Phill Price steps out in a big-name boot, with a surprising pricetag
credit: Archant
I'm a life-long fan of buying the best kit you can afford because experience has shown me that the good stuff lasts longest and offers great performance while it does. The prestigious Scandinavian brand Harkila has the reputation of making some of the finest outdoor kit you can buy, but their stuff has the price tag to match. With this in mind, I was surprised to see that their new Grove GTX boot was on sale for £149.99, much less than I was expecting. As with all Harkila products, the Grove GTX is made from top-quality materials including the Woodsman sole, 1200D Oxford polyester in the upper and state-of-the-art Gore-tex Performance Comfort membrane to ensure complete waterproofing. I found the boot very light to wear and immediately comfortable straight from the box. It's been bone dry in the few months I've been wearing the Grove, but heavy dew on the morning grass was shrugged off easily.
Three seasons boot
At just 7" tall this is clearly a spring, summer and autumn choice and just what I want for stalking in the warmer months. There's no added insulation, which might explain why I found them comfortable even on some very warm days. This was aided by the Performance Comfort membrane that Gore claims to be their most breathable offering ever and I can well believe that.
It delivers well in the support and stability departments, despite being so light, something that matters greatly to me when moving on steep or rough ground. The sole felt very grippy, but I'll have to wait for the autumn to learn how it performs in the mud, although the deep tread and open pattern look promising.
There's a modestly thick 'mid-section' of shock-absorbing material, a bit like running shoes have, which reduces fatigue when walking on the pavement or baked-hard soil and I was surprised at just how noticeable the effect was in view of how little material there is.
Speed-lacing
The supple upper and speed-lacing system makes getting these boots on and off easy and quick and I found they needed no 'breaking-in' at all. Showing that they've been designed for hard use, these boots have large rubber guards around the toe box and heel, which are the areas that suffer the worst of the wear.
This is a good looking, high-performance, and reasonably priced boot, from one of the most prestigious brands of them all. My pair is getting lots of use and I'm sure that will continue until the winter forces me into a taller pair of boots.
Need to know
Model: Grove GTX
Website: harkila.com
RRP: £149.99