Meindl Burma Pro

My wife bought a pair of Meindl Burma boots, not cheap but wanted quality. The boots were very comfortable, good leather quality, vibram sole and she loved them...BUT!

After a few years the rubber between the boot body and the vibram sole just perished and started to crumble. What a shame as otherwise she loved them.

I got a pair of these back in 2009 for an adventurous two week trip to Switzerland, and they were great. They kept my feet warm and dry, didn't give me blisters or get too heavy and were even able to hold a crampon quite well.

But, last summer (2014) the sole started showing signs of wear- partly to be expected from increased amount of use at the time, however the softer part of the sole (grey on the picture) started to fail, disintegrating around the toes- severely compromising waterproofing. Also a split had appeared at the front right of my right heel, with one of the rubber tread blocks punching through into the soft part of the sole. Not ideal, but it wasn't causing discomfort. Being out of warranty I patched up the area around the toes, and went on my way, but over the past year the degradation of the (inner/ second?) softer part of the sole has continued, now to the point that I can look through the sole under the toes of my right boot- not far from it coming away altogether.

Yes, I have had the boots for a good few years, and they have served me well, but with the price I bought them at, and the care I've given them I am disappointed they have expired in this way. Will be going for a boot with a more substantial sole next time- the rubber sole was clearly too thin (However the grip was extremely reliable).

Summary

-Lasted about 5 years

-good grip

-No problems with blisters

-good waterproofing (if maintained properly, and prior to sole issues)

-Softer part of sole began to disintegrate and fall apart

-Rubber sole split under arch of right foot

As a teacher who does a lot of outdoor education, including Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, I need good boots. Unfortunately my Burma pros, despite the cost, are rubbish. The leather has split after one year....and these were carefully looked after boots too. What a waste of money!

After a very bad experience with some Hi-tech boots I bought a pair of these expensive Meindl Borneo 2 MFS boots thinking that you get what you pay for.

To a certain extent that saying is true - unlike many others these Meindl boots have been completely waterproof and do offer a lot of support. However I have been disappointed with how quickly they have worn out as after about 8 months of daily use the sole is now completely worn in places and despite using the correct leather treatments the leather is cracking and no longer completely water tight in places.

I estimate I have covered 600 miles in these boots and the general consensus seems to be anything less than 1000 miles out of a 'quality' boot is poor.

I contacted Meindl UK and they were pretty unhelpful and refused to comment on whether this is a normal lifespan for their product.

Other issues are the boots are extremely stiff and take a long time to break in. Plus the sole is rather hard and not especially grippy in wet or icy conditions.

They are a nice boot but at £165 I would hope to get more than 8 months out of them. I admit I am heavy on my footwear so other people might get better lifespan from them.

I bought a pair of your junk shoes they are JUNK!water proff my ass! my friends as well will never buy your junk products as well.

I have just bought my second pair of Burma's, no decision really as the first pair were so good, I am a keen walker and have used the first pair for at least 8 years, they are still good to go but I have worn the soles down so much that the lugs are starting to disappear, so it was either re-sole or a new pair.

I don't treat them regularly, a bit of dubbin every few months left to soak over night; I do wash them as soon as i get home and dry them in a cool room,

some (not all) of the problems the reviewers have had sound to be due to drying boots at too high a heat, that will always cause leather boots to crack and fall apart. NEVER put your expensive boots on a radiator or in the oven.

I am wearing the new ones in walking around town, if I get any problems i will review again.

I never had a blister with the old pair, and until the sole was almost worn off, I could confidently expect them to grip on wet rocks, they are comfortable and the ankle support is good.

Around 20% of my walking friends swear by Burma's.

Hello all,

I have had my Meindl boots for a couple of years, I liked them so much I bought a second pair. Last week I took myself off walking in Snowdonia. To my surprise the sole of my boot came off at the top of the mountain. I had to carefully make my way down with one boot and a what can best be described as a ski!!!! Quite tricky as I suffer from Ms and am a little unsteady on my feet at the best of times. On closer inspection after I returned home the other boot is coming apart. The boots are very comfy and fit well but now I'm waiting for my next pair to fall apart.

Would I buy Meindl again - NO (such a shame)

Last year I bought my fourth pair of these boots. I had got to the stage where I didn't need to make a decision because the previous three piars had been perfect, lasting 4-5 years each (I do a lot of hiking). But the latest pair started to fall apart after one month, with the rubber coming away and the leather starting to split, despite regularly applying the recommended proofer. One year on and they are leaking badly and in the trash. I tried to contact Meindl several times to see what they could do about this dodgy pair as I was out of the country for most of the year and couldn't return them easily, but they just ignored me. I can only assume that the quality has been compromised since the factory moved to China. I will now have to look at different brands for my next pair. Such a shame.

Bought these to replace an earlier pair which after two years were leaky and with crumbling edges of the soles (probably from cowpats not cleaned off). I've been wearing this pair for gardening most weekdays from October to April, and on wet days through the summer too, for the best part of two years. So I've worn them I estimate between 300 and 400 times. I don't clock up huge mileages but the boots have to work quite hard. They are still not leaking, which surprises me, because I've never had a pair of boots which are still waterproof after two years' gardening duty. They are also tough, supportive, hard-wearing, warm and comfortable. And these ones aren't crumbling like the last pair - but then I have learned that I must clean the cowshit off them!

Bought pair of Burmas in June 2012 as fed up with the quality of Brashers Comfortable out of the box and improved however at 140 miles I had wet Left Foot despite treating as reccomended after each walk.the left boot them leaked at the mear suggestion of wet grass very disapointing At 236miles returned them to Cotswold Outdoor who replaced them with new pair no quibble excellent service. Not yet used new boots lets hope they are better than last pair.