However, even after the most rigorous assessment and testing, there is no better way to be absolutely sure than to have the boots on your feet for an extended period of time. We therefore offer our Home Trial Period which gives you the opportunity to wear the boots around your house to give you an indication of how they feel before you venture outside. We recommend that during the Home Trial Period that you wear the boots for as long as possible and at different times of the day, wear them up and down stairs, when moving around and when resting, you can even sleep in them if you want.

It’s no surprise then to find out that those expectations are reached and surpassed, with the AKU Pilgrim Desert being phenomenally comfortable to wear and giving excellent support over undulating terrain, wet ground and snowy hills.The GORE TEX protection is complete, including tongue and up to the collar, so unless the water goes over the top of the Pilgrim GTX FG, it’s not getting in. This again has been proven in tests over a two month wear period, and it’s absolutely spot on. The Pilgrim is issued by the British armed forces and is very well-liked by the soldiers wearing them for work. Super-breathable Air 8000 Manufactured according to UK sizes, to which they are true. The last is fairly wide and the toes have a generous allowance. If you want a tighter fit, consider half a size smaller. Pro tip: if you already own Salomon Forces series footwear, these seem very close to their sizes in our experience. This test will tell you if the shape of the internal heel cup matches your heel to ensure it holds you securely, especially when ascending steep ground. We are trying to eliminate the dreaded heel blister. This is the brand new Pilgrim FG GTX model based on the AKU Pilgrim M2 GTX. Trekitt were instrumental in getting this boot on the issue list and we are immensely proud that a boot we originally designed in partnership with AKU is now officially recognised by the MOD.

They look great, caused immense pain, but look like the same quality as the AKUs that lasted until they had holes through the sole. The AKU Pilgrim Desert also weighs in at 1326g for a pair, which whilst it sounds a lot, is barely noticeable due to the good fit. The treads have a decent pronouncement from the sole which gives the Pilgrim GTX FG better grip and increases longevity against wear and tear and the boot is designed and tested around supporting a weight of 45kgs. Aku Italia is a family business that was originally founded in the '70s and got its current name in 1985. The hometown is Montebelluna in northern Italy, near the beautiful Mediterranean shores and vineyards but also close to the Alps and the heart of Europe.This is the new Mark 2 version of the hugely successful AKU Pilgrim GTX boot. These boots are exclusive to Trekitt in the UK and were developed from the original AKU Navy Seal to provide a stable and supportive multi-purpose 6" ankle boot with a full Gore-Tex lining for complete waterproofing and unparalleled breathability. The Pilgrim range of boots have been used throughout the world by special forces and emergency services for effective rapid intervention work and specialist operations.

Compared to my full leather Meindl Engadins, the upper is much more flexible and it's up to you if this is an advantage of disadvantage. And finally: they're on the narrow side which fortunately isn't an issue for me. That's all I have for today, go away now. We all know that we often carry substantially more weight than 45kg, but it doesn’t mean the Pilgrim GTX FG will fail, it just means that the increase in compression on the midsole, etc, may cause a slight dip in the comfort and support provided. The face fabric is a tough 3D woven nylon constructed with a raised and increased surface area which provides outstanding abrasion resistance. The combination of these technologies allows the Pilgrim GTXM2 to breathe 30% better than any of its competitors. Almost as a byproduct of this attitude to make the best possible boots, the sourcing and manufacturing processes became more sustainable environmentally. Once this was realized by the head of Aku, they put a magnifying glass on this aspect of their operations as well. Aku Italia takes great measures to reduce its carbon footprint and plant trees to compensate for the emissions they cannot avoid. Also, leather tanning and other processes are developed to involve less harmful chemicals. Before the boot is fully dry, impregnate with a spray-on protector and/or treat them with care creme on a moist sponge. The treatment soaks into the fibers of the material, making it water and dirt repellent. Contrary to intuitive thought, this doesn't make the footwear less breathable: wet and dirty materials are the poorly breathing ones.To round off the AKU Pilgrim Desert, the sole itself is Vibram branded, with what Trekitt describe as ‘positive heel brake’ which essentially means the grip on the heel points towards the toe to allow increased grip going downhill or when stopping suddenly. Vibram are a well known brand and it’s good to see that whilst own brand soles are often very good, that expense hasn’t been spared on the AKU Pilgrim Desert. Update 17 Oct 2022: finally some rain, which kept my feet dry and yesterday I waded ankle deep in the local mere whilst walking the dog: the dog's feet got wet, mine didn't. We'll see how they hold up over time. The face fabric is a tough 3D woven nylon constructed with a raised and increased surface area which provides outstanding abrasion resistance. The combination of these technologies allows the Pilgrim GTXto breathe 30% better than any of its competitors. In our Hereford shop we offer a professional boot fitting service where we assess your feet, find a selection of boots that match you foot shape and most importantly we make sure that they are comfortable.This iseasy to do in the shop, where we have access tothe right tools, the option of letting you try on as many styles as you like and a knowledgeable member of staff that cancommunicate directly with you regarding your needs. Down the bottom of the inside, we have the insole itself which is a curved and ergonomic style, nothing too fancy but better than many of the old issue insoles you’d get (Green feet graters anyone?). It doesn’t hold a smell and so the hygiene of the boot is kept to quite a high level, though again you can always swap this out with an Ortholite or whatever your fancy is.