We were offered some Nortiv8 boots to try which we'd never heard of (apparently they are American) and it's always interesting to try something we haven't come across before. The price point is quite cheap for walking boots. However, the stitching and gluing all seems nice and neat and the catches seem solid.

Don't make the schoolboy error that I made in assuming the size is wrong: the sizes printed on the inside sole of the boots are American (the UK size is shown on the label on the tongue).

The womens' design consists of an upper of leather. The mens' design is suede around a synthetic textile core with a panelled design more reminiscent of walking shoes and a rubber toe cap. We'll how both fare over time in the wet.

First impressions putting the boots on is that they are comfortable and were fine to launch straight into several miles of walking without any breaking-in. Some reviewers on Amazon mention that they were a bit stiff initially but (perhaps because we spend a LOT of time in walking boots) I can't say we noticed that any more than any other walking boot. Perhaps if you are comparing with trainers or very worn-in boots you might notice a difference but that's true with most new boots. As with any boots they are likely to soften a bit over time.

An initial inspection of the soles showed a reassuring bit of "squidge" to the rubber when pressed firmly promising some potential for good grip. Consequently we took the boots on their first outing to the "death slide" at Readymoney Cove where a mediaeval cart track consisting of algae-coated bedrock, polished by centuries of use, leads down to the beach from the woods. A couple of weeks ago Linda had performed "Vibram gymnastics" here, resulting in bruises that she was not willing to show in public. We were both really impressed with the grip on the Nortiv8 soles which was a breath of fresh air after the last couple of pairs of boots we've tried.

We'll update the review once they've had another season or two of wear to see how they last, but so far, so good. From what I've seen already, for the price, you probably can't go too far wrong with these if you do most of your walking in the summer. We'll come back and add to that with winter/longevity performance.

Nortiv8 boots on Amazon: men's and women's. They do half-sizes and also a wide fit. Size shown on Amazon are clearly labelled UK.

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