I appreciate that posts on old gear may get dreary. Sorry, but that's all I've got, old stuff, and simple pleasures. I was going to open with the typical they dont make them like this anymore. But maybe they do, as a newer pair I have, maybe a dozen years old, still look practically new, though they have plenty of miles on them.
Anyhow, these Zamberlans. I think it's fair to say I will never have a better pair of boots. How could I possibly break them in to this extent. It took me literally a full life time to get this pair to this stage.
But I think the most remarkable part of their use and durability has been proven while canoe tripping. Since I bought them in Britain at the age of 27, they have been my go to boots for backcountry canoeing in Canada while out west. Maybe 3000 kms of shorter one week trips, much of that solo. I still like the support of boots on rough portages and rocky shores. So when out tripping like that, they are in and out of the water, and in and out of mucky bog, every day. Sometimes rinsed out and dried up a bit around a fire in the evening, which isnt easy on them either, but for the most part damp for the entire week to ten days. Then when back in Alberta and BC they'd be off to the Rockies on weekends for hikes and scrambles.
The original soles have been reglued around the edges once and the rear cuffs have been stitched a couple times. That's it over forty years. Still solid and super comfortable. Congrats Zamberlan for surviving this extended trail test that I've subjected them to. And thanks for the good work and product. Much appreciated.
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