Alico New Guide Mountaineering Hiking Boots Review

If you would describe yourself as more of a mountaineer than a hiker, the Alico New Guide Mountaineering boots might be a better fit for your needs than a standard pair of hiking boots.

Similarly, if you would describe yourself as an average day hiker who likes to stay on well established trails, the Alico New Guide boots are probably a bit more 'boot' than you need.

These hand crafted pieces of joy are a popular choice on the market and no wonder, there are lot's of reasons why that is the case. They come in the traditional Alpine style for a leather boot. I personally like that classic look a lot.

Recommended by expert mountaineers, the Alico New Guide Mountaineering hiking boots are purpose built to take on rigorous Alpine terrain. These boots are handmade in a small factory in the Dolomite mountains in Italy so they are genuinely purpose built for that kind of terrain.

It's worth noting that as the boots are made by skilled artisans, you are more or less getting a unique piece of quality in every pair.

There is only one color choice which you can see in the images here. As mentioned, overall I quite like brown leather look and style.

These boots more or less have everything I'd want in a really solid pair of sturdy hiking boots so let's take a closer look at what they have to offer.

In short there are two layers of stitching, see the image above, which are attached to the welt which is the brown piece in-between the stitching and the black sole in the picture above.

Just to further expand on this in case terms aren't clear, a welt is a strip of leather, rubber, or plastic that runs along the perimeter of the outsole and is stitched to the upper and a strip of canvas.

This is then cemented to the insole of a shoe, as an attach-point for the sole. The Norwegian construction method is a tried and tested traditional method that helps seal the boots up securely.

Its main function is to create a shoe or boot that is truly waterproof, it also looks pretty good too though and so can often be done purely for aesthetic reasons alone.

The other ting to note about this is that the sole of the boots can easily be removed and replaced when it wears out so you truly potentially have a life long pair of boots in these boots as long as you take proper care of them.

Now, it is worth pointing out that in terms of comfort, if you're not familiar with leather boots of this kind, there will be a longer break-in period than you are probably used to. The leather combined with the construction is tough so you need to give them time to get them accustomed to your feet.

Keep this in mind when you start to use them as it is not advisable to head out on long hikes or backpacking trips from day one in them, they need to be broken in significantly first.

Remember to be patient with them as once you do get them broken in, you will have a very comfortable pair of boots indeed. They will actually get more comfortable as time goes on.

Next up, let's take a closer look at the collar of the boots and the tongue. As you can see in the picture above, the collar has a double padded rim which by all user accounts is very comfortable.

The tongue is gusseted, see the light brown strips underneath the laces in the picture above, so this will help keep debris and water out providing further protection to your ankles.

The lacing system is strong and functional with metal eyelets for the laces which is what I would expect on a pair of boots of this caliber. All this means you can secure a comfortable yet strong support around your ankle.

The Guide boots are very water resistant and will hold up well to rain, snow, puddles and shallow stream / river crossings. As already alluded too, the boots are made up of a beautiful one-piece perwanger leather that is waterproof and protects your feet. Perwanger leather is top of the range.

The interior of the Guide boots are leather-lined and breathable. The insole is a combination of leather and nylon so expect a comfortable internal fit with nearly zero friction. When it comes to sizing, overall the general consensus is that they fit true to size with one or two folks noting they needed a 0.5 size up.

In terms of weight, a pair of the Alico Guide boots come in at 6 lb so not light! As I said at the start, these boots aren't designed for light hiking although you can certainly use them for that purpose. They're a touch mountaineering boot so they will be much heavier than a standard light hiking mid GTX boot like the Lowa Renegade.

Moving on, in the picture above you can see the shaft of the boots is quite high rising to 6.5 inches with a heel height of 1.5 inches. Again, I would expect a higher line on boots of this kind to provide that bit more ankle support. I have to say that just looking at the leather construction on them as I write this, they really do look sweet 🙂

You will also note there is a pull at the back of the boots in the rear profile picture above which you can of course use to help slide the boots on.

The soles of the boots are Vibram which is a popular and very functional industry standard. I have two pairs of hiking boots with Vibram soles and they perform really well.

