MUCK BOOT MEN’S APEX LACE-UP SHORT BOOTS,

£170

What you wear on your feet when you’re birdwatching is a matter of personal preference. When it’s very wet or muddy, wellies or deluxe- wellies may be the order of the day. At other times you might prefer a walking boot. With the Chinese- made Apex Lace- Ups you get a bit of both… These boots are a rubber and neoprene combo – a rubber ‘shoe’ and sole and a neoprene tongue, ankle collar and lining. There are two pairs of ‘speed hooks’ at the top end of the lacing which makes getting them on and off easier and a reflective pull- tab at the rear which helps when you’re pulling them on. I could do without ‘reflective’ but that’s a minor quibble. The Apex Lace- Ups are a quality product. They are fairly substantial but I didn’t find them heavy to wear (a single size 8 with a bit of mud weighed about 735g). They have breathable mesh linings, “antimicrobial footbed insert topcovers” and “NZYM™ for odour control and moisture management”. My socks did feel a tad moist at times after wearing them (not from the boots leaking) but this wasn’t of great consequence and I didn’t notice any nasty niffs. I found the footbed comfortable and most importantly, these boots do a good job of keeping the mud and water out – even when puddle wading took the water over some of the neoprene. For the ‘lab test’ I stuffed them with paper and stood them in water for a couple of minutes. The water came up to the lower level of the ankle cuff. When the paper was removed it was still dry. The comfort rating of these boots is from 0-18°C. On a 5°C day that felt like a 2°C day, they were comfortably warm when walking, and a bit cooler (but okay) when I was standing around looking for a Little Owl. I didn’t find it. And on a 2¾ hour walk in 16-17°C my feet were warm, but again, okay. Sizes 6-14. Half sizes order up. In black or grey. muckbootcompany.co.uk