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What are your thoughts on buying used snowboard boots?


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I think it's a terrible idea. Unless you are buying them from a mate... or someone who has never used them. Some boots can still look pretty new and be in terrible condition re. stiffness or flexibility. With regular use I think most boots won't last more than a few season before there is a noticeable difference in the two points I previously mentioned. If they are higher end boots they may last a bit longer...

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Boots are the most important bit of kit to get right IMO. Used boards and bindings are fair game, I'd rather spend a bit of cash on getting the boots to fit properly. Even if they are in good nick, the fact that your feet are different shape to the previous owners means the inside of the boot will not fit your foot properly....if you are gonna be in them all day, you don't want them pinching

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I'm all for saving money and getting out there more, so part of me says go for it if they fit. I wouldn't spend much on them in case it proves that they don't. Maybe 5000 max, unless its from a mate and you can ride em for a day first.

 

Boots are however the bit of gear I'm most likely to spend money on.

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Ive done it a few times. Both times they didnt fit well (the second pair had the WORST pressure point on the top of my foot), but i had the stoke on so i could have been in crocs and would have still ridden

 

Depends if you have the stoke or not and just how much pain youre willing to endure to keep riding. If youre the type of person that gets pain and plows through it because youre buzzed about riding more than you are about crippling your feet, then party on garth! :)

If however youre the kind of person who likes to not have their boots annoying the crap out of you every time youre on the lift, or any time youre skating, or worse, any time youre actually riding... AND IT DOES annoy you the point that youd just stop riding so you can put your feet up after an hour or so, then definitely get fitted.

 

All of this is contextualised though with the rest of the thread: pay a bit more and get fitted. You can get new boots that fit and dont cripple you for under $100. So is that extra 20 or 30 bucks worth saving you moaning all day about your feet and feeling absolutely miserable every time you start hitting the trails? Up to you at the end of the day! We all have our own priorities and our own tolerance to discomfort.

 

None of this of course mentions the improvement youll get to your ride by being in the right size gear in the first place. Boots are performance footwear after all. They arent style or comfort footwear. You want a specific response from them, so they need to fit you right to get that response. You can sort of get it in any size, but well, why not just get it in the right size if it comes down to the cost of a night at the cinema? :p

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Used boots are never a good idea. Boots will be moulded to the previous owner's feet through usage, which won't be the same shape as yours.... Not to mention that they will be moist and smelly. Eeeeew!

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I took used boots to Niseko the 1st time and they bruised my shin really bad ended up buying new ones 2 days later.

 

I have worn some hire boots before and they were ok.

 

If they are cheap/free try them if no good buy new ones.

 

Even new boots can hurt your feet.

 

Seemore

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In fairness though, I know people who've bought brand new boots in a shop and found that they got blisters once they got on the hill. It took me a couple of tries to find boots I could hike in comfortably.

 

I also "outgrew" a couple of pairs of hard boots I had in my late thirties, for some mysterious and ultimately expensive reason.

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Buying and using used boots is like buying and using unwashed used underwear. Some people like it.

 

Having said that I did use hire boots first lesson. And that grossed me out to make me buy my own boots pronto.

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