I was facing the dreaded "boot replacement" this spring, and checked here for reviews and thoughts on boots. It was painful, but I decided to not go cheap on boots (I do backcountry patrols as my volunteer gig and put a log of miles on my boots) and opted to purchase Zamberlan Vioz GTX backpackers.
I went to REI to try a bunch on and ended up with a bigger size than I expected (11.5 EEE). Price was okay ($299) and not a bargain, but I don't like the try it on, then buy online trick.
https://www.rei.com/product/774690/zamberlan-vioz-gtx-hiking-boots-mens
First hikes for the past three months on these boots have been pretty good-- solid ankle support, great traction. Slightly heavier than others, the weight is quite tolerable.
I did experience seepage from the welt of the boots, but put some snoseal on a q-tip and ran a bead around the bottom of the boot and it seemed to solve the issue.
Overall review after 3 months: really good and glad I bought these!
See you on the trail!
I have the women’s version of these - LOVE THEM. Yes they are a little heavier and not nearly so fashionable as trail runners etc, but I’ve been wearing the same pair coming up on 10 years and well over 3000 miles, with 1 sole replacement a few years back, c/o Dave Page, and an annual footbed replacement. I have a new pair that have been sitting in the box for several years for when these wear out, but quite frankly I might wear out before the boots do!
I bought a pair of the Vioz Lux GTX (men's) boots 2-1/2 years ago and absolutely love them. Yes, they're heavy, but my ankles can get a bit wobbly and I like how solid these feel. Wore them around the condo for an afternoon right after I bought them, and then backpacked from Salmon la Sac to Waptus Lake the next weekend. Pretty much a perfect fit and felt great for the entire hike.
In the course of looking these up just now on the REI site to remember which model they are, I saw that all their Zamberlan boots are 25% off which is not a trivial savings on boots this spendy.
Whenever I go to REI I always check out the "returns and reduced" dept to check out the offerings. Several years ago, there was a returned pair of this model of Zamberlain's, which looked like they hadn't even been used:
https://www.zamberlanusa.com/product/9789385/1025-tofane-nw-gtx-r-rr-men-s-norwegian-welt-hiking-boots-waxed-brick
I didn't know if they were men's or women's, but they fit perfectly. Price was $170. Just for the heck of it, I went to the shoe dept to see what the regular retail price was. Salesperson said they didn't usually carry that model, it has to be special-ordered. He pulled it up on his phone, regular price was about $400 - I couldn't believe my good fortune. Didn't even have to break them in, they fit so well.
"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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