don't agree here, mx boots are not for racing only. You're better off wearing them in any kinda off-road riding. Can you afford crashing your leg under the
bike in middle of nowhere when you ride alone? It takes some time to get use to
but after a while I feel as comfortable in mx boots as in my adventure boots.
Only walking is not as comfortable obviously but I carry sneakers for that.

This is true in my experience. Did 8 years AMA Enduro competition and serious dirt riding for decades.

Fact is you DO get used to riding in Motocross boots. Walking is never ideal but riding does come after a period of adjustment.

For travel or dual sport riding I use a compromise Adventure boot that offers good protection ... but NOT the great protection you get from a full
Motocross boot. In many serious crashes I never had a foot, ankle or Tibia injury during my years of Off road.

Now, with the Adventure boots, I'm more (much!) conservative and have learned well "how" to crash. So far so good!

I must say, I do hate trying to walk around in Moto boots ... and terrible choice for international travel, IMO.

Main construction - Leather that can be re-proofed.
I can always wear a gore tex sock that can be replaced cheaply.
some kind of ventilation , maybe via a zip.
easy to walk/hike in but offering a decent amount of protection, I can buy mx boots for full on protection.
laces to get the best fit but hidden and then a side/rear zip for easy entry

if the boots look good that would be nice too

I have owned sailboats for years in Canada and now in Guatemala. I am leaving the boat in a couple of weeks to go back to Canada for 5-6 months. It is humid here so mold is a big concern. I am going to leave my air-conditioner on dehumidify mode AND do a trick I always did when I put my boat to sleep on Canada. Buy a package of disposable diapers. Place the diapers all over the boat in various places. There is a chemical inside (as you might imagine ) that DRINKS MOISTURE!! Voila! I return to a dry, mold free boat.
This morning while drinking my coffee and reading this post I'm thinking....hey!!! The guys who can't get their boots dry???? I'm thinking a better solution to stuffing those boots with newspaper would be.........
a disposable diaper!!! I haven't tried it yet but I WILL! Hey, just a thought.
Oh, NOT to worry. I've been called crazy before.

Some of you folks make it like the MX boots will make you invincible to leg/foot injuries... If you crash right you are going to break your leg no matter what boot you wear, many who were riding in MX boots have broken bones to prove that... It took us hours to get a guy out who went off the road on one of my rides and you guessed it, he was wearing MX boots... In fact when we got him out to where we could meet the ambulance at dark he pleaded with the medics not to cut off his boots {compound fracture} as they were brand new.. The WR 250 MotoMavericks trip ended in {I think it was Mongolia} in 2016 from a broken leg, while wearing MX boots, they returned to finish the trip in 2017 and it ended again with another broken leg, you guessed it, while wearing MX boots...

That been said, MX boots do offer the stiffest platform that can absorb direct hits better than a softer boot... They also limit rotation which could be good in most cases but could also move a twisting injury further up the leg ..

I would wear a lugged sole MX boot if all I did was stay on the bike, but like my bike, I like to have foot wear that excels in a multi purpose role... I linked a video earlier in this thread that represents why I choose a mountaineering style hiking boot over an single purpose boots.. If an MX boot fits your adventure requirements then go for it, some people do that and then wear flip flops for their walking shoes..

of course not, no boots or any gear can guarantee 100% safety,
but increasing your odds are always good i think. With MX boots there is some risk of twisting your knee when you unlucky because they're too stiff so if ankle won't go, knee will. When I'm just touring I still wear high, leather adventure boots but I don't take chances off-road much then.

WRT travel boots, I feel foot crushing protection from a typical slow-speed fall over is more important than lower leg protection. So is day-to-day off-bike walkability comfort, ease of fitting and I suppose waterproofness. It’s not 40 mins bar-to-bar round an MX track, it’s 40 days and 40 nights or more on the road.

