By I picked up these boots just recently when I started to get into adventure riding on my GS, as my road boots just didn’t have a solid enough sole or enough grip for standing up on the pegs and putting my feet down in the mud. I’ve had these boots for a few weeks now, and have ridden on and off road, in the cold, the heat, the wet and the mud. I’ve been camping in them, I’ve been to town in them. Here’s my thoughts a few weeks in to owning the Alpine Stars Corozal Adventure Boots.
Comfort
A confession – I didn’t go into the shop to buy these boots. I went in for a pair of Sidi adventure 2 boots. £50 cheaper, reams of glowing reviews, goretex lined. They seemed to be the perfect boot for what I needed. Alas, it was not to be. I’d read that the Sidi’s were sized narrow, and the reports were true. My wide feet don’t fit in them, even a size larger, and they just wouldn’t have been comfortable for me.
And let’s face it – a pair of boots like this you are planning to spend a lot of time in. Top of the list for me when it comes to a new pair of boots, has to be comfort. In the shop, these boots were straight away a really good fit. Comfortable on the inside with nice cushioning. When I first got them home and walked around in them, there were parts that felt like they were applying some quite uncomfortable pressure, but with some adjustment of the buckles, and a few hundred metres ridden, they seem to have broken in quickly and quickly become a very comfortable pair of boots to ride in.
Heat
The downside of these boots for me is that they are very warm. I say that right now because we’ve just had a massive heat wave in the UK, and I’m planning to ride to Spain in August and these boots were supposed to be coming with me. These boots are SWEATY. They are fairly well padded, and also have the waterproof liner. These ‘Breathable’ membranes like goretex and so on I find are really all the same story. Maybe they’re a bit more breathable that a plastic bin liner, but you will still sweat, and that moisture will not magically evaporate. I’m still debating with myself wether or not I will take them with me to Spain at the moment.
Cold and/or wet
Getting real, I won’t be going to hot climates regularly – maybe once every year or two at best. For the most part my riding is in the ever changeable, but mostly wet regions of the UK such as Wales, Scotland and Ireland. For this kind of riding these boots will be absolutely ideal, I’ve not found them to let water in yet, and I’ve stood in them with a hose pointed at them to wash the mud off without any issues.
Walking around
The Corozal is fine for walking around. You wouldn’t make these your first choice for a hike, they’d get pretty sweaty pretty quick, but you could do a reasonable distance in relative comfort if you had to. They squeak a little, but nowhere near as much as other more plasticy boots. I walk around a campsite very happily in these. Changing into a pair of trainers is more comfortable, but I didn’t feel the need on a recent trip.
Safety
It’s incredibly difficult to assess how safe your gear is other than to give it a good feel and see what squeezes and bends, what movement your feet have, how much hard plastic is there and so on and just make your judgement.
These boots have a really stiff sole, which is a big plus for safety, and stand up riding. Compared to the popular forma adventure boots, they have significantly less flex to them in both the sole and the ankle which I definitely see as a positive. They sole is even stiff than that of the Sidi adventures. I’m confident I have about as decent protection as I could expect to get in an adventure boot without moving to a full motocross boot. The sidi’s possibly have that little bit better protection around ankle support and hard plastic in the heel. As will any adventure boot really, there’s decent shin protection, and ankle plates that you’ll find on basically any motorcycle boot. The Corozal’s do have a sort of biomechanical hinge in the ankle which is supposed to allow forward and backward flex, but limit sideways flex and stop you breaking your ankle (in theory). Personally, I’m jubious about what these really do on these boots – hopefully I’ll never have to test it, and we’ll just have to put our faith in the designers that there is some science and not just aesthetics to these kinds of features.
Bike control
These boots are pretty bulky, and the sole is very stiff, and thick. This means that they have significantly less feel in them to know when your foots on the brake pedal, or knowing if your toe has hooked the gear shifter. To fit my tow under the gear shifter on my r1200GS I have to raise the shifter to it’s highest setting. You very quickly get used to it, and it’s just the nature of these kind of boots, but for this reason, I’d say these boots are not well suited to new riders still getting to grips with the controls of their bikes.
Quality and price
These are some really nice looking boots. There’s plastic bits on them, but it’s relatively decent plastic if you can call it that. I have the oiled leather colour way, which I think looks spot on for a pair of adventure boots. They come in black, which to me look like police or army boots, but whatever you’re into. There’s some visible glue around the seems on my pair, which is disappointing for the price. Buckles are plastic. They should be metal at this price point in my mind.
Price wise, these are a pricey boot. Given they don’t have the same credibility as the Sidi Adventure 2 boots, they are about £50 more expensive in the UK at the moment you won’t get much change from £300. They do feel like a premium option, but the price for me does sting a little given the price point of the market leading competition.
