Gaerne SG-12 MX Boots

As I’d been happily wearing the hinged Gaerne SG-10 MX/off-road boot for many years, I bought a new pair for a 10,000-mile off-road marathon last summer.

- Jayem Staelens

When preparing for an expedition into the wilderness, leave nothing to chance in terms of equipment, as your safety and survival often depend on it. Trying to save a few bucks on gear can be foolish if it risks compromising your safety.

Riding offroad since the ‘70s, I’ve owned every conceivable brand of motocross boot. I’ve also experienced the importance of protective footwear. In my twenties, I got badly injured in a dirt bike crash, and in those days motocross boots were less sturdy than even today’s entry-level adventure boots, let alone offering the level of protection that modern-day MX boots provide. Suffering open fractures, I came very close to amputation, and it took 18 months and five surgeries with plenty of titanium, grafts and transplants to save and reconstruct my leg and ankle.

I share this because I always cringe when encountering adventure riders wearing touring boots or, even worse, hiking boots or tennies. Given my experiences, I won’t compromise on the quality of my footwear or the protection it offers. And neither should you, especially considering the statistics showing that ankle/lower leg fractures are by far the most frequent injuries suffered in motorcycle accidents.