Very few gripes

By Brian G. Sweeney Ranked #341 - Men's Backpacking Boots October 26, 2009

Well people seem only to have good things about these boots (and they're all true - i just got a pair and they're awesome) however to be fair i'll point out my few trivial concerns:

1) The toe leather is not as well protected as on some boots. My last pair of boots had the entire toe wrapped in rubber which i failed to appreciate until now - after just one hike the front of my boots are a bit scuffed up. To be fair, i'm the sort of person who abuses all of his gear some how... In any event i think that eventually I'll need to treat the toe with something to keep it from wearing out.
2) The sole is stiff as hell! I think this is a great thing, however if you are traveling terrain which might be described as anything less than rugged its annoying. I wore them to work for 1.5 weeks just to break them in before my first hike and I was having second thoughts about their comfort, however it's simply that they're not street shoes. On the trail they're amazingly comfortable.

Ditto all comments regarding narrow feet - that's what I have and fit nicely.
Also, these are the first pair of boots i've owned that I wasnt thrilled to pull off at the end of the day. I got into them at 5 AM, walked a mile or two to the car, drove for 4 hours, hiked 6 miles, drove back another 4 hours, and walked home again all without once having to adjust them or regret not having brought a second pair of shoes for after the hike (something always did before I got these).

Finally, I cant' speak to their breath-ability since it was between 20 and 45 degrees F for my first hike in these, however they are both warm and waterproof. They kept my feet comfortable for the whole trail which was a mix of mud, snow and water ice.

Update:

I just went for a hike in 60-70F weather and i did not find them too warm even with a heavy mountaineering sock under them. (Just to give some context, I think that 60F is hot.)

I did discover how to make them leak, unfortunately. First of all, I should not have been doing what I was doing with these boots. In any event, climbed up a 1200 foot 45 degree snow filled chute with no crampons and I had to kick steps into the snow pretty much the entire way. There's no rand on the toe, so the leather on the toe got beat to hell and eventually water got through at the toe. Im not sure of the leather soaked through of the seam with the sole leaked. In any event, now i need to put an hour or so of Nikwax and seam sealer work into them.

View Details: Asolo TPS 520 GV Boot - Men's

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