Altberg defender boot review. 

Flawless, after being disappointed with expensive hiking boots that always had problems within 6 months i opted for a 2nd hand pair of defenders. Best boots ive ever had

Just found your site while researching Altberg defender boots. I really liked the fact you don’t do useless ‘out of the box’ reviews. Your review here was excellent and I’m ordering a pair now and have subscribed to your site. Thank you for this!!

Best pair of boots I’ve ever bought, even better than my previous Meindl Burmas.

Took the plunge and treated myself to some Grade 1 used Defenders and so far I’m impressed. I watched 4 or 5 different videos and read a couple of reviews before hitting the buy button. The uppers are perfect with hardly a scratch or scuff, they’ll get plenty of Brown Leder Gris over the next few weeks to keep them in good shape. There’s a bit of wear on the soles but I'll certainly get this Winter out of them. There’s a Vibram “Diamond Partner” Cobbler in the next village who’ll re-sole them when needed and make them new (and grippy) again. They are quite small for the stated size, I went for size 11 (med) boots up a size from my normal 10’s. I tend to wear a pair of thicker socks over thin socks through Autumn-Winter and this soaks up some of the volume whilst thankfully still being comfortable in the quite narrow toe box. I even fixed the dreaded heel lift with a “surgeon’s knot” in the lacing, which I read about in one of the video comments. Every day’s a school day! Got some inexpensive DeWalt insoles to put some spring back into my step and some black/brown replacement laces (210cm) off Ebay so that my feet look a little more Country Inn than in-country. Highly recommended.

Hi Steve, I'm on my third pair of Altbergs over a period of about 15 years and I can't fault them! Comfortable straight out of the box, though they don't soften up for about 100 miles , so stick with it. Not hot weather gear, but definitely good for three season wear here in the UK!

Ive had them for years even worth getting a carefully selected second hand, warm solid and dry. Love them on long walks or short. Done long mountain walks in poor boots and learned my lesson the hard way. Feel like the equivalent of a rolls royce on my feet with these. The only fault I found is grip level on slippery rocks.

Thanks for the review. It was really useful to see you prove their waterproofness.

Thanks for directing me to this vid its just what i was looking for. I now own a pair

As long as you look after them they can last 10-15yrs. Can even be re-soled too.

Awesome boots, loved mine. Great video thanks for sharing

I wear nothing but Altberg boots. I wear Defender boots whilst at work (a job which involves a lot of walking) and Tethera boots off-duty. At work I walk between 8 and 10 miles a day, and get on average around 2 years service out of the boot before I send them back for resoling/rebuilding around £80 a time. The only thing I find disappointing is that the new Defender boots have replaced the speed-lacing with loops, which I think is a step backwards (hence, I keep getting older boots rebuilt)

Awesome, thank you. An honest and in depth review.

I recently bought a pair of Defenders in used condition. I needed the extra ankle support over my faithful Berghauses because of some fairly heavy ankle surgery that left me very aware of potential fragility in that area! I replaced the original footbed and spacer with an orthotic high-instep insole, gave them a pasting with the Leder Gris waxoil, and quite honestly these are the most comfortable boots I've ever had (I'm 63, I've had a few). I bought (holding my breath) size 12 wide. My Bergauses are 11s and a little narrow but they became comfy quite quickly; my Scarpa shoes are size 13 for god's sake and still sometimes a little narrow depending on socks. What DID Scarpa do to their fittings?!? Not only am I 63, I tend to block out the sun a bit, so I have the heft not to mind the Defenders being a touch on the heavier side and I find I can wear them all day and actually not want to take them off! They are genuinely a second hand gift to boot wearers (as I believe are Alt-Berg's other offerings, and I'm now looking at moving the Berghauses on and getting more A-Bs for warmer weather wear). They have a factory shop at Richmond (the proper Richmond in the North) that I suspect is mandatory for a visit.

Love mine, grade2 ebay. still excellent just re waxed and good to go.

You shouldn't wrap the laces around your ankles, simply tie them off at the front. Wax the laces with Leder Gris and thy're less likely to come undone.

