Looking for a little "Boot Help"

I’m shopping for a new boot and have zeroed in on the Asolo line. They have a couple leather boots that look very interesting.

The three models that mainly have my attention are:

Power Matic 500 GV

and

Power Matic 200 GV

and

TPS 520 GV


Does anybody have first hand experience with any of these boots?

Those of you that know me understand I’m a big guy. Depending on when I get on the scales (before lunch or after lunch) I weigh in at 225 – 235 lbs. Add pack weight and I need a solid boot. I am not concerned with the weight of the boots so much as the support they provide.

In my experience, boots with lots of seams don’t last long on my feet. Hiking around here and my approach to it are tough on boots. Single-piece construction or very limited seams would be my primary focus.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Big Earl, I just some new boots myself, but they are not Asolos. I don't mind heavy boots, I trade that off for the support you get with a nice high leather boot. I bought the Zamberland Lhasa boots. They were picked the best all around boot by Backpacker, and I am extremely happy with them. I do lots of bushwacking and the support and comfort of these boots off trail is exceptional. Theyare standing up to the off trail abuse they get. Can't wait to try them this winter! Good luck with whatever boots you decide on!

BigEarl... I don't have specific experience with either of these Asolo models, but I do have experience in other Asolos... I have found my current pair (hybrid nylon/leather, non-Goretex) extremely durable and generally comfortable on day-hikes and hikes with a fairly serious pack. I clock in in the high 230s dry-weight, so I am not exactly Gene Kelly when humping along with a full pack.

I would say they run a tad on the narrow side, so make sure you're trying them on with realistic hiking socks - though I would also say that I don't generally find them too snug, just nicely supportive, and with decent traction as well.

Asolo TPS 250

I am a little smaller than you at 5' 8" and 160 but I have had the TPS 250 model for over a year. I have a moderately wide foot and have the medium width boot. It took a while for them to stretch but they fit well now. They do make a wide version. These are my boot of choice for all but the hottest days and the lightest loads. To keep them waterproof I have had to make sure to treat them with Nikwax or another quality product. I do like Solo and have a pair of Fugitives and FSN 95's.

dms said:

....I don't mind heavy boots, I trade that off for the support you get with a nice high leather boot. I bought the Zamberland Lhasa boots. ....

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Interesting. The Zamberlan boots are also on my list. The specs suggest they make a very solid boot. Thanks.

DrewKnight said:

....

I would say they run a tad on the narrow side, so make sure you're trying them on with realistic hiking socks - though I would also say that I don't generally find them too snug, just nicely supportive, and with decent traction as well.

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Thanks for the pointer. I plan to bring my usual hiking sock combination with me when I visit the stores. There's no other way to tell if the fit is reasonably close.

catskillhiker said:

I am a little smaller than you at 5' 8" and 160 but I have had the TPS 250 model for over a year. I have a moderately wide foot and have the medium width boot. It took a while for them to stretch but they fit well now.
....

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Would you say the boot has an extended break-in period? I try to get out once a week, at least, and hope I can get through the break-in relatively quickly.

Barkingcat said:

I recently bought a pair of the 520 GVs -- and will wear them for the first time soon so I can let you know how well they hold up.
....

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Thanks for the link. I'll be interested to learn how they work out for you. Was there a reason why you didn't have the old boots re-soled? Were the uppers worn out as well as the soles?


Thanks everybody for all of the help.

Just bought new boots

My wife and I each bought a pair of the Merrell Wilderness boot.
http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/ViewProduct.mvc.aspx/7178M/0/Mens/Wilderness?galleryId=M-F
We wanted to have a one piece full grain leather boot with the traditional vibram sole and Norwegian welt construction so that they can be resoled.
12 years ago I purchased the LL Bean North Col boot, similar to the Merrell. I loved these boots but after 3 resoles I was ready for either a new pair or maybe resoling them again. My local cobbler retired and no one seemed to resole shoes anymore. The last time I had soles applied it only cost me $30.
I went on line and found that Danner restores old boots to look close to new, but that would have cost me $100. So I took the boots to the Freeport store of LL Bean (on our way to Camden for vacation) to see if they subcontracted to someone to restore the soles. They unfortunately did not.
The lady behind the counter asked if I would like to return the boots. I said yes and that the boot nearest to the North Col was the Cresta Hiker; the boot my wife swears by but I think the soles don't last. LL Bean gave me a gift card for $179 (the price for new Cresta hikers); I only paid $149 for the original North Col boots. Bean unfortunately does not sell a Norwegian welt boot.
I’ve been eyeing the Merrell Wilderness boot for months but no one seems to carry them in their stores. A couple of weeks ago I stopped in a shoe store (Vandyke and Bacon) and was talking with the salesman about my experience with the Bean boot and that I was interested in the Merrell Wilderness. He suggested that I order them through Vandyke and Bacon and if they didn’t fit I could send them back; no questions asked, plus no charge for shipping. The salesman measured our feet (length and width) and found that my wife and I both take a half size larger shoe/boot than we thought. Needless to say when we received the boots (about 10 days later) we tried them on and they fit perfectly. We are now in the process of “breaking in” the stiff leather (by walking around the house and using the stair stepper) so that when we take them on our first hike we won’t get blisters.
We’ll keep you posted.
Mike

