Wow. You have a surprising amount of passion regarding ankle protection vs price. 

To be clear, I haven't settled on anything yet.  Just researching so far, and after reading a lot of advrider threads on footwear, I want to make sure there is adequate ankle protection.  All such boots seems to have sufficient shin and toe and heel protection as a standard, so I'm not concerned there.  And the higher end MX boots seem to have really good Achilles protection and, according to some reports, the solidity and height of the boot has allowed them to get home after breaking a leg (the boot holds things together), albeit, rather painfully.  Of course, I don't think I need THAT level of protection (eg: Crossfires).  But short of that, once I get a look at 2 or 3 varieties in person, I'll know what works for me.  Then it's all about fit.  Could be SIDI, A*, or the very same Oneils you have.

Quote from: He Man on January 08, 2015, 09:13:24 AM
is $400 worth your ankles to be safer. sure. but you could say that about literally anything!

And it's not $400, it's $50 (the price different between the Discovery Rain and Adventure Rain models), or at most $200 if comparing to more entry-level boots.

I guess that means you're not interested in the Fullbores.

PM sent.

Got the SIDI Adventure Rain boots.  There were as expected and fit perfectly.  Tried some A* and felt comfy but the SIDI's felt a little more "structured".  But I can still walk around with them off the bike.

I also got a Shoei Hornet on sale.  I tried the AGV AX-8 DS and really wanted to like that more but it think the Shoei was better for me.  One of the other reasons I wanted the AGV was because I already HAVE a Shoei for my street bike (an RF-1100), and so I wanted to own another brand just to mix it up.  But the Shoei just fit a little bit better and allegedly has better noise isolation.

 

the SIDIs are primo boots! i love their fit and function, pricey though but its one of the brands i think are actually worth the $$$. my gf has a Shoei Hornet, i cant comment on i other than i like the face shield. but if it fits its good!

If you want to practice riding around on a dirt bike just let me know. Ive got a WR450F, its street legal so you can take it out and ride it around and see how you deal with the height and pratice stand up riding and foot peg position.


I have to throw the shock back on it and finish tightening up some bolts

PM sent.






Oh, and I got a KLIM jacket.  I decided to go all-in on ADV stuff, which is how I (pre)spent my tax return.  Last year I used it for Oz Piega wheels; this year, gear.  So much gear.  I'm gonna look like such a noob on Day 1 of this trip, what with all my shiny clothes.  Maybe I'll do some belly slides in Central Park all suited up to break in everything and give it a worn look. 

Well it seems like I'm a little late to this.. But

Pants, so adv pants will be good.  Off road pants won't come with built in armor, for good or bad.  They do have room for knee braces, so that's a big differentiator.  So with pure off road pants your looking at some sort of knee and probably hip armor supplement where adv will probably ship with.

Back on to boots, I don't think anyone has mentioned bike grip.  If you look at the photos of the crossfires you'll see that the inner side has a large  rubbery panel.  Of course if you got pants over boot, that covered, but if exposed it does make a real difference in gripping the bike especially when standing

Also off-road boots will have a rather ridged shank - they do feel a good bit like ski boots

Interesting you mention the boot innards.  One of the other boots I considered had a flatter bottom with little-to-no step between the heel and rest of the bottom.  Presumably for easier movement up and down along the peg without the heel ledge catching.  But I also see than some styles have a rugged bottom, like a hefty hiking book.  My Adventure Rain has such a sole.  I assume this is because you don't want your foot sliding off the peg as you bump over rugged terrain, while also needing some rugged grip on the dirt when your plant your foot on turns, etc.  Anyway, that is what I assumed.

Oh, and I will look for KLIM pants that zip into my jacket in the distance future.  Need time for my wallet to cool off first.