Like many, I started with MX-style Alpine Star bricks and felt proper Mad-Max invincible, then swung to the other extreme with lighter Hi Tec Magnums and even Chelsea boots (ATGATT had not been invented then). Back to Gaerne MX, then lace-up Altberg desert boots and so on. In the end, experience has shown I prefer just enough to do the job rather than overkill.

I know from hiking it’s virtually impossible to get non-membrane boots these days but as mentioned, once wet inside GTX takes forever to dry and anyway the membrane fails or clogs up eventually. Old school waxing plus GTX socks if necessary, as stuxtttr says. Would keep costs down too.
Preferring arid deserts over knee-deep Colebatchov-like bogs, I have little need for membranes and used ex-army desert boots and Altberg road boots for a while, but these have little foot-crush protection.

Thinking I ought to up my game, just this year I got some TCX Baja midis which tick my boxes: MX crush-proof meets mil-spec desert boot. Short, light, lace-free clip-on and adjustable, walking comfy and membrane so maybe waterproof. In the desert I had no impression of poor-breathing claminess (sign of a quality membrane) plus they look great too.

On a recent fortnight in Algeria - pure dirt biking as opposed to travelling - one guy caught his foot in a deep rut and ripped out his knee ligaments, just as Hopper and Tremens mention. Off road I suspect this type of injury is more common than the much-feared alloy box-edge/boxer cylinder head snapping the shin.
Those of us in ankle boots couldn’t help wondering if his full-clamp MX boot may have transferred the torsion directly to the knee, rather than allowing the shins to flex. But then I’ve heard of shins snapping this way too.
On the same trip another rider had the usual low-speed bike-landing-on-foot deal and would have broken something without the solid MX-style foot casing. Ride long enough and once in a while you'll get got ;-(

As said by MDog, along with image, price and so on, what you choose to wear ought to depend on how and where you ride. It won’t be the same for all, but these days the choice is greater than ever.

PS: Just remembered that Aerostich Combat Touring Boots are membrane free, and so were by junk-shop Altbergs. Proofed them once a year and never leaked on me. I get the feeling a loose fit helps with this

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Morocco Overland 4 pre-order for Xmas • Trans Morocco Trail

In my case? boots are like wives, I never seem to get it right?

I am going to try these ones next.











Maybe I end up with a good set this time, on my 10th wife now lol

I feel the same ... and to repeat the above, lots depends what sort of riding terrain, which bike, length of trip and rider experience/aggressiveness. Most going on long tours to middle of nowhere ride more conservatively, realizing they may be a long way from help.

Yes, but even Colebatchov has criticized Gore tex boots for this same fault. TAKE FOREVER TO DRY! In Walter's case, may as well just wear Surfer's Wet Suit booties!

I prefer some Tibia protection as I have a large Titanium plate in my leg from earlier encounter with Armco barrier. Good foot crush protection is critical too as is walking comfort.

I have Trac Evo TCX boots that provide both decent protection, really good walking comfort, so strike a nice balance for me. This model has closed out. Last copies went for just over $100 per copy! (I paid $170 two years ago)

TCX and Forma now make better ADV boots than this one, but so far mine have done well. Newer ones have all gone UP in price to $250 to $300 range.

https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/tcx-t...MaAvzQEALw_wcB

The TCX shortie boots are great too, can be worn all day, everyday as not only a riding boot but for walking around too.

My TCX Trac Evo's are pretty good in this regard but not as nice as the Shortie Desert ones for pure comfort, ease of ingress/egress.

The twisting issue is real for super stiff motocross boots. Pros wear knee braces to counteract, not practical for traveling. My TCX Evo's are not too stiff but strong enough to protect foot, ankle most times.

Catching your foot in a rut can cause injury with any boot worn. Keep feet on pegs!

sometimes even mx boots are made poorly like this fox comp 5
and guy broke foot wearing them. So he tested them afterwards in various conditions...

I just want someone to remanufacture my still worn but well worn Alpinestas 'Rathmells'!