This is our most frequently asked question and one without a definitive answer as the variables involved in a piece of footwear’s lifespan are vast! The most important of these are the mileage a user puts on them, the terrain and weather they’re used in, the care regime adopted and whether the user has particularly heavy wear tendencies.
We all know folk who’ve had their boots for donkeys of years but often they won’t have had a huge amount of wear over that time. We also deal with several customers who go through a pair of high quality leather boots in a year or less based on high mileage or daily use in demanding conditions. These folk are often volunteer workers (National Park Rangers, National Trust volunteers etc), twice a day moorland dog walkers and challenge walkers such as members of the LWDA. They generally accept that their footwear is a consumable very much like the tyres on their cars but that their safety and comfort for the duration of the product is well worth paying for.
However, more typically, a keen weekend rambler or mountain walker would expect between two to five years plus from their boots if cared for according to the manufacturers instructions. If the footwear uppers are fundamentally sound but the sole unit is worn past its safe limit then re-soling services are well worth considering and more information is available in our FAQ’s.
UK moor and mountain use is hard on any footwear and should be factored in when purchasing. However, when you look at the weekly spend on your favourite boots it’s tiny when compared to the pleasure they bring. One of our loyal customers puts a pound coin into a jar every time she goes for a walk and by the time her boots are worn out, she has easily enough to replace them and treat herself to a meal out!