the hot weather boot question
 

Dear experienced travellers,

I am new to riding in Southern Africa and am looking for riding boots sutable for hot weather. I so far scrolled through all the Sidi, Astars, TCX pages and found a lot of adventure boots which are all gore tex. On Gaerne, Fox, ... pages I found cross boots which are like skiing boots. I am looking for a safe riding boot where air can go through. (mesh jacket for the feet)

a few Q to the community:
1. do such boots exist?
2. is it clever to wear vented boots or would sand and dust mess up the feet on a long day of riding?
3. is something like a A* Tech 2 safe enough (riding a R12GS)?

Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Seisi
(rookie traveller from Holland)

Your feet don't work that much during a ride, you need venting more on the jacket and pants. Do be aware of sunburn - don't leave skin exposed. And keep drinking water.

Firstly :welcome: Seisi :thumbup1:
ONLY when I ride throughout Asia, I wear Keen brand sandal footwear.
The heat & humidity kills me some days. The Keen's are brilliant but little protection if an accident happens.
Enclosed toe, nicely vented and comfy as well for off the bike :thumbup1:
Any other country, regardless of the temperature, I wear good leather boots :thumbup1:
Vented pants, jacket & lots of water is the trick. I also use a cool vest in the Aussie outback.

The glue that holds my Keens together disintegrated in the heat ... not buying another pair. :thumbdown:

I live in Abu Dhabi and when riding in the heat, I don't really worry much about my footwear. I use TCX leathers daily and you don't really notice it until you take 'em off. regardless of what you wear, your feet will sweat a little bit, it's natural, and after a long day riding it will stink out.

so my suggestion is to focus on abdomen (front and back) cooling,, that will greatly affect your body temperature more than any other part.

get durable, thin, merino wool socks,, preferably with some compression to help circulate the blood in those fixated riding legs.. the natural properties of merino wool are anti-bacterial, hence it won't rot and smell like cotton or synthetics. One time I had to use the same pair for extended period of time,, it started to smell weird after 4 days,, and stink after a week.. a quick lukewarm water hand wash and it dried overnight with no smell after whatsoever.

and finally in the heat,, STAY DEHYDRATED!!! you can never have enough water,, so drink as often as possible.

I like to keep my head cool.
Take a Buff or similar, wet it and wring it out. Put it round your neck.
Sometimes it gets too cold :cool4:

I hate hot feet having grown up in South Africa where everybody walks barefoot (at least when I was a kid) ;o)

So I drilled 10mm holes into the leather just above the sole, 2 on the inner and 2 on the outer side. Never mind the dust - or occasional water when passing through a stream.....

Years later I watched the film "The Long Way Down" - one of the guys finally resorted to the same solution :thumbup1:

BMW AIRFLOW boots are an option for exclusively HOT riding
 

I am on my third pair of regular goretex lined BMW riding boots. These are expensive but IMHO worth every penny. These boots povide great protection and support, and are still comfortable enough to wear while walking for miles. I used to wear mine all day at the office, because I was on concrete floors, with a bad ankle, and needed the support.

Support, protection, and versatility are all important to me in my riding boots.

PS: Your socks are just as important as your boots. I wear a thin wicking liner sock under a regular wool sock. This combination wicks away the moisture, and believe it or not, a thick wool sock insulates well, and can feel more comfortable than thinner synthetics.

PPS: right now I am in Mexico, and it gets hot enough. I walk for 3 -4 hrs on the tricky cobblestone streets, and I sweat everywhere else, but my feet stay cool and dry in my goretex lined boots and thick wool socks.

This advice is based on my personal experience as an infantry soldier, backpacker, and adventure touring m/c rider.
YPMMV
When I toured BAJA for a month, it was hot enough that I stripped off most of my protective gear, and rode with my flip face helmet visor up. But the boots stayed on. Too many cactus and other bad things. One of the other riders rode in open toed sandals. A bolder man.than I.

I always use Military Army leather boots without lining and they work well from 0-55 C degrees and they don´t smell as much as boots with plastics and they give good protection.

Anders.J

Wow! I have an OLD pair of Keen sandal's and a new-ish pair. Honestly think the "old" pair were better made (old pair about 10 years old). The new pair have not been used for travel yet ... but the old ones have spent a lot of time in heat and in Salt Water. Still doing fine ... just beat up and worn looking. Normal.

I would guess Keen will give you a new pair (or pro rate some money) if you take your failed pair to a Keen dealer. Probably take forever to get done but I bet they'll cover you on that, or partial cover. :scooter:

To me, walking comfort is also very important in a boot. We take protection for granted, but you still have to walk round in your boots.

Can you post a pic of these boots and price? BMW don't make boots, I wonder which Italian company handle BMW boot production? Sidi? A-Star? TCX?

GORE-TEX
Gore-Tex is nice in cold, wet weather. Remember, that is what it was designed for. It also can help vent out hot air in hot weather, but it won't do much in super heat.

But any boot with Gore-Tex is probably a top of the line product, so naturally, it will be a GOOD BOOT ... and will be expensive. Some of the BMW boots over the years have been good. I've never tried them due to OVER pricing.

For ADV Travel boots I no longer by Gore-Tex. No point paying extra for this feature when riding in mostly HOT/humid areas. Good protection and walking comfort most important. I won't have problems with HEAT in my feet.

:thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1:
To me, SOCKS are the key to all this. Good wool socks will reduce HEAT and Stink at end of day. Some riders change socks mid day. Up to you.

If you're walking a lot then I could see changing out socks mid day. But just riding, probably not required. I agree with what other have said about keeping your body somewhat cool (and hydrated of course!), then your feet won't suffer too much.

My latest boots are TCX Track-Evo boots. Waterproof but not Gore-Tex. Very light weight and GREAT to walk in with very good protection ... and not expensive at about $170 USD (now up to over $200 USD!!)
https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/tcx-track-evo-wp-boots
https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/tcx-a...gore-tex-boots
More street biased boot, also Gore-Tex
https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/tcx-baja-gore-tex-boots
Top of line Gore-Tex

Lots more to chose from out there. Shop around.

I can now buy TCX boots without trying them on before buying. After owning 5 different pairs I know the fit will always be accurate and they will be comfortable. (8.5 US size and buy size 43 ... always a perfect fit for me)