Limmers: Not Your Off-the-Shelf Hiking Boots (NHPR)

[bikehikeskifish]

http://nhpr.org/node/33008

As the weather turns warm, hikers are flocking to the White Mountains.

Those in need of some new boots may want to stop off in the village of Intervale, near Conway, New Hampshire.

There, you'll find Pete Limmer more than happy to make you a custom pair.

But as NHPR Correspondent Todd Bookman reports, you’ll need to get in a long line.

...


Tim

 

[Peakbagr]

Tim,

I ordered a pair in the 80's. Took about 6 months to be ready. Liked them so much I ordered a second pair a few months later.
Dang, the first pair is still going strong and the 'replacement' pair still sitting in the original box.

Limmers are the real deal. If your feet are hard to fit or want lifetime boots take a look.

 

[Bob]

I was there last weekend during Bike Week, and Pete conveyed to me there is lots of misinformation regarding waiting times. The current backlog is ~ 1.5 years.

not sure what NHPR article says, link is blocked here.

 

[Chip]

I was there last weekend during Bike Week, and Pete conveyed to me there is lots of misinformation regarding waiting times. The current backlog is ~ 1.5 years.

not sure what NHPR article says, link is blocked here.

here you go:

Standing in his 200-year-old barn in the valley of Mt. Washington, the fourth-generation bootmaker has a lot to chuckle about.

His boots—widely celebrated in hiking blogs and Facebook Fan pages—continue to sell as fast as he can make them.

In fact, he’s got an 18-month waiting list.

I'd like a pair.

 

[dr_wu002]

They seem like nice boots and I'm certainly not questioning the quality but I wonder exactly who uses them these days. Seems like most of the shoes I see are trail runners (aka sneakers) these days. I can't imagine ever wearing a big, heavy clodhopper ever again, even for backpacking (never backpacking) or winter (working on getting a trail runner system to work for me). Even if Limmer made a custom trail runner I wouldn't get one -- why pay that much when you can spend so little on a decent pair of trail runners. I can see if I was walking around in boggy areas for long periods of time but these days dayhiking is pretty popular and you just dry your wet shoes at the trailhead.

-Dr. Wu

 

[LRiz]

Seems like most of the shoes I see are trail runners (aka sneakers) these days.

Sneakers on the trail? Whatever happened to hiking safe?

 

[Peakbagr]

Why would anyone wear them?
The padded sides have saved many an ankle bone bruise after a couple of weeks on rock and scree out west. Limmers are supportive, a big deal when carrying a heavy pack over rocky uneven ground - particularly if you've sprained your ankles as many times as I have.
They are handy in the tween season when winter boots are too much and lightweight hikers not enough.

I sometimes wear them because the ARE heavier, giving me a better workout on an easy hike.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Alex MacPhail set the H2H record in Limmers (Madhouse to Cata to Pinkham) and Addidas track shoes (Pinkham to Lone) in 1963, a record that still stands. My first pair of Limmers ($44) went through eight resolings before they became too tight from the restitching, but then a womanfriend got another three resolings on the same pair before they became too tight for her. The uppers were still fine after 15 years and 11 resolings. But, I agree that Limmers are comparatively on the heavy side today.

 

[pilgrim]

I have a pair of Limmers, and I love them, but I rarely wear them anymore. Too heavy. My go-to boots the past couple of years has been a pair of light fabric/leather boots that I got dirt cheap at Cabela's.

 

[dr_wu002]

Alex MacPhail

Gah! You said that name again... gotta take a drink...

My guess is that record goes bye-bye in the next year or two by someone not wearing Limmers but maybe track shoes...

-Dr. Wu

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Gah! You said that name again... gotta take a drink...

My guess is that record goes bye-bye in the next year or two by someone not wearing Limmers but maybe track shoes...

-Dr. Wu

Definitely possible, as the 7h 5m for the 31.5 mile Pemi Loop is about the same pace as the 12h 11m for the 55 mile H2H.