Had my le chameau boots about 4 year great

Got a pair of these and have been using them for almost two years now. I'm impressed with mine, they give great support and can take a good beating as well as being fine for winter. Not a boot for summer though if you're doing a lot of fast tabbing. All in though, compared to the garbage I was issued with back in the day these are leagues beyond anything prior.

I've always been a tad hesitant about buying boots that someone else has been wearing, but I've watched a few videos about these pre owned Altberg Defenders, and as yet I haven't read a single negative comment about them, then I came across this video, (a good review BTW) and that made me decide to buy a pair, so I've just ordered a pair of Army surplus grade 1, at £45, fingers crossed they send me a good pair, and hopefully haven't been used by someone with foot issues, but if I'm happy with them I'll give the insides a good blast with an anti bacterial spray and order some leder gris wax.

They are a good boot, should do you well for a long time, as you mentioned as long as they are looked after. cheers. thanks for sharing.

Great video mate. Have you considered doing a follow up to see how these went?

Hey Steve, bought a pair a few days ago for 32 quid I'm happy with straight out the bag. Wish I'd bought them sooner.

Hello, I'm looking for help. My foot length is 275mm and I generally wear a size 10US or 44.5EU. What would be the UK size at Altberg as I can't find a size chart on their site ? Thank you in advance.

Hi. I've always wore trainers, looking to get a pair of these. Just wondering, what's the wax for, and what would happen if I used a baby wipe to occasionally wipe off a little dirt? I'd be wearing them casually when it's wet outside, so not fussed about keeping them tip-top condition.. Thanks!

My defenders (3x pairs) have from brand new issue to me, my main operational/best/spare boot isn't waterproof and isn't designed to be... Ingress comes from underfoot.

A lot of people at work choose to wear Altbergs. Some Lowas and some Magnums (which appear to wear away after 6 months, never seen anybody happy with the Magnums after a few months of owning them!) I think I will opt for a pair of Altbergs next, ridiculous value for £35. Do you know if they do a black version? Not allowed brown boots at work!

Really helpful review doing some outdoor fieldwork so these will be pretty good! Thanks.

Hi mate good review not had mine long brand new on full of blisters but a great pair of alt-berg boots I need to break them in properly thanks for sharing atb Jimmy 😎😎

An excellent, proper review. Thank you!

I have been wondering about these for some time, however, I don't think the Army version is the same quality as the ones made in Alt-bergs British and Italian factories as they are around £185 a pair and the Army won't pay anywhere near that price, I think they are subcontracted out, the Leder-Gris is fine but don't use this if you want shiny boots, it won't Bull, I also wanted some of their other boots (Bergen boots) and they said six weeks after going to Richmond to be measured so I bought "Han Wag" instead.

How do these compare to haix cold weather?

Hi mate, what is the sizing like? Do u recommend getting the size I wear in runners or dress shoes? I am a size 9 in Nike and size 8.5 in dress shoes.

Hello excellent review have you worn these boots hiking around rocky and stoney trails? If so how did they feel. Thanks

Are defenders any good as hot weather boots, I'm planning on going traveling around the South East Pacific you see. Iv had them for a while now and they've served me well throughout the British Spring, Summer, Autumn and winter seasons but will they be any good in extreme heat or will my feet melt? 😂

Where did you buy them from for that price?

Hi, does anybody know how I can purchase a pair of Altberg Defender boots. The Defender are lighter and have better all terrain sole which I am after for the nature of my career. Please help. Many thanks.

How did you get them so cheap?

And wheres the other vidoes about using leder gris etc how to clean them etc?

can you get different width sizes in theses boots

How do you compare these to the German para boots? Pros and cons?

How do I break them in?

Vibram soles are USELESS on wet rock/tarmac/night-club dancefloors. The old assualt boots have far superior grip.

Пишут что у них подошва ,сыплется,...спустя какое - то время использования..😮

Can any one tell me if these boots are steel toe cap

Great vid mate av just subbed ya get ya sel over n check mine marra

I picked up a pair recently for £25.. BARGAIN!!!!

Been using them since my military days and i have about 10 pairs of them 💪🇬🇧🫡