Gore-Tex product reviews

Gear Review: Scarpa Zanskar GTX Boots

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Scarpa Zanskar GTX
Scarpa Zanskar GTX

Backpacking Boots
Scarpa Zanskar GTX
$259, 3 lbs. 3 oz. (men’s Euro 42/US 9)
Sizes: men’s Euro 40-47, 48
scarpa.com

I’m a big fan of lightweight gear, including footwear. But sometimes you need boots that can handle anything: steady rain, mud, snow, scree, rocky trail, and the abuse of off-trail scrambling, plus deliver the support and protection for any circumstance, carrying any amount of weight. The best heavy-duty boots do all these things without actually feeling heavy or clunky. On an early-summer backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and nine days of trekking hut-to-hut on the rugged Alta Via 2 through Italy’s Dolomites in July, the Zanskar GTX did all of that for me.

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Gear Review: Salewa Firetail EVO GTX Shoes

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Salewa Firetail EVO Gore-Tex
Salewa Firetail EVO Gore-Tex

Hiking/Scrambling Shoes
Salewa Firetail EVO Gore-Tex
$149, 1 lb. 11 oz. (men’s 9)
Sizes: men’s 6-13, women’s 3-9
moosejaw.com

You can find really tough, durable shoes, or really lightweight shoes, but rarely will you find a shoe that can legitimately make both claims. The Firetail breaks that rule. From hiking and scrambling around Utah’s Arches National Park and Idaho’s Castle Rocks State Park to a 22-mile, 5,000-vertical-foot dayhike in the Columbia Gorge, I subjected these shoes to the kind of abuse that would begin shredding other lightweights. Yet other than being dirty and a bit scuffed on the rubber toe bumper, my Firetails still look and perform like new. And although sporting the pedigree of an “approach,” or scrambling shoe for climbers, this is actually the kind of versatile, comfortable, all-around low-cut that all dayhikers should give a serious look.

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Gear Review: La Sportiva Thunder III GTX Boots

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La Sportiva Thunder III GTX
La Sportiva Thunder III GTX

Boots
La Sportiva Thunder III GTX
$195, 2 lbs. 15 oz. (men’s US 9/Euro 42)
Sizes: Euro men’s 38-47.5, women’s 36-43
sportiva.com

Very few backpacking trips put boots to the test like a multi-day hike in the Grand Canyon. On a three-day backpacking trip with my 10-year-old daughter in the Grand Canyon, carrying up to 50 pounds—including, at one point, 17 pounds of water—down and up very steep, rugged trails, the Thunder III GTX boots delivered an impressive combination of support and protection balanced with a surprisingly nimble feel.

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Ask Me: Expensive Waterproof-Breathable Jacket Vs. Inexpensive, Which Do You Recommend?

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Westcomb Focus LT Hoody
Westcomb Focus LT Hoody

Michael,

Westcomb Focus LT Hoody vs. Montbell Versalite for $150? Just wondering.

Tim
(submitted as a comment to my review of the Westcomb Focus LT Hoody rain jacket)

Hi Tim,

Good question. I have not tested the Versalite, though I have reviewed the MontBell Torrent Flier Jacket, which is basically a step up in quality from the Versalite because it uses Gore-Tex. MontBell and many other outdoor-apparel brands have their own proprietary waterproof-breathable technology; the Versalite uses “Super Hydro Breeze,” while other companies give their proprietary waterproof-breathable technology their own name. Basically, these are all simple coatings applied to the fabric. Coatings are less expensive than Gore-Tex or eVent (which are both membranes, not coatings), and frankly, less breathable and durable.

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Gear Review: Salomon Conquest GTX Boots

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Salomon Conquest GTX
Salomon Conquest GTX

Boots
Salomon Conquest GTX
$180, 2 lbs. 7 oz. (men’s 9)
Sizes: men’s 7-12, 13, women’s 5-10
salomon.com

Recovering from a deep bone bruise on the top of my left foot (suffered in a leader fall rock climbing a month earlier), I was hiking again for the first time when I wore these boots on a three-day backpacking trip to the Big Boulder Lakes in Idaho’s White Clouds Mountains. Hiking with my 12-year-old son, I carried up to 35 pounds for about 22 miles, with nearly 5,000 feet of uphill and downhill and significant sections of the route off-trail or on rough, user trails. I wanted a boot with a little more support and rigidity than most competitors in this midweight category, and the Conquest GTX delivered on that count.

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