 

[dr_wu002]

Definitely possible, as the 7h 5m for the 31.5 mile Pemi Loop is about the same pace as the 12h 11m for the 55 mile H2H.

Extra points for doing the whole thing in a new pair of Limmers!!

-Dr. Wu

 

[Peakbagr]

a NEW pair? That would be too cruel.

 

[wisher]

It'd be great to get a pair or two or three of these; maybe here in a bit. As far as what weight of boots to wear - that really depends on your style, the terrain, weather conditions, etc. - but I was just reading in the AMC White Mountain guide preface about how sneakers can be perfectly fine, with one qualification - that you have strong enough ankles and surrounding muscles and are accustomed to walking like that over terrain.

I myself have a background in learning how to take falls and not get hurt, so I have good balance and ability to control myself when I start to lose my footing. I also regularly do exercises that strengthen my lower leg muscles, as well as increasing my range of motion and strength of ankles. If you're trail running, unless you're also bushwacking you're probably not going to want to be wearing heavy or even medium boots. On some harder trails or rougher terrain I wear heavier boots myself, but there are those who navigate them safely in sneakers or light boots.

 

[Maddy]

I have a pair of Limmers, and I love them, but I rarely wear them anymore. Too heavy. My go-to boots the past couple of years has been a pair of light fabric/leather boots that I got dirt cheap at Cabela's.

Have you tried Limmer "ultralights" off the shelf?
I am breaking in a pair of those in working on my farm and they feel really good today. It's been a juggling act trying to find the right sox to wear with them because I have bad feet and am difficult to fit.
Ken Limmer has been doing a great job getting them stretched in all the right places.
They give you great support and are definitely not your typical light hiking boots .
I also have a pair of "lightweight" Limmers that I got off the shelf but am really liking these. There is a size difference and I think they are just a better fit.
Anything to lighten the load and still get the support.

 

[audrey]

Have you tried Limmer "ultralights" off the shelf?
...I also have a pair of "lightweight" Limmers that I got off the shelf but am really liking these. There is a size difference and I think they are just a better fit.

I loved my ultralights but they didn't last any longer than any other light boots, about 2 years.
I never got comfortable with the lightweights, ditto with the standards (not custom, but they did a nice job adjusting them for me).
As my Morton's neuroma developed, all my boots became my enemies one by one, not just the Limmers. Now I'm a Keener all the way, though they don't last especially well.

 

[Neil]

Why would anyone wear them?

In order to lay face down on the floor and do hamstring curls.

I once hefted a pair of these wonderfully beautiful boots and was brought back to the good old days of 3/4 steel shank boots that you re-soled multiple times before they were finally done.

Back then I would have found it hard to believe that a bushwhack/slide climb between Owl's Head and West Bond would be done in these:

Instead of wearing tough boots the modern-day ultra-lite weenie toughens his feet and ankles.

 

[TCD]

More and more research is showing that less shoe results in healthier feet. And my experience indicates that boots generally make me more likely, not less likely to turn an ankle, because the boot puts a big platform under my foot that acts like a lever to increase injury potential.

Plus, boots are heavy, and Limmers are $700 (per the NHPR report). That's good for about 15 years of trail runners.

So I'm with Neil. Trail runners for everything except really narrow specific activities like hard climbing (rock shoes), ice climbing (boots) or river wading (sandals or water shoes).

 

[Tom Rankin]

Trail runners for everything except really narrow specific activities like hard climbing (rock shoes), ice climbing (boots) or river wading (sandals or water shoes).

That and stretch every day!

 

[skiguy]

Not to be the wrench in the crankcase but not everyone likes Limmers. There is a reason there are so many used boots on the shelf in the cited article. I know of a few folks that have returned Custom Limmers over the 42 years that I have been aquainted with them. Before I spent $700 I would go try alot of other Boots on for less money and comparable quality. You could easily buy two pairs of another brand for what a pair of Limmers cost even if you think you have different feet.