Kids walking/hiking boots - can you get them?

[Nat130]

Hi all,

We are trying to buy our 6 and 8 year olds a pair of walking/hiking boots....I didn't think it would be so difficult.

Does anyone know if you can buy such things?

Little blunstones will be the last option if we can't find anything.

We have been to Rays, Aussie Disposals, hiking shops etc and we can't find anything.

Want something better than runners that will actually cover their ankles and lace up. I've scouted on line but can't come up with anything either.

So the question is...has anyone purchased something along these lines for their kids? If so a brand name might help us track some down.

Cheers Nat

[jik22]

They exist, but I can't help with where, as we bought ours back in the UK.

[tombraider]

Whats wrong with Blunnies?

[HSVRangie]

I found a pair at anaconda in Geelong to suit my son.

12 year old.

Michael.

[Bushwanderer]

I've never had the need, but try some of the specialist outdoor stores such as Paddy Pallin, Mountain Equipment or Kathmandu. I think that they all have websites.

[dobbo]

All the sports stores have them, Feed shops and saddlery's sometimes stoke them as well. Alternatively try a pair of doc martins

[adm333]

I work for a large Australian shoe retailer.

I will go and check the range to see if we have anything in that category at the moment.

David

[JDNSW]

Nat,

At 6 & 8 are they going to be walking that far anyway?
You won't get a long life out of them at the rate kids feet grow so not worth spending big bucks...but you should be able to get something suitable.
Nothing wrong with blunnies...they support the ankle, are strong and durable and I reckon comfortable enough for walking the sorts of distances an 8yr old would walk...hmmm...I remember walking miles and miles as a kid with my dad. Can't remember what footwear we had but we were a poor family so they wouldn't have been anything flash..and I don't recall having blisters or any other problems

I didn't have any special walking boots until I was about 17 - and I did an awful lot of bushwalking!

My father once commented that he never owned a pair of shoes until he started high school - and in some places he had to walk several miles through the bush to school!


John

[Nat130]

The feedback is great, thanks guys.

We took them the other week on a 5.8kms walk. Longest they have ever done and they loved it.

Am I cruel getting them to walk that far??? ;)

The little fella has a pair of blunnies (don't get me wrong I know they are a great boot) but the elastic sides don't support his ankles too well and if there is a pebble on the track he will trip over it :D

[JDNSW]

......

Am I cruel getting them to walk that far??? ;)

.....

If they like it, no you are not cruel. And if its too far for them, you'll soon find that a six year old let alone an eight year old is pretty heavy to carry!

John

[dobbo]

they'll love walking, mine do. You'd be suprised how far little legs can walk (at a slow pace).

[loanrangie]

A good pr of thongs is all they need !

[Bushwanderer]

The feedback is great, thanks guys.

We took them the other week on a 5.8kms walk. Longest they have ever done and they loved it.

Am I cruel getting them to walk that far??? ;)

The little fella has a pair of blunnies (don't get me wrong I know they are a great boot) but the elastic sides don't support his ankles too well and if there is a pebble on the track he will trip over it :D

Hi Nat130,
If they loved it, then no, you didn't walk them too far.

It's important that it be a highlight experience for kids, otherwise you can turn them off bushwalking for life.

[adm333]

No you're right...... we've got nothing !

[Nat130]

adm333: No you're right...... we've got nothing !

Interesting isn't it?

I remember as kids we always had proper walking boots. As with jik22 we would have had ours bought in the UK not here.

They love it when we take them on bush walks, I show them everything from fungus and funny shaped trees to identifying animal droppings to work out what animal it might be...they never seem to get bored.

On the way back we generally all do some singing as that distracts them from the distance they need to walk back to the car :D

[mittadisco]

My son started wearing a decent pair of boots when he was about 10yo: Meindl (http://www.thegorgeoutdoors.co.uk/acatalog/The_Gorge_Outdoors_Children_s_boots_4.html)
Late addition. I first started wearing meindl's myself about 6-7 years ago and found them the most comfortable boot I'd ever worn. Have trekked in Nepal and Africa and not a single blister. So when it came to choosing a boot for my son, I looked far and wide in Australia and you just can't get a properly designed boot, so I ventured off shore. yes they cost more - but they are worth it. He has just outgrown his now.

