Good for all-around use

By James MacDiarmid Ranked #91 - Men's Hiking Boots January 5, 2009

I didn't want to buy a heavy pair of boots for backpacking, a lighter pair for day-hiking, a Gore-tex pair for wet weather, and a breathable pair for warm weather. The Asolo fugitive make a great compromise. They've held up to 22 mile backpack with a 40 lb pack(still working on the ultra-light thing). For dayhiking a lighter boot would be nice, but they aren't so heavy that they hold me back on a 15 mile day-hike. The soles are solid, holding up to the abuse that comes with hiking on the abrasive granite of the Sierra, and the uppers don't require too much break-in (~20 miles in my case) while still being stiff enough to provide pretty good ankle support. Waterproofness has been excellent in rain, dewey grass, and snowshoeing in fresh Sierra cement. The Gore-tex breathes decently but feet will heat up in warmer weather. My feet sweat regardless so it's a matter of degree to me and not a big deal. The Gore-tex contributes to the fact that while they're not insulated winter boots, I didn't get cold feet while snowshoeing in mid-30s temps, wearing a merino liner sock and expedition-weight merino hiking sock. They can be purchased in a wide, which was important to me. I swapped out the insoles for an aftermarket pair, but that's just my preference. The factory insoles aren't awful. Now, if you have the money, or you specialize, I'd buy a pair of activity-specific footwear. But for a generalist like myself, who can live with an affordable boot that is pretty good at a lot of things but doesn't excel at any one thing, the Asolo Fugitive is made to order.

View Details: Asolo Fugitive GTX Hiking Boot - Men's

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