I have tried countless boots and they always seem to fall short of perfection for one reason or another. My first pair that I loved dearly were the cheapest of the bunch; they fell apart after my first serious week-long hiking trip. I've progressed up the price ladder and still had various issues with many brands; split soles, leaking "waterproof" boots, cinder-block-heavy full-support all-leather or minimal support mid-hikers, you name it. I feel like I've never found the perfect combination, and there seem to be just too many options out there to try them all. Trips to REI end up in a mountain of opened boot boxes, none of which are "just right".
So this year I decided to go with the recommendation of Backpacker magazine and give these a try. Normally I avoid the "Best of" recommendations since they (miraculously) change every year, and instead try to find the best for me. But, for lack of better options, I gave the TrekSta GTX Hiking Shoe a try after their glowing recommendation.
First, the pros -these are so light! They are as light as sneakers yet hold up like boots. They are comfortable right out of the box and I have had no hot spots even with a 30-40lb pack for sustained distances. They hold up to serious water and mud with no leaks. Ankle support is apparent although I haven't had a serious twist yet to see if they provide meaningful support. The lacing system is nice as well and allow me to rapidly tie them up. There is only one level of "hook" tyle lacing (the rest are eyelets), which makes it much faster to tie up.
The cons -there aren't many but they should be considered. Due to the way the lacing system is designed, the top row of laces can sometimes slip down and the tongue on the boot will pop out a bit, resulting in a looser fit and less ankle support. I can tie the laces tighter to keep the tongue in, but then it seems to be too tight for my feet. Not a huge deal but this is something I have noticed. Of more concern is the tread. This is a light boot/shoe but the tread could be a tad more agressive. I found myself slipping in muddy conditions where my heavier boots with more aggressive treads had much less trouble.
Overall, this is an excellent lightweight hiking shoe based on my experience. I've put maybe 50-75 miles on them so far and have few complaints. With a few design tweaks this could be the perfect hiking boot/shoe.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Literally the best backpacking boot I've ever put on my foot. Just came back from a 4 day trip in Yosemite; came out with the usual general aches and pains, but zero foot complaints--first time that's ever happened for me.I have what I consider to be fairly hard-to-fit feet. A little wide, I usually take a size over what I think my toes need just to keep the sides of my feet happy. For the TrekStas, I bought for my toes. When I got the shoes, they slipped on like gloves. I didn't even consider inserts; in fact, I decided to step down from wool socks to normal athletic socks because of the snugness. That kind of concerned me. My shoe break-in period consisted of a couple days of wearing them around as my regular shoe. I had a spot at the top of the left shoe that felt like it could possibly develop chafing, but I fiddled a tiny bit with the tightness of the lacing and thought it would be okay.
On the trip itself: every bit as supportive as my old boots, but much lighter, much better fit. In fact, I didn't even mind wearing these things around the camp instead of camp shoes, since the weight was inconsequential.
The main problem was trying not to sound too self-satisfied when the guys I was hiking with started to complain about how their feet felt.
Best Deals on TrekSta Men's T745-Evolution Mid GTX Light Hiking Shoe
I have worn heavy duty boots for a very long time -mostly the Merrell Wilderness. I always felt that such a sturdy boot would not only protect my feet but give me the best traction. Well ... I was wrong. Back in March I bought a pair of the Trekstas and have been absolutely delighted. First of all, they are incredibly light. They weigh about forty percent of what my old boots weighed.I just got back from a hiking trip through New Hampshire's White Mountains -rocky, steep, wet terrain. And the boots performed beautifully. I had all the support I needed and my feet stayed completely dry during heavy rain. Because the boots are so light it was much easier to navigate the terrain, and my legs and feet felt better at the end of the day.
After four months of use I can't think of anything negative about these boots. I just love them.
TrekSta Men's T745-Evolution Mid GTX Light Hiking Shoe
Honest reviews on TrekSta Men's T745-Evolution Mid GTX Light Hiking Shoe
This is an awesome pair of boots. The boots were delivered, I tried them on for size and put them in my duffle bag for a 10 day trip to Glacier National Park and The Bob Marshall Wilderness. This trip had lots of snow on the ground, a full day and night of rain, several stream crossings, and a rocky steep pass, all with a 45 pound pack. These boots were the ultimate in comfort, not a hot spot or a blister, with absolutely no break in. The boots were wet, wet, wet on the outside, but completely dry on the inside. The soles gripped hard packed snow and dry or wet rock equally well.Great books, highly recommended.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TrekSta Men's T745-Evolution Mid GTX Light Hiking Shoe
Best boot I have ever used and Ive used alot of them.Superlight,nice cushion at critical spots.
They breathe very well and have excellent traction.
Update 5/28/13 ;My wife has the womens version and she has no problems with the heel area.
I have a wide front foot with a narrow heal and these boots hurt my Achilles heel area big time when hiking particularly in rocky terrain.
The other people posting here about heel issues aint kidding
0 comments:
Post a Comment