Powermatic 200

I bought the Powermatic 200 because it was one of the few traditional leather backpacking boots that came in a narrow width. They are pretty comfortable although I could use a bit more width in the toe box.

The sole has much better traction than my REI Monarchs which are made by Merrell (I think). We'll have to see whether the grippier sole wears faster. So far I've got about 200 miles on them and there doesn't seem to be any appreciable wear.

EMS carries this model if you want to try them on.

Steve

Jimmy Legs and Little D said:

The lady behind the counter asked if I would like to return the boots. I said yes...

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12 years & three resoles from a boot that cost only $149 and you returned the boots?

Lame.

TEO said:

12 years & three resoles from a boot that cost only $149 and you returned the boots?

Lame.

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I hate to jump on a band wagon but I have to agree here. I brought my 4 year old Crestas in when I bent that little hook on the upper laces to see if they could straighten it. First thing the guy said was "Do you want to return them?". It's a great policy they have but in all fairness the boots have seen a lot of use. Too much of this type of return and even Bean will need to tighten up a bit. They've had to do a bit of reducing of staff in this economy.

I think the best boot buying advice I ever recieved was don't do a lot of research and go to the store zeroed in on a particular brand. Try them all on and go with what fits your foot best. I have found huge variation in the lasts used by different conpanies, some 9s felt great, others felt terrible. REI, EMS will back what they sell equally so its all about comfort, IMHO.

As often is said, get the best are the ones that fit YOUR feet.

Now for my personal .02.

My weight is in your ballpark, we could be neighbors there.

My favorite pair still is a pair of discontinued Asolo Pinnacles, over 10 years old. Added superfeet to them a little while ago. (I've also had several other boot so the mileage is low - well for a 12+ year old boot)

During my previous time working for the major retailer of our area, I tried on many pair of Asolo & many fit my foot well. My foot is normal to a bit wide up front with a normal heel in the back with high arches.

They have had a 520 (various modifications) for some time. The older models I had tried on were a good mix of support & comfort. They are not mountaineering boots but a good 3 season choice for someone looking for support & good comfort.

I've got the Powermatic 200's and I love 'em. I'm 180 lbs, so a bit lighter than you. But my size 12's fit great, the support is great, they don't feel overly heavy. I treat them with a bees wax product occasionally and they are very waterproof. I wore them all winter for day hikes no problem.

My only complaint is they have no rubber rand for protection so the leather on the toe gets really beat up. Looks like the Powermatic 500's have some added protection in this area. Nice.

Kurt

SkierSteve said:

I think the best boot buying advice I ever recieved was don't do a lot of research and go to the store zeroed in on a particular brand. Try them all on and go with what fits your foot best. I have found huge variation in the lasts used by different conpanies, some 9s felt great, others felt terrible. REI, EMS will back what they sell equally so its all about comfort, IMHO.

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Thanks Steve,

Of course the selected boot must fit well or it won’t work. But, before I can get to the “fit” stage of the purchase I must get past the basic design of the boot.

My first pair of hiking boots was the Merrell Reactor (mid height, no longer made). This boot fit extremely well, was very comfortable, supportive, and the traction was great. Unfortunately, the design was a combination of leather and synthetic materials and had a great amount of stitching. The boots looked pretty nice. Within three months the seams were separating.

A subsequent pair of boots was all leather with a nice toe rand, and very limited seams. These boots performed very well until I retired them with worn out soles late last fall. I got three years of service from the leather boots. The uppers are still in good shape. I plan to get them re-soled. When these boots were retired I was faced with sending the boots in for re-soling and sitting on the sideline until they came back (at the time, 6 – 8 weeks) or buy a new pair of something. I decided to keep hiking and went to the store for some boots.

Evidently, I wasn’t paying attention. The next pair I purchased was again a combination of leather and synthetic materials, with lots of seams. The boot has a full rand to provide added protection. The fit was and is great. The support, traction, and other important characteristics all have been terrific. And, I like the looks of the boot. The only problem is durability. These have several seam separations after only three months of use, and the rand is delaminating in multiple places on each boot. I expected much better durability from these boots, especially with a full rand providing added protection.

