Galibier Super Rando Hiking Shoes Review
I walk. A lot. Mostly, I walk in the hills of the English
Lake District – often with a pair of bino’s around my neck. Maybe
you’re the same, hence this review.
I habitually choose fabric hiking trainers (I get through 3-4
pairs a year), but this has two problems:
1)
Hiking
trainers don’t cope well with the wet, muddy and sometimes snowy winters
up here
2)
Trainers
aren’t repairable so it gets expensive – currently £400/year
or more
The obvious solution is leather walking boots with
replaceable (i.e. welted) soles, but these aren’t ideal for me. I walk
fast, with a long stride that doesn’t suit high ankle cuffs. I much
prefer a low cuff for countryside and hill walking.
A few manufacturers offer a possible compromise – welted
boot construction in a shoe. These ‘Super Randos’
by Galibier (a sub-brand of Paraboot)
are a rare example. Here, I take a deep dive into their design, construction
and performance.
At A Glance
|
Model |
Galibier Super Rando |
|
Construction |
Norwegian double-stitched welt |
|
Size tested |
EU 44 |
|
Uppers |
2.4mm full-grain leather |
|
Membrane? |
No |
|
Sole |
Vibram Durastep |
|
Weight |
765g/shoe |
What’s in the
Box?
Unlike Paraboot’s similar but
more fashion-oriented Clusaz shoes, these come in a
basic cardboard box without shoe bags. All you get is the shoes, a small tin of
Galibier’s own dubbin and a (useful for once) booklet on shoe care and
repair.
Design and Build
These are a more like a low-cut boot than a shoe, with a
higher cuff than most trainers. Galibier make a boot with
a higher cuff if that’s your preference. The boot version looks identical
except for the higher cuff, but (for some reason) it has a membrane unlike
these.
Galibier is part of the French Paraboot company. Paraboot make
high-end shoes and offer a superficially similar ‘Clusaz’
hiking shoe (more on which below).
One difference between the Clusaz
and the Super Randos are their place of manufacture.
The Clusaz are hand-made in France. These Super Randos are ‘Made in Europe’ (currently
Portugal).
Despite their less boutique origins, the Super Randos are beautifully made from premium materials. They
don’t feel heavy, but my scales say 765g per boot - 80% heavier than my
North Face Litewave hiking trainers and similar to a
pair of light mountain boots or heavyweight country brogues.
Style
These
are styled like an old-fashioned mountain boot with lots of eyelets and rugged
soles. It’s a look that’s gone mainstream thanks to trendy Gangham
types.
I think
these look great with their red laces and matching red welt stitching. But
these are a technical shoe with a rough-finished leather that will never take a
city-boot shine like their Clusaz cousins.
Construction
At risk
of repeating myself, these are constructed like a traditional mountain boot not
a fashion shoe. The uppers are made in one piece for extra waterproofness.
Many
modern leather hiking boots have glue-on soles. This can make them more
waterproof, but I’ve seen two pairs (Zamberlan and Scarpa) come unstuck before
the boots wore out. Re-glueing wasn’t successful.
In
contrast, the Super Rando have a traditional welted construction, with a
stitched-on sole. Specifically, they employ a double-stitched
‘Norwegian’ welt that’s extra durable and waterproof.
Welts do
need regular treatment with dubbin, but are both rugged and repairable. Galibier reckon pretty much everything is repairable too.
Uppers
The
Super Randos use 2.4mm thick, full-grain leather.
This matters. Many walking-style boots and shoes are really fashion shoes with
thinner calf or top-grain leathers.
The
leather meets both Oeko-tex and LWG Gold
environmental standards.
The low-cuff
Super Randos do not have a waterproof membrane. For
me, that’s a good thing. Why? Cos I’ve owned numerous boots with
membranes (GoreTex, Sympatex
etc) and they all fail before the boots wear out.
Opinion: if
you’re looking for a highly repairable boot, then a membrane
doesn’t make much sense.
If you
keep the Super Randos regularly treated with dubbin,
experience suggests they will be very waterproof and easy to clean too.
The
signature red laces run through a d-ring, four eyelets and a top hook on each
side. All look reassuringly heavy-duty (I’ve seen eyelets break or rip
out of flimsy boots). The eyelets look sturdier than a new pair of (similarly
expensive) Zamberlan Tofane boots’ (see below).
The
inside of the shoes are completely lined in soft leather, but it’s
thicker than most and should wear well. Internal stitching is very neatly done.
The ankle cuff area is padded internally. For extra waterproofness, the long,
fabric-fronted tongue is gusseted and padded for comfort too.
Sole
The
soles are deeply cleated Vibram ‘Durastep’.