So many times I have been hiking and people around me have been slipping on the ground over a tricky piece of terrain but I have held strong. I attribute this to the Vibram soles. Of course the individual design of the sole will have an impact on this but as a general rule, I am very pleased with the performance of Vibram soles.

I touched on this above but just to mention again, the lacing system is strong and secure and in combination with the gusseted tongue, collar padding, and stable shaft, when laced up they will form a tough but comfortable outer shell on your feet and ankles.

In summary, the support and stability in the Guide boots is exceptional and with good traction on the ground, they should keep you good over most types of terrain, most of the year round. This was repeatedly commented on in user reviews, solid construction ensuring stability and comfort.

The Alico Guide boots sit in the higher price range for a pair of hiking boots. However, as already mentioned, they are a lot more than just hiking boots.

Prices are always changing, so to get an up to date price, please click on the image at the start of this review or any of the product links throughout.As mentioned, they are at the higher end of the price scale, however there are a couple of things to think about when considering the price.

Firstly, the Guide boots can be resoled so with proper care, you can have these boots for a long, long time to come. Secondly, I think that as these are handcrafted boots, they are probably the closest thing to having a bespoke custom handmade pair of boots without getting a personalized pair.

Why is that relevant? Well, a bespoke pair will cost you in and around $1000.00, give or take a few hundred. So, you can get very close to that level of quality and craftsmanship with the Guide boots which I think is kind of cool as while $299.95 is pricey for a pair of boots in most peoples eyes, $1000.00 is just not possible for most.

Overall, I think the Alico Guide boots are very well priced and you get a hell of lot of bang for your buck. I'll say it again though, if you're a light casual hiker, the Guide boots may be too much for your needs and you could look to the Tahoe boots from Alico or, if they're still to pricey, check out the Timberland Chochorua for a functional and more affordable light hiker.

However, think about it, a pair of lesser boots might come in at half or a third of the price of boots like these. They will also likely only last you one to three years and when they're done, they're done.

So, although your initial outlay may be more expensive, if you look after a pair of boots like these, they can last for 20 to 30 years with the resoling option. I'm not trying to do a sales pitch when I say that 🙂 I am just pointing it out as a factor for consideration in terms of long term value and quality in relation to buying hiking boots.

Remember, if you like the look of these boots and want to buy them, utilize the Sierra Trading Post coupon in the sidebar on this page, you should get anywhere from 20 -30% discount so you're already knocking the price down by 60 bucks or more.

I think the best uses for the Alico New Guide boots are for year round hard hiking over tough terrain and / or off trail hiking, as well as more intense mountaineering activities.

They'll also perform very well as a backpacking boot too. They're a classic leather hiking boot, which I really love, and their tough construction means they can take on a lot of challenges while keeping you stable and comfortable.

At a stretch, I would say they would be fine for general outdoor use, fishing, camping and that type of thing but, again, it's a lot of boot to get to stand around in one general spot in. They're made for tougher purposes than that but you could certainly utilize them for other pursuits.

If you're a casual hiker who likes to day hike on well established trails, these are probably much more boot than you need ... that doesn't mean you can't indulge yourself though of course 🙂 They're a great pair of boots any way you look at it!

These Alico New Guide hiking boots will be a strong and sturdy companion for any hiker or mountaineer. The fact that they are leather and handmade is a great indicator of the type of quality you can expect and at, I have to say, a very reasonable price.

When you move into custom made and handcrafted boots, things can get very pricey, very quickly.

As referenced above, if your hiking is light and casual on established trails, you might be better going for another Alico option like the Tahoe hiking boots for men.

Overall, the Alico New Guide Hiking Boots are a really nice boot for the trail, mountains and anything in between. Perfect for backpacking and tougher terrain, this all year rounder is definitely worth a look.

If you're still unsure what type of hiking boots you should get, check out the hiking boot buying guide and these hiking boot recommendations. I hope you found this review useful. Please comment and / or share it around your networks if you did.

Have you used the Alico New Guide Mountaineering Hiking Boots before? What was your experience with them? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

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