Gear: Alpinestars Scout Waterproof Boots

Alpinestars claims that these Scout Waterproof Boots are good for wearing on both dual sports and sport tourers. Looking at their tall uppers, huge buckles and thick soles, I was skeptical of that. But, after wearing them on a WR250R, Moto Guzzi Norge and Shamu, they totally do work across a range of riding positions. They’re way more flexible than they look, honestly waterproof, rugged and low key.

I’ve now worn these boots off-road, through rivers, around LA and on a trip to and from San Francisco in freezing rain. On that trip, I somehow managed to forget to pack my shoes, so ended up wearing the Scouts to walk around town. They’re too bulky to fit under jeans, so I ended up looking like a German tourist, but they were comfortable to walk around in. That’s in part due to the studded rubber sole, which provides way more traction to do boot-like things than normal riding boots typically manage. Helps with grip on dirt bike pegs too.

They’re probably just too bulky to work on the high pegs of an honest sportsbike, but on a sport tourer like Shamu, there’s plenty of articulation in the ankles and feel through the soles even to shift body positions and hang off.

The only downside is that there’s no impact protection for the ankles, making them a bit light-duty for real off-roading. That probably helps make them so flexible, but some sort of Tech10-style protection against hyperflexion would also be welcome if you’re really going to wear them dual sport riding.

Just make sure you wear your riding pants over them in the rain. The cuff lacks the gaiter of fancier boots in the range and doesn’t close tightly enough to keep even splashes out when you wear them over your pants. Because they’re waterproof, they’ll hold water once it gets in. This water crossing was a bit much for them. Having said that, properly secured, they totally kept water out through the five-hour ride from LA to San Francisco even though it poured pretty much the whole way.

I really like the relatively restrained branding and all-black subtlety, these boots are now a regular component of my touring setup, coming out any time it might rain or when I need to ride a variety of bikes. At $280, they’re pretty affordable too.

Alpinestars