TRIED AND TESTED

ZHIK BOOT 460

Zhik call their Boot 460 a ‘lightweight race boot’, with 2mm neoprene rather than the 4mm you get with the. Despite that word ‘lightweight’, I wouldn’t call this specifically a warm-weather boot – it was easily warm enough, on my initial test, for March temperatures in the UK. Lightweight refers more to the flexibility – it has no rubber panels over the instep, another feature of the heavier Boot 260, and having just the neoprene gives you great flexibility around the boat, crucially without that sag in the material that you find on some models, so my feet, as well as being toasty, were well supported and did not move around within the boots. There is rubber below – not so thick that I lost any feel on deck – and a tread pattern that was every bit as grippy as I wanted. Confidence in the grip is partly down the good fit. However, a small tip – to avoid busting a gut to get the boots on, that side lacing needs to be well loosened beforehand. There is a strong velcro strap to secure the laces at the top.