Raichle Mt. Crest GTX vs. Kathmandu Randonnee Proof

Hey there!

This January I'll spend a whole month in New Zealand backpacking/hiking on some walks - not the highest mountains but subalpine as well. Due to the fact that I'm gonna spend a whole month there with a heavy backpack I wanted to buy some serious mid-weight hiking boots and was out today in some Outdoor Shops in Melbourne. After an exhausting day I've actually bought two that I will try the next few days. My decision is not yet made, I'd be interested in what you think.
1. Raichle Mt. Crest GTX for 303AU$
2. Kathmandu Randonne Proof for 230AU$
Both of them felt quite comfortable and stabilizing but I will walk around them to see...
Have you made any experience with any of these - what would you recommend me and why?

Cheers, Oli

Which walks are you going to do? I've done the Milford, the Routeburn, the Hooker (twice), a couple of trips in the Arthur's Pass area and some local walks that were just casual strolls.

My trips were many years ago and I wore Asolo full leather boots. If you looked at my boots now (yes, I still have them), you would see several small cuts in the leather in the toe and heel area and a fair amount of abrasion on the leather caused by walking through scree and wading across streams-which is common there.

BTW, if you have to wade across a stream, I would not take off my boots-the water is usually very cold, the footing is sketchy, the rocks are sharp and falling over is more likely with boots off. I recommend trekking poles. I fell over once at Arthur's Pass wearing about 40lbs. and I am not all that big to begin with. I wound up on all fours with freezing cold water just under my chin. I was lucky to get back on my feet without getting totally soaked. I did have my boots on and still went over. I was by myself, so "self-rescue" was my only option.

My advice-cross the stream, take off your boots, dump out the water, wring out your socks-wool or synthetic only-put them back on and keep walking. Bare feet or even sandals of some kind could lead to a foot injury.

Don't count on cel phone service to save you. I know they have them now, but have a better plan than that.

I am not familiar with either boot. However, I did look at the Raichle on their website. It is similar in shape to my old boots, except of course, it has all the new boot technology for cushioning, etc. It looks like a good boot for what you are going to be doing. The Vibram sole should give you decent traction. You may encounter rain and muddy tracks at least part of the time, so a decent boot is a must in my opinion. I know a lot of people wear glorified runners, but I have a bad ankle and prefer something that looks and feels like a real boot.

I did not find the other one, so can't even go by a picture.

$300 is a lot of money for a boot. I would consider treating it with Sno-Seal or a similar waterproofing treatment. Sno-Seal looks like car wax and you rub it on and then heat it up with a hair dryer to sort of melt it into the leather. Not sure if it works with the kind of leather on the Raichles. I would ask at the store you got them.

NZ is a great place-enjoy your trip. Take good rain gear.