Boots

There seems to be a big trend in split toe boots.

As an average sailor, sailing hiking boats (never hang off a wire, certainly never fly) - am I missing anything by not having them?

I'm a drysuit guy most of the year... Need to replace my current boot before I can see the drysuit sock through the bottom. Anyone got recommended brands (I'm fabric sock drysuit). I'm also tight! Certainly don't need a 2020 design...

Think I'm Gul All Purpose 5mm currently.

Child (oppies) probably also needing new boots in 6 months since they have a bad habit of growing! He is in Gul CZ Windwards which were a gift

Originally posted by Sam.Spoons My fave dinghy boots are Gul Code Zero but its hard to advise 'cos I'm tight too so use them until the soles are paper thin or the uppers disintegrate then buy what's on offer.....

You mean people pay full price?

You also need to consider what you have to walk on when you get ashore ... our Boatpark and concrete ramp do for any lightweight soles ... Gill Aeros for me, best balance of hiking support and shore duties

I use splitties most of the time, only exception down the lake when its god awful muddy, can't stand the mud sliming up between the toes, it's a being a bit of a nutter thing. Other than that they are the next best thing to bare feet which has always been the Holy grail of watersport for me, don't like boots at all and wont use them if bindings are part of the equation. Best brand was always Oneil but I imagine there are other mainly windsurfing brands around these days, I gather Dee Caldwell (ex well known windsurfer) was up at the show with his brand, can't imagine they would be crap he was an Oneil guy for many years. The trouble with good grippy boots, the better they are the less time they last, so there's always this compromise with getting the rubber grippy enough to do what you want yet wear resistant enough to last at least a season. But since y'all are tight fisted dinghy sailors who only like to buy cheap, I fear generally you get what you're prepared to pay for or are conned by brand marketing like those robbers at Zhik who in my mind are the worse on the market at it.

Be careful with replacing like for like without checking. I bought a replacement same boot only to find the brand had switched country of origin(both far east) and the size was much smaller and narrower and they didn't make a bigger size.