Black Pudding Gaiters

For years I was very old fashioned in my footwear choice, when you went walking you wore big, brown, leather boots. That was it.
To be fair, there is still a place for the traditional leather boot. I still prefer them on extremely wet or snowy walks and on hills with a lot of scree, however, there is a place for approach shoes. In fact, they would probably be the best choice for most walkers.

I was disapointed with my first pair approach shoes from Merrell, too light, too flimsy.
My second pair by the Swiss brand Raichle were fantastic. Admittedly, it took a little bit of time to break them in but they soon became firm favourites.
Together, we covered many miles. They remained  comfortable and waterproof right until the bitter end.
Raichle footwear has now been re branded as Mummut, it’s parent company and, apparently, apart from the badge, little else has changed. I was tempted to stick with them for my replacements but then I discovered Haglofs.

I didn’t know much about this Swedish brand at the time and, to be honest, despite being the largest supplier of outdoor equipment in Scandinavia, they still aren’t a major player in the UK but their Vertigo shoes were getting great reviews. It’s not difficult to see why!

For starters, gone are the days of brown boots and shoes.
Haglofs (along with other manufacturers) introduced a whole palette of colours.
I went for the rather girly purple colour. Trust me, I need all the help I can get to obtain even a slightly feminine look on the hills!
Both the men’s and women’s models come in less garish colour schemes.

I’ve had my boots for a good few years and they’ve traveled many, many miles around the British isles and Europe.
Up rocky slopes in Austria and snowy hills in Wales, scrambling across rocky coastal areas of Croatia. They’ve performed just as well on mountain bike rides as they do on long hikes.
Your feet always feel well supported  and never too hot.

These shoes are a lot lighter than the conventional boot.
An EVA midsole reduces the overall weight of the shoe but still keeps it robust.
Abrasion resistant rubber is used on the toe and heel to provide extra protection and Gore-Tex is used to keep your tootsies dry.
The Haglofs are extremely comfortable and, unlike my previous approach shoes needed no breaking in at all.

In 2013 Trail magazine gave the following review:
“The quality of the all-round performance, coupled with the long-term durability of the design, makes the Haglöfs Vertigo II GT ideal for general use in a wide range of activities. It won the ‘Best in Test’ Award.”

Many retailers stock the Vertigo II and you can find some good deals, for example, take a look on Amazon  who still sell them at decent prices