Brandecosse Capriolo Boots ~ Down South

During our Southern Hemisphere trip we had a chance to go kayaking on a Chilean lake ~ we had a rugged walk to the launch site on the lakeside so I wore my Capriolo Capriolo Boots which proved a good choice and gave a good opportunity to try their water resilience [© Jean Gormley]

Brandecosse is a new one for us ~ these Capriolo Boots have stood up well to a first evaluation in the Southern Hemisphere, writes Mike Gormley.

I suspect a good few of you out there will not have heard about this brand of boots. Well, up to quite recently neither had I. In the great scheme of things Brandecosse is not, I suppose, an age-old company as only formed in 2008. However, the grass roots of this company go far deeper. I saw an advert and liked the looks and because I am always looking for new and perhaps less-known products that suit ‘our’ needs I got in touch and hey presto, here we are.

Capriolo country boots in Brown (Coffee) are also available in Tan (Tobacco) or Dark Blue (Aster) suede [© Brandecosse]

As the name (Brand Écosse) suggests the company is based in Scotland. However, their boot manufacturing is carried out in Italy by Calzaturificio Diemme. For me this makes a good combination of Scottish knowledge of what it requires for boots for the hills and the legendary ability of the Italians to build very good footwear. Over the recent couple of months I had the opportunity to take a pair of Capriolo Boots with me on my travels and I chose these for my recent extensive trip to the Southern Hemisphere, which involved a huge range of very varied needs for my footwear and in particular for me; not only did they need to cope with all sorts, but the boots also needed to be light and easy to pack if not in use.

Down in the Antarctic the Capriolo Boots worked out perfectly during the many hours spent out on cold wet decks of our ship [©JG]

On this trip I would be in hot as well as very cold conditions and on everything from hot tarmac to rough and muddy tracks as well as frozen ground and wet ship and boat decks. Perhaps above all, I needed to be comfortable for long days of use. Quite a big ask but as ideally only able to take three items of footwear I opted for multipurpose boots, i.e. the Capriolos, smart shoes for dress occasions and sandals. My plan worked well. I most certainly did not want clumpy heavy duty walking boots suited to a day’s walking across boggy moorland, but I did need a boot that would be good for multiple applications, and these worked well.

The Capriolos were my day-to-day footwear aboard ship ~ note here the well protected rubber toe and the lacing system coming right to the toes enabling plenty of adjustment ~ wet decks on a heaving sea can be a bit tricky underfoot so safe and secure footwear is a necessity [©JG]

Getting around a fast-moving boat you need to have sure footed boots ~ with their Vibram Friction soles the Capriolos worked very well [©JG]

Just for a change we took a boat trip out of Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world, up the Beagle Channel and again the Capriolos were idea for a very varied day on the water and ashore [©JG]

There are a number of features about these boots worthy of specific mention. The uppers are of Italian suede, so have a good look as well as being supple. This has a waterproof, proven on my trip, Sympatex H2O lining. The suede is protected by a rubber toe cap to offset the knocks of hard use. The sole is a ‘Vibram Friction’ outsole, which is quite thin so gives ‘feel’ and flexibility to aid grip on more tricky places, but is supportive enough. The removable insole is a quite generous, soft memory foam and has a perforated leather top surface for added durability. Very comfy. To allow for the vagaries of foot shapes the lacing system goes right down to the toe protector. I have quite wide feet and at first fitting these boots felt a bit tight. This can be adjusted to suit both your personal foot size and variations of say operating temperature and use to adjust for your foot getting hot and swelling a bit as well as for sock type. The Capriolo boots come in a variety of colours: Coffee, as tested; Tobacco; and Aster (blue). I am also pleased to say they go up to a UK size 13. It states in the info these are also vailable for Ladies.

While exploring the Falkland’s we encountered all sorts of terrain ~ light and capable, the Capriolos were just right for a long day of exploring distant lands ~ the flexibility of these boots make them very comfortable when getting down to a bit of penguin photography [©JG]

One of a number of poignant moments when on the Falkland Islands ~ the Capriolos were ideal for this varied day of exploring [©JG]

The Capriolos really came up to expectations on our extended trip and are now in frequent use back home in the UK though now looking a bit well-used, which they are. I can’t help thinking that for those guys that spend a lot of their time in the shadows and really don’t want or need the more clumpy military type boots these Capriolos would be ideal. Offering good supportive and waterproof footwear where being sure-footed is a definite requirement and able to be nimble and quiet and able to take on any type of conditions as they evolve. The Capriolo boots are also good to drive in, be that a truck, Land Rover or car. Worth a look chaps.