Hanwag - Banks II GTX - Walking boots

The Hanwag boot is not waterproof and the sole wears out extremely quickly. Once the boot is wet which happens very quickly it takes at least 5 days to dry out.
The boot has been used once a week for the last 25 weeks for general hill walking over good ground conditions. It is quite a comfortable boot but its limitations means that it is completely useless. As an example of Hanwag boots I wont be buying any more.

I can't quite understand all the gushing reviews about this boot, the only bad reviews I came across before purchasing a pair was on American websites. I took them with a pinch of salt, however they were bang on with regard to the too soft leather & at times lethal slippery soles. They don't slip all the time but you can't anticipate when they will. I slipped on wet rock (not slimy) my foot going as high as my chest, unbelievably I landed on one leg without going down (not good when you've had a full hip replacement).

Having owned a pair of Hanwag Alaska's for 8 years (& they're still going strong, awesome boot) I got these for summer hiking at at 1/3 off sale price.... Hanwag.... great price... no brainer thought I.

First the good... the fit runs true to size and they need no breaking in, I did a five mile street walk to rough up the soles then climbed snowdon in them. They are 100% waterproof, treat them like short wellies.

That I'm afraid is where it ends... the cordura and leather for that matter soak up water like a sponge and hold on to it making them extremely heavy as a result, so I purchased Hanwag's own brand wax to at least keep water out of the leather.... big mistake, this made the already soft leather so supple the boot now has no support at all.
The sole of the boot is unpredictably slippery on wet grass, rock & especially wood. To give you an idea of this, I slipped several times whilst going up and back down Snowdon, where my companions & other folk were not.
I've since gone out in wet weather wearing one Alaska and one Banks II & the Alaska's dont slip when the Banks do!
Relegated them to the most expensive work boot I've ever owned.

I never write reviews when I've just taken something out of the box and these boots are a good example of why that is. They are VERY comfortable, I love them for that, but the plastic welt strip (whatever it's called) is set too low down and it has actually cut through the leather, so now I have a gaping split on the side of both boots - useless. I haven't thrown them away, because they are so comfortable and the soles are still good, but I only wear them on "dry" walks now, which is perfectly ridiculous! I wouldn't bother with these again, they weren't cheap boots and I expect better than that.