Boot Mooch - The outdoor gear price comparison site

The simple answer is that most of the people buying Meindls already own a pair and that in itself encourages new buyers. So now we can account for the numbers but we don't really know what makes these people return time and time again. There must be something about Meindl that that sets them apart.... what is it?

Ok the next bit is going to be difficult without resorting to racial stereotypes because Meindl are German and it is an undeniable fact that those guys do fact based, logical engineering like no others. The Italian camps of Scarpa and La Sportiva do soul (no pun intended), they are the style gods producing excellent boots that clearly start with a brief of style and substance. Meindl and Raichle engineer boots using the form follows function approach to performance, if their boots are striking on the eye it is because the function allowed it - there was no prerequisite.

The Family Business

Meindl is a family business and they've been around for over 300 years. It is now in the hands of Lars and Lukas Meindl who are the 11th generation of the family based in Kirchanshoring, Bavaria where it's not just the Meindl family who have worked in the production of high quality boots for generations, many of the people working there are the children and grandchildren of Meindl boot makers.

Meindl Technology

The Meindl Engineers start with the foot and build out. If you look at the areas where their R&D Euros have been spent you will see terms like b-dynamic footbed,  MFS Vakuum, Comfort-fit, and Air Revolution. Every one of these trademarks refers to how your foot fits your boot. The b-dynamic footbed is the use of memory foam  (MFS Vakuum Foam) in the footbed to make it mold to the shape of your foot which not only increases comfort but also makes the boot more stable and transfers more power to the ground reducing fatigue. Comfort-fit is used in the trekking boots and utilises cork to build another great footbed where shape, air flow and moisture absorption are the prime considerations for a comfortable day on the trail.

Finally Air Revolution which seeks to put an end to that burning sole sensation when you been pushing it out on the hill for a few hours. It cleverly uses perforations, mesh and a small pump in the sole that work together to push hot air out of the boot at each footfall. All of these innovations have won numerous awards and just to make sure that the effects are optimised Meindl have created socks to fully compliment their boots. Gender specific fits finalise the approach to ensuring that the boots are everything they can be.

Meindl's mantra is longevity, reliability, safety, value for money and loving attention to detail. A pair of boots will go trough 150 to 200 individual stages before leaving Kirchanshoring to make it's way to you, each of these stages involves skilled human interaction and quality is the name of the game. the quality of materials is also paramount  with Goretex and high quality leather being used to great effect.

Buying Meindl

From what we can see it's clearly working, read the reviews or ask someone who has a pair, we genuinely haven't found anyone with anything bad to say. So no surprise then that they top the league on Boot Mooch.

So if you're sold on the idea which pair is right for you? Well it's the Burma Pro MFS GTX that we sell most of. They're a great choice if you want an all year round, do anything pair of boots. Available in Men's and Women's fits we'd recommend that you start here and work up or down depending on your needs. If you do choose Meindl please let us know how you get on.