If there’s one silver lining of this pandemic, it’s the fact that walking has become a more regular routine in our household. We always walked the dog twice a day, sometimes begrudgingly, but now it’s something to seriously look forward to. And with so much extra time on our hands, it’s provided the perfect opportunity to explore the new area we live in.
Rather than stick to the well trodden paths of the neighbouring streets and blocks, it came to my attention that a flora and fauna reserve was only a kilometre or so away and with plenty of tracks to traverse, it was time to strap on some new wheels in the form of Oliver’s ST-44 Sports Boots.
I’d broken the new boots in on pavement, but was keen to hit some dirt and gravel to see how comfortable they really were.
The first thing to be said about the ST-44 boot is just how snug and supportive they are. I’ve got a fairly clumsy side to me, where rolled ankles and stubbed toes are fairly common, so having a boot that rocks a hi-impact safety toe cap and raised sides was hugely welcomed.
Navigating the diverse nature of the reserve’s terrain was made a lot easier thanks to the hard wearing sole and I wasn’t once in discomfort by a precariously placed rock digging into the underside of my foot. I think the tread pattern deserves a lot of praise when combating tricky terrain.
The wide-profile toe cap was also a nice touch as it can often be a painful exercise to trek mid to long distances in new shoes.
While I haven’t tested the boots in wet conditions yet, they have proven water resistant when exposed to water trickling from a tap, which will be a blessing once isolation lifts and I can get back to fishing streams, rivers and bays in these bad boys.
Key features:
– Water resistant lightweight nubuck leather
– Composite toe cap
– HEELguard for added stability and impact protection
– Padded comfort collar and tongue
– COMFORTcushion® Impact Absorption System
– NANOlite® footbed with a gently raised surface
– NATUREform® wide profile hi-impact composite safety toe cap; fully
nonmetallic and airport friendly
– Lightweight, shock absorbing, low density polyurethane midsole
– High density hard wearing thermoplastic urethane outsole
– Anti-static, slip resistant sole, resistant to 130˚C surface contact
– Will not mark floors
– Available in sizes 5-14, including half sizes 6 ½ – 10 ½
So if you, like me, have really come to appreciate walking during this time and you’re searching for a boot you can take from tarmac to rougher terrain, and be comfortable all day, the ST-44 by Oliver should come into consideration.
