What are your thoughts on these boots???

[adventurescape]

In my never ending quest for boots, I have come across these...

http://www.expo.planetmountain.com/Pages/Company_p.lasso?nav=n2&l=2&id_comp=21&keyID=769#

They appear to be light, medium stiffness and highly breathable. My usual concerns with breathable fabric boots are the amount of stitching to create all the panels. I think stitching is always a weak point. These have no visible (or exposed) stitching. They appear to have a good protective rand and plastic coverage on high wear areas around the lower part of the shoe.
Hey they might even breathe well and could possibly be waterproof and not weigh a ton when wet.
Other's thoughts much appreciated

[ollster]

Personally, I don't think fabric boots are suitable for Tassie (assuming that's where you intend to use them) as they are nit durable enough. Those sort of boots just make me think "more parts equals more stuff to go wrong". And if it doesn't fit right, it's all moot.

[rohjoe]

Interesting design - they have an injected overlay which apparently eliminates the seams. Does that just mean the stitching is covered up by the overlay? It would be interesting to see how they stand up to typical Tassie conditions. My guess is they would be unlikely to offer the durability of full leather, but if the aim is a light weight boot they could well be a good compromise between leather and some of the flimsier stitch-busting fabric models. I haven't tried AKU myself but hear they have a good reputation.
Why don't you buy a pair and be our guinea pig?

[adventurescape]

I will get to see and try a pair on hopefully this week and if they fit good and the fabric seems burly enough, I'll be the guinea pig.
They are constructed as a one-piece upper (see below link). I think the design is great, it makes sense for a membrane lined shoe to have a highly breathable outer. At least it gives the boot a chance to dry out and be lighter than a waterlogged full leather counterpart.
http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/uan/5450/
I haven't been able to find a review on the boot, but Aku seem to have a good rep although pricey and hard to find.
These will be half price at $200 AUD... needless to say I wouldn't be guinea-pigging at $400
Thanks for the input

[Ent]

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[sthughes]

I love the Darth Vader look and they should hold up okay if all that plastic is hard enough. Is 590grams a piece light? They are true one piece to!

spiderl04.jpg (51.17 KiB) Viewed 4341 times

[Nuts]

They are quite light, perhaps they would 'breathe' ok....
I also doubt they would be durable long term.
Most importly they look good (though new boots always do). Iv'e only had one pair of 'fabric' boots, the lasting memory was of just how long they didnt (compared to full leather).....

[Ent]

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[adventurescape]

Brett, have you worn them in considerable water and were they water proof???
Where did you source them and how much, if you don't mind me asking?
A suggestion on getting a bit more width would be to; (1)fill up bathtub with as hot as you can stand water and chuck on 2 pairs of socks inside the boot (2) stand there for a few minutes until your feet can stand the pain no more (3) then run cold water over the boots to "reset" at that shape. It may be worth a try. Temperatures under 50 degrees celsius should have no ill affect on glues, membranes or rubbers, but may be enough to soften the polyurethane to allow for a slight shape change.

Thanks sthughes. I had a crack at pasting that pic in, but I lost patience. Some of their mountaineering boots look great, but I dread to think how much they are

It appears that the fabric has little to do with the structure of the boots and all lace eyelets are attached to the PU structure. I really hope they offer a good fit to my foot cos I reckon they may just work and will top of my all black shellwear "stealth ninja from 2050" look.