If your after a boot for yourself - do yourself a favour and try meindls - the good people at Stager Sports (http://www.meindlboots.au.com/meindlboots/frames.html) will help you out. (They do not sell childrens or youths boots so you will still have to look offshore).

[Jojo]

My son started wearing a decent pair of boots when he was about 10yo: Meindl (http://www.thegorgeoutdoors.co.uk/acatalog/The_Gorge_Outdoors_Children_s_boots_4.html)

I agree, Meindl boots are the choice for our kids as well. As children's feet are very "formable" (up to the point that children's feet don't even feel if a shoe doesn't fit properly) it is paramount to buy quality shoes to avoid future health problems (that might become obvious after some decades at times).
The first choice is going barefoot (not an option all th etime, of course), the second is quality footwear.

[dmdigital]

Try Paddy Pallin or if that fails the best I can think of would be Mountain Equipment Co-op in Vancouver, BC Canada - www.mec.ca. If MEC doesn't have them, no-one will (think Bunnings size outdoor/camping/etc store :cool: :cool:).

[adm333]

Interesting isn't it?

I remember as kids we always had proper walking boots. As with jik22 we would have had ours bought in the UK not here.

They love it when we take them on bush walks, I show them everything from fungus and funny shaped trees to identifying animal droppings to work out what animal it might be...they never seem to get bored.

On the way back we generally all do some singing as that distracts them from the distance they need to walk back to the car :D

Our sample showroom has some fantastic little hiking boots, perfect for what you are looking for but thats just it .... they're samples. We didn't end up putting them in the range.

There is a LYNX boot that my (5YO) son wears that is similar to a blundstone but much more comfortable and has a set of different size insole inserts you can use to get maximum wear out of the boot. Thats all he wears when we go 4wd'ing. They have a good solid rubber sole. Thats the closest thing we've got.

I can check for sizes, availability at your local store if you're interested.

[CraigE]

Do not buy any elastic sided boots. They provide very lttle support to the ankle and generally the elastic side deteriorates quickly. My pick of the work boots are Blue Steel or Oliver. They may them down to a size 3 Adult which should fit your kids, my 7 year old is in 4s already, 12 year old in 5s. These boots are very comfortable and take no wearing ins. Sorry but Blundstones have gone to crap and would be the last on my list as would most of the cheap brands. As also said try some specialist outdoor/hiking shops.

[isuzurover]

Where I grew up we were lucky enough to have a thousand hectares or so of bushland across the street. I was over there most afternoons after school and most weekends. But I think the first pair of BOOTS I got was when I started high school. I think I was probably barefoot most of the time.

One time I stood on a rusty nail (on a plank) in a muddy creek that went most of the way through my foot - nothing a tetanus injection wouldn't fix.

And no, I am not an old bugger like JDNSW :p

[EchiDna]

buy cheap basketball boots and attack the soles with an angle grinder to give em some grip :)

[JDNSW]

.......
And no, I am not an old bugger like JDNSW :p

Gee thanks!

John

[EchiDna]

There is such a thing? :D

yeah there is... but you need to buy superceeded models - well I guess it depends on your definition of cheap... but to me anything under $50 for good quality shoes is cheap, you can definitely get these in larger stores when the 'seasonal collection' changes over...

or:
http://www.meindl.de/english/

the arlberg model for kids costs about A$80 here -too much?

www.hi-tec.com (http://www.hi-tec.com) also have kids models but I dunno if you can get em where you are... worst case ask the store to order them in for you?

[isuzurover]

Gee thanks!

John

Just kidding mate...

Well I think you are 30-40 years older than me??? ;)

[camel_landy]

Strangely enough, we found a better selection of kids walking boots while in Oz than we do here in the UK.

We bought our kids a couple of pairs while out in Melbourne and found that the stores that specialise in kids shoes i.e. Clarks carried the best range.

As for usage.. Well, at the ages of 5 & 3, my pair were happilly walking >5Km and completely wore out a pair of walking boots in <6mths. :D

HTH

M