Many fashion-oriented boots and shoes have lighter Vibram or
‘Commando’ style soles with shallower cleats. The soles are much
thicker and more deeply cleated than the Vibrams
on those Zamberlan Tofanes too (above).
The
welted construction means a good cobbler should be able to replace the soles
for about a third the cost of a new pair. This is good for the environment, but
also good for your wallet if you wear them a lot (like I do).
Size and Fitting
These are
sized like trainers, not like leather Derby and Oxford shoes. This means they are likely 1-1.5 sizes smaller than your office brogues!
Below
you see these next to a Church’s brogue. The brogues are EU size 43 (UK
9), the Super Randos are size 44 (UK 9.5). The
brogues are actually a looser fit, but the Super Randos
have a removable insole if you find them a bit tight.
I prefer
a wide (‘G’) fitting. These don’t specify if they’re
wide fitting or not. They have just enough room for me and feel somewhere
between an ‘F’ and a ‘G’ fitting.
Alternatives
Technical
shoes like the Super Randos are rare. Paraboot’s own Clusaz model
looks like an obvious alternative and I’ll compare them in detail below.
The only
other technical walking shoe with welted boot construction I could find is the M121
‘Magnifico’ model from artisanal Italian maker Fracap.
Other
alternatives?
·
Rugged Derbies with
welted commando-style soles (e.g. Herring’s Wasdale shoes, made by
Cheaney, see below) are the traditional walking shoe your great-grandfather
might have used for hunting, shooting and fishing. They work well for country
rambles, but aren’t suitable for hill walking in my opinion.
·
Some leather hiking
trainers with a membrane and glue-on soles, like Merrell’s
‘1TRL’, look similar to the Super Randos
but aren’t repairable
Accessories
As with
all leather walking boots/shoes, to look after these properly you may want to
consider:
·
A stiff brush to remove
dirt and (apparently) keep the leather breathable
·
Quality dubbin. A small
tin of Galibier’s own is supplied. Other premium choices include
Saphir’s ‘Everest’
·
A shoe tree to help them
dry out and keep their shape
In Use
City
This
style of boot/shoe is often bought as a fashion shoe. Perhaps surprisingly,
they are pretty comfortable on the street, with a springy cushioned feel and
not too stiff. But there’s no doubt they feel a bit stiffer, heavier and
clunkier than trainers on the street.
Country
I
expected these might take a while to break-in, like a typical hand-made brogue.
They didn’t. I thought they might be a lot less comfortable than my
walking trainers. They weren’t.
I took
them straight off on my daily 4 mile walk over the local fell. They felt a bit
stiff for the first mile or so, then I forgot about them. I only became aware
of them again when I got to a very steep muddy climb when I appreciated their
extra grip and stability.
Off-road,
they’re hardly a compromise at all – as supportive as mid-boots, as
comfortable as walking trainers. A huge win for me. And as hoped, they
don’t rub and drag around the ankle as boots often do when I walk fast.
The only major difference I noticed was the much deeper sole which you need to
allow for when lifting your feet.
Galibier Super Rando vs Paraboot
Clusaz
Paraboot is Galibier’s
parent company and their
Clusaz shoe looks similar, but is it? They describe the Clusaz as, ‘revisited … for urban style’.
What does this mean in practice?
·
A more urban, self-consciously
retro look
·
Shiny (calf?) leather
that likely won’t be as durable and will surely mark more easily when
scuffed on rocks and branches
·
A slightly less deeply
cleated sole with a thin leather (not cushioned) midsole
·
Single stitched welts,
rather than double-stitched Norwegian welts
·
A leather (rather than
padded fabric) tongue
·
(One) fewer eyelets with
a less traditional-looking design
·
A different heal design
·
A lower, less padded
ankle cuff
·
About
30% more expensive
If you’re going walking, the Super Randos
are obviously the better buy, but I’d probably choose the Clusaz for street-wear – they do look great in my
opinion.
Summary
Galibier’s Super
Rando walking shoes really impressed me. They are beautifully made in the
heavy-duty style of a traditional mountain boot. Materials are top quality
– thick leather, heavily cleated Vibram sole, very solid eyelets.
I found them surprisingly
comfortable to wear. The sole is quite soft and cushioning, not like a typical commando-soled
brogue with a leather midsole. After just a mile or two they felt well broken
in and no less comfortable than my walking trainers (though more stable and
with more grip).
Yes, they’re quite expensive,
but they should be hard wearing and very repairable. They’re a perfect
alternative to my walking trainers and I expect to enjoy using my pair most
days!
Thoughtfully designed and beautifully made, the Super Randos are very comfortable, grippy and supportive. They
get my highest recommendation if you use walking trainers but need something
more rugged.
