel is sliding around inside the shoe, that's a shoe that doesn't fit. Maybe a similarly-poor boot would hold you in a little more by the ankle, but heels don't slide around in well-fitting light hikers.

You are probably right, although my heel was quite snug going up, and on the flat. I would't have wanted them any smaller. They were the best fit out of the dozens I tried on in about 6 shops. The other ones were all huge in the heel and short in the toes. But in the ones I had I felt the material allowed the foot to slide from side to side even though they were sturdy-ish Scarpas. I am in the UK at the moment so I am going to see if I can get Meindl light hikers which are unavailable where I live.

I also wasn't a big fan of feeling the pointy rocks through the soles though.

They might not be too big. They might just not fit well. It is difficult for a lot of people to find shoes that are wide enough for their forefoot, but narrow enough at the heel.
Though if your whole foot was sliding, I'd definitely try a narrower shoe in general - La Sportiva is typically the narrowest, and likely around for you. You may need to lace them differently or more tightly than you are accustomed to with boots as well.

I have absolutely tried on some that just aren't the right sort of last for my foot, and even being the best size, allow sliding, but my good light hikers that fit well, when properly laced feel like just an extension of my foot, and move with my foot, rather than letting my foot move in them at all, or trying to overrule the movement of my foot.

The feeling through the bottom is absolutely the kind of personal preference I was talking about. Different people like different things. I have tough feet and never notice pointy rocks in my light soles, but stiff soles make my feet hurt because they aren't used to being inhibited in their movement. There isn't a single better for everyone, other than having well-fitting hikers of whatever types is desired.

I've tried on just about every trail shoe currenly on the market. I've researched fit and shoe modification to death. There is nothing new anyone can tell me about shoe and boot fit now that I haven't already found out, unless it's "We have a new shoe on the market that's made for square toes and normal sized heels."