I got a pair of Gaerne G-Midlands. Pricy, but very comfortable. Not as protective as a true MX boot, but much better than most street or DS boots.

Gaerne G-Midland Boots by Atomic Moto

 

I also hate the feel of plastic MX Boots for trail riding.
I ended up trying on a pair of boots designed with Trials Type riding in mind.
Gaerne Balance Pro Tech!
They are comforatble, you can walk in them, they have a grip style sole so you can push when needed and walk up muddy hills, all leather and made in Italy.
No they won't protect as well as the plasic MX Boots but I feel they will do a fine job for my non competitve riding.

If I ever need another pair I will probably spend more and get the Water Repellent Gaerne Balance Oiled.

Google them and see what others think.

 

I have a pair of Apinestars Tech 2 that I've had about a month. They are "shorties" so only come up about 9" from heal. Compared to the over the ankle hiking/desert boots I was wearing, the protection is excellent. Shifting & braking is not a problem. Stiff to walk in but not like the over the shin type. Ya, it's a compromise. If I'm going to get off and hike somewhere I take a pair of something more suitable to change to. I thought my hiking boots offered reasonable protection until a dirt sandwich pinned my right ankle. Dang, ended up limping around for a couple of weeks. I was lucky as there wasn't a rock on the dirt side. The Tech 2's are also pricey, but going to the Dr. is worse. The protection only has to make a difference once to be worth it, IMO.

 

I've been buying my kids gear at the local Playitagain Sports store. They outgrow their gear every year. Ours is loaded with stuff. I saw a pair of Answer Fazer boots for $20 bucks in my size so I grabbed them. They were well broken in, but it was still an adjustment to ride in them. It's a similar feeling as when I first started to wear a helmet after years of ridding without one back in IL. Can imagine riding without a helmet now and I'm sure I'll adjust to the boots. I had to adjust the shift lever up a notch, but now it's too high when I wear my hiking boots for around town riding. It's always a compromise with the dual sport bike.

 

Hey DaddyJack, I saw that post #1 for you... welcome to the forum.
Now I'm keeping my eyes open for a pair of Gaerne Balance Oiled boots at the used sporting goods store.

 

Look at getting the KLIM Covert socks/liners instead. It's a Goretex sock so you can use them with any footwear. Gortex lined footwear is slow to dry out once wet. Normal footwear dries faster.

 

Man, the discussion about boot type and application is a tough one. Even though absolute protection might be achieved by always wearing a full blown, high quality, racing style boot, WHENEVER we ride our bikes, I don't think that's going to happen. I wear a medium hiking boot when riding my KLX on pavement for errands and just tooling around. However, when I go off road to any degree that's rougher than a dirt road, I have some kind of substantial off road boot on my feet. I've experienced impacts and other stupid tipovers and crashes where the substantial off road boot made a huge difference in the outcome. And I've ridden with many other riders and got to see their carnage first hand.

I've compromised somewhat lately in going to a 3-buckle, shorter off road boot that is easier to walk in and doesn't wrap the boot upper on to my knee/shin guards. Most quality knee/shin guards go down far enough on normally sized humans to where the traditional MX boots capture and clamp the bottom of the shin guards. That's fine and appropriate for most hardcore dirt riding, but it tends to suck a bit if you want/need to walk around and do some sight-seeing. My bigger 2-3 week trips out west to Colorado, Utah, and such involve some great scenery and even some short walks to check out the area. It's somewhat sucky in full-on MX boots, knee/shin guards or not. The relatively cheap Fly Maverick boots I bought allow more lower leg movement, and my knee/shin guards go right to the top of the boot, not inside the boot. These boots are mainly designed for ATV riding, but construction is pretty much the same as most MX boots as far as protection...not as much plastic but enough in the critical areas. You'll know why there's some plastic on most off road boots the first tiime your dirt bike's footpeg tries to stab you in the foot or ankle in a tipover or full blown crash.

As to stiffness, I think you have to break in even the very best boots out there. Any decent boot has a level of inherent stiffness and needs to be worn/ridden a few times. I will still wear my full-on MX boots when I'm riding hardcore singletrack where no expected walking will be involved, but it's been nice to have a shorter, less aggressive boot for many applications.

 

I started with a pair of Answer MX boots. Not too easy to walk around in and not the most comfortable, but the protection is worth it. A stupid little tip over in Moab had most of the bike's weight on my ankle via the foot peg. That bruised the ankle a bit, but without the boots, I would have been hospital bound in a bad way. I now have some SIDI Adventure Rains for easier dual sport riding. Very comfortable and reasonable to walk in. But the MX boots will still be used for the off-road rides.

 

There is also the old reliable Alpinestar Super Victory, the modern version of the old HiPoint MX boots from the 70s and early 80s. All leather, excepting the modern buckles. The leather is heavy and there is a lot of padding around the ankle and shin area. After all, they were THE motocross boot to have back then. They still work great too, last a long time - based on my HiPoints from 1976. I still have them. They're well broken in and comfortable for hiking but too heavy to want to use for that purpose. With some oil they are darn near waterproof. I wore them for a few years as winter boots when in college, then on the street when riding in cold conditions.

The current version is $300, but I guarantee you they will break in and last a loooooonnnnng time. Like Ford's Model T they come in any color you want as long as it's black:



My old HiPoints:




Yes, two pair. bought the second pair used for $35 around 1985. They're the serious dual sport pair, the others are for snow and winter road riding now.

There is one pair that is better for more road oriented use. The Alpinestar Scout. It is waterproof and a bit more street oriented and maybe not quite as robust as the old school MX Super Victory:



For more road oriented use and actual walking about I'd think either would be worth the money in the long run.

I will say I frequently use the AXO Slammers, but they're low cut just above the ankles and not serious leg protection. This pair for screwing around:



and this pair for light weight dual sporting (aka mostly gravel roads and pavement:




My name is Mark, and I am a boot-o-holic... yeah, with two pair of HiPoints and two pair of AXOs I am... Then there is that pair of AXO MX boots I bought back in 1990... Used twice, solid blue, paid $55. I'd sell them, but they're like a size 7, I have small feet.

 

I sincerely hope the OP does check back in at some point because there's a lot of good info here even if it's not what he wanted to hear.

And the tennis shoes just won't cut it in a crash. Better to learn that here than out in the field!