Bestard canyon boots advice

David Rose

Active member
I'm planning to get some Bestard canyoning boots. I'll be wearing neoprene socks with them most of the time. Does anyone know how generous they tend to be size wise? There's no supplier convenient for me so I need to order them online. My usual shoe or Welly size is 11. Should I get the Bestards in that size, or slightly smaller or larger?
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
I would go for the 11's. I have size 10 feet and could fit an insole in the 10's and wear them with neoprene socks. I have only done one DYO trip in them but they have good grip, are light and comfortable.  How well they wear I will find out but my Five Ten's wore out disappointingly quickly. They had phenomenal grip though even on muddy rock.
 

Long Drop

Active member
I agree with mrodoc.  My Dunlop acifort wellies are a size 44 (which they claim are a UK 10) and my bestards are also a size 44 (but Bestard say that is a UK 9.5).  I wear two pairs of wetsocks (a 3mm and a 2mm) inside both wellies and bestards (and I have toasty warm feet!).

[Have used the Bestards for several caving trips now and am quite impressed; grip is excellent.  After wellies I find the laces and numerous eyelets on the bestards a bit of a fiddle (I haven't yet had to take them off when they are caked with mud or frozen up, not looking forward to that), but it does mean you can secure the boot comfortably around the foot. I'm particularly not keen on the two pairs of lace hooks at the top of each boot - these are the wire ladder traps that our parents warned us against...  There are also two locking eyelets at the ankle, which prevent the lace from sliding past that point when locked - sadly they do not unlock that readily when you are trying to get the boot off.  I am going to try replacing the flat laces with round 4mm accessory cord, which should prevent the locking eyelets from locking.  The bestards look quite chunky, I was surprised to find they were only two thirds of the weight of my wellies.]

L
 

David Rose

Active member
I've just come back from Mulu, where I used the boots hard - I was there for 14 days, and caved on ten of them - three day trips and two camping trips, for three and four days. I've also used them on about six trips in the UK, and two in Mexico down the 450m streamway to the very big Muneca cavern, as part of Badlad's laser scanning project.

I'd say they are simply fantastic to cave in. Incredibly light and comfortable, even after several days' wear. Good for walk ins, too: lots of ankle support. In a guano-affected area such as Mulu, the drawstring gaiters keep the muck out. The sole grip on rock is superb, and even on mud it's not too bad.

The only drawback is that they are not made to last forever, or anything like forever. The toe protection where the sole rubber curves up is worn away on both feet, although I have added a layer of thick glue to prolong the boots' life. One of the eyelets has come off.

Then again, it was evident in Mulu that they are MUCH more durable than Five Ten canyoning boots, and that they offer more protection for the feet, too. The grip for climbing is way better than any Wellie. I've been wearing them with Sealskinz socks, even in Britain: a very good combination, and my feet haven't got cold.

Overall, i'd say they are the best footwear I've ever used underground, and when the current pair does wear out (still some time off) I will buy another pair. 
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
You have hammered those more than I have mine so far so I know what bits to keep an eye on for wear. I agree with you on all points having now used them on longer trips in a variety of caves and also for canyoning itself.
 

cavemanmike

Active member
bought a pair of these and done two trips in them in a mine where you travel through knee high water(depending how long your legs are) ankle deep mud and 450ft of ladders,in and out  and i am most impressed with them. they also clean up a treat  (y) (y)
recommend them
 

ah147

New member
Took mine out for their first play today.

Went to frog pot in the dales. Bit o crawling. Some climb up and down the scaff. Fair amount of rift work, bit o diving. 20m freeclimb out.

All whilst wearing two rather large diving cylinders (maybe 25kg of weight)

They done did good. We'll see if I continue to like em as much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Long Drop

Active member
I've had my Bestards for several months now, they've done dozens of UK caving trips (far end of Draenen yesterday, for example) including SRT, they've also had a week of big stuff out in Spain.  The foot comfort is excellent, they are lighter than wellies and wearing them I am a lot surer or my feet staying where I want them than I am with wellies.

However.  The laces are a pain in the backside, everyone else is halfway up the hill to the cave (/ or to the pub) before you've got them laced up (/ unlaced).  If the laces get covered in mud or frozen then they are even more of a pain (noting that if it takes ages to get your boots on and off it takes ages to change any of your other clothing, for example if you want to take your oversuit off for any reason.)  The lace hooks at the top of the boot do represent a danger with ladder wires and, for the similar reason of diving line, I would never dive in them.  They are also massively more expensive than wellies.  I don't like the colour much (orange) and none of my photographer friends like the highly reflective trims on these boots.

On balance when these wear out I suspect I will return to wellies.  Not enough value added for the difference in price.  If Bestard (or another manufacturer) were to transfer the foot comfort and grip offered by this canyoning boot to a boot aimed at cavers I would reconsider.

L
 

maxf

New member
ah147 said:
Took mine out for their first play today.

Went to frog pot in the dales. Bit o crawling. Some climb up and down the scaff. Fair amount of rift work, bit o diving. 20m freeclimb out.

All whilst wearing two rather large diving cylinders (maybe 25kg of weight)

They done did good. We'll see if I continue to like em as much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would hope so for the price of 12 sets of wellies !
 

Joe90

Member
I've had my Bestards for a few years now, fantastic boots. Outlasted my 510s by miles and miles, literally.
I use them mostly in canyons, but occasionally in caves (not much difference in my eyes) and they are holding up amazingly. Little worn on the toe where I climb, replaced the laces with paracord, otherwise fine.
I use them two or three days a week, sometimes more.
As for sizing, they are generous. I bought my size and easily fit in neoprene socks and insoles.

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