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When Olympic gold medal winner Chris Brasher went into the boot business in the late 1970s, he committed his company to creating comfortable footwear and this latest product, a cross between a boot and a shoe, fits his template perfectly.
Few birdwatchers are inclined to go scrambling up rocky hillsides or across glaciers in search of birds, so there is no need to seek out the heavyweight four-season boots favoured by mountaineers. However, we do need adequate protection from unfavourable weather because there is nothing like getting wet or cold feet to wreck that perfect day’s birding.
The Supalite XCR Hybrid ticked all the boxes as far as I was concerned. From day one, they were as comfortable to wear as old slippers, so that painful ‘breaking in’ period that we all used to suffer with leather boots of yesteryear never arose. At 1,036gm for size 9 boots, the Hybrid lived up to its ‘super light’ tag, but this was not at the expense of any rigidity or padding in the sole.
Most of my testing was conducted in normal birding conditions in Eastern England but I was able to put their robustness to the test during a week in Scotland. Even when traversing the uneven expanses of Cairngorm, my feet remained cushioned from sharp stones and the cleats on the Staybylite soles gave me excellent grip on a variety of surfaces.
The only slipping I experienced was in the Ebro Delta of Spain when heavy rain turned fine sand into a mud slide, conditions that caused problems for everyone in the party.
The Gore-tex XCR material used for the uppers consists of four layers to aid breathability and to repel water and I tested this by standing in a running stream and walking through long drenched grass – the Bashers performed perfectly and with the added benefit of keeping my feet warm but not overheated.
The Gore-tex is overlaid with shaped suede panels in khaki and brown in the mens' version, while hard rubber heel and toe bumpers offer greater protection without increasing the length of boot unduly. The padded sides (described as mid-cut) cover the ankles and gave me adequate support when walking along uneven ground.
Often the folded sewn-in tongue of leather boots can dig into the foot when laced tightly, but I had no problems of this sort at all and the boot was wide and roomy but well-shaped so that there was no heel movement.
The Ladies version of the Supalite Hybrid comes in granite/steel colours and in sizes 4 to 8. The Mens version is available in sizes 7 to 12. No half-sizes are available. Both pairs are priced at £90 from Country Innovation...
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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