This time around I am not planning to go in with a decision concerning a particular boot already made. I am, however, not planning to waste any time looking at the boot designs that have proven to be incompatible with me. The best service has come from an all-leather boot with minimal seams. This is probably the basic design of my next boot. Both EMS and REI have pretty complete information on their web sites concerning the all-leather hiking boots available in their stores. It's easy to work through the available choices before going to the store and possibly hit the manufacturer's site for additional details. Then, once at the store educated questions are possible.

My eyes and ears are still open and I’m interested in any helpful suggestions or recommendations.

I really appreciate everybody's help that has been given.

I bought a new pair of Asolo's on May 21st.....they failed on July 25th with less than 500 miles....this was my second pair to fail on me. Good luck....I'm lucky if I can get my boots to last me a season....I'm beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with the way I walk

Happy shopping!

-MEB

MEB said:

I bought a new pair of Asolo's on May 21st.....they failed on July 25th with less than 500 miles....this was my second pair to fail on me. Good luck....I'm lucky if I can get my boots to last me a season....I'm beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with the way I walk

Happy shopping!

-MEB

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Wow! You have my attention. What model boot was it? What happened?

BIGEarl said:

The best service has come from an all-leather boot with minimal seams. This is probably the basic design of my next boot. Both EMS and REI have pretty complete information on their web sites concerning the all-leather hiking boots available in their stores. It's easy to work through the available choices before going to the store and possibly hit the manufacturer's site for additional details. Then, once at the store educated questions are possible.

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Have you looked at the Bean Cresta? All leather. Minimal seams. Good traction. Unchanged forever which says something for the design. Educated people at the store can answer your questions. The only thing I've found lacking is the bare leather toe tends to get scuffed.

I and a number of others I know have gotten a lot of miles from them. The Bean return policy is (too?) liberal and if you go through them too quickly you'll be out nothing.

BIGEarl,

You are familiar with Limmer Boots in Intervale, New Hampshire, right? My understanding is that if you go to the shop, they will do what work they can to make a Standard fit and only if that doesn't do the trick will they recommend a Custom.

I wouldn't trust a leather boot that has Gore-tex. Gore-tex will actually inhibit the function of a good leather boot. Also, look for a boot with a leather lining. My one complaint about the Merrell Wilderness--mine are on their eleventh or twelfth year of hard use--is its fabric lining, which wears out more quickly and the stitching between it and the leather lining around the ankle can rot pretty quickly. Of course, a cobbler can put in a piece of leather in the heal to fix this problem.

A good leather boot, such as a Limmer or Merrell Wilderness will easily give you ten years of hard use, many, many more if you care for them diligently. So yes, these boots are pretty expensive ($250-$350+), but spread that cost out over ten, fifteen, or twenty years and they become much less expensive than a new pair of trail shoes every year, or even an new pair of Asolo TPS 250 every three or four years.

BigEarl... The TPS 520 is a very good workhorse model of boot, can be resoled, and treated well, will last for many miles. I have a good friend that fits people with them and he owns many, almost oo many pairs of the 520's and uses them as his daily foot wear, long distance hiker, and trail maintance boot... Drop me a PM if you want some more info...

Kevin

A happy Limmer wearer here, the Lightweight model for summer and the Standards for winter. Both feature one-piece leather construction, and the important thing about that is that there's no seam up the back of the boot. The heel keeps its shape and nicely cups the heel of your foot. The Norwegian welting means they can be resoled, too, unlike the Asolo models you're looking at, Earl. The liners are leather too. The bear grease Limmer sells really keeps the leather in good shape, I've found, and water-resistant.

But Limmers aren't for everyone. They don't feel good at first; the break-in period can be as long as a couple of months, and even then some people feel confined by their tightness. These boots work best for a certain shape of foot. The custom, New Hampshire-made Limmers will accommodate whatever shape of foot you have, of course, so they are an option if the regular Limmers (which are made in Germany) don't fit, but the waiting period for the custom boots is long -- four years -- and they are very expensive (~$700, I think).

The nice thing is that commercial and custom Limmers are designed specifically for White Mountain hiking, and I found that they really are an improvement on WM trails over the old all-leather Asolos I had brought with me when I moved here from California a couple years ago. I recommend you give them at least a look, Earl, and if you do, listen carefully to what the Limmer man tells you about fit. They're difficult to like at first, but if the fit is right eventually you will fall in love -- just like the story of a lot of long-time marriages, come to think of it.

(Carl Limmer told me the other day that if you want to install insoles, they recommend only the Superfeet "blue," not the "green." The SF blues work better in tighter-fitting boots, evidently.)

The Feathered Hat,

Did you get SuperFeet footbeds for your Limmers, or do you wear them sans aftermarket footbed?