Sole stiffenss - Scarpra SL M3/Asolo TPS 535

[Mickeymoo]

Gday all,

I am looking at getting a new pair of boots as my last pair died doing the W Arthurs over Easter, I have narrowed it down to the Scarpra SL M3s and Asolo TPS 535s both are very comfortable, however I am finding it hard to justify the extra $175 for the SLs. I also intend to try out the Zamberlan Vioz GTs. There appeas to be quiet a few people with the SLs on here but no real in-depth info.

The SLs appear to be of a superior build quality? (i.e. heavier duty leather and chunkier sole) over the Asolos and this is I guess reflected in the weight with the Sls being some ~300grms heavier a pair.

My main concern with the SLs is the stiffness of the midsole and how this really affects walking, they felt good to walk in but it's a lot different to the very soft and flexable soles I am used to and actually being out in the bush rather than walking up and down some stairs, I understand that stiffer soles have a good advantage on rocky terrain but how do people find them on flatter terrain? not that we have much of that here anyway

I have also received mixed opionions about whether or not the soles/leather when broken in will allow a little more flex of the foot. Does anyone who has owned a pair have any opinion as to wehther this is the case?

Any insights from people who have owend either models would be greatly appreciated.

Michael.

[adventurerichard]

The uppers will certainly affect the degree of flexibility overall (by way of theoretical example): imagine a very flexible sole unit mated to a steel upper - whilst the sole could flex it's being held back by the upper itself. Conversely a very soft, say cotton upper mated to a steel sole would still result in no flex, this time due to the sole unit. Consequently, the degree to which the overall flexibility of the boot will change is a bit of an unknown (you won't know whether the sole or the upper is the stronger necessarily), however.....in general most boots will end up flexing a little more than straight out of the box as the sole itself will find a flex point and 'soften' as will the uppers but don't factor this in when buying as the change is generally pretty slight. I liken it to when people change tyres and immediately declare the new ones better when the reference point has shifted so subtly over 40,000kms that it's impossible to recall just how the first set ever really felt. The changes in your boot will be just as subtle over time. I hope this helps to some extent?

One thing just to keep in midn is the amount of lateral support the boots offer. Simply try to twist the sole unit into a corkscrew so to speak. This resistance to lateral twist is important also on rough terrain with a pack and i've tried boots before that were quite stiff fore/aft but actually quite flexible side to side, which results in poor ankle support.

[the jackal]

Hi Michael

I've a pair of SL M3s which i love. I haven't tried either the Asolos (aside from plastic mountain boots) or Zamberlans so can't really compare to either. I have previously used Scarpa treks, the SL's being much stiffer. I have also compared the SLs with the Scarpa Trek Pros but only in a shop environment. The SLs were vastly more comfortable.

I have found my SLs comfortable over a wide variety of terrain; flat, rocky, steep, etc. In my experience i have found them to become slightly more flexible with use but they are still noticeably stiffer than previous boots. The leather on my boots has slightly softened with use, this will obviously depend on how the boots are used and cared for, this hasn't really changed the flex or stiffness. I bought my SLs because they should remain stiff.

In the interest of complete disclosure i should say that i work in outdoor retail, in a store that sells Scarpa shoes, as well as several other brands. I provide my views here entirely in the interest of informing Michael of my personal experience.

cheers
Karl.

[Moondog55]

I have worn out 2 pairs of the SL and I bought them because the fit and because the were what I would consider soft, when wearing a biggish pack I would not want anything lighter on my feet, broke in and softened up a little on my first overnite in the highplains, liners wore out first

[PeterJ]

I know of at least two people who have had lots of problems wearing Scarpa boots and have observed others limping in them (presumably from blisters). It has been enough to deter me from ever buying any. My current boots are the full leather Garmont which have been good and I did look at the Asolo at the time. I often use a pair of Blundstone Mountain Master for day walks.

[SueOfTheSouth]

I had Scarpa boots a few years ago which were fitted for me. Never again. I ended up with a severe achilles problem for several months with many trips to a physio, who reckoned the problem was caused by the stiff sole and lack of flexibility of the boots. I would never recommend Scarpas to anyone for this reason.

[Ent]

Boots are as always a very personal choice. As a general rule the longer the walk, meaning heavier the pack, the stiffer the sole, well at least according to AKU website. I love my SL but more than a few have commented that if you are a solid build you can break them in nicely but if a lighter build with smaller feet then they can feel like moon boots and never really become comfortable.

Asolo is (assuming nothing has changed) a great brand so would not shy away from them. Yes the SL are a very solid and hardwearing boot but then they cost a lot and for more than a few people they can be the personal footwear from hell. I would go for SL over any alternative boot at the moment but with a size 49 foot and body and pack weight to match the stiffer the sole the better as in more flexible footwear my arches hurt like mad after a long walk.

Cheers Brett

[bushrunner]

I also intend to try out the Zamberlan Vioz GTs.

I like the look of those too. I would be interested in reading about what you think of them when you try them out.

[Mickeymoo]

Thanks for the advice everyone, it's greatly appreciate it.

Ok so I went and retried the SLs and Asolos, In the end I discounted the SLs due to the weight, they felt really good and stable but being used to using light weight mid-cut nubuck type boots I decided I probably wanted something inbetween the two extremes.

The Asolos felt good and were a nice fit, a tad tight on the little toe when standing on a ramp facing downhill and jamming the toes down in the shoes (only very slight pressure on the little toe), but this would likely resovles itself when the boots were worn in, nice lateral support with not much twist and a reasonably stiff mid-sole but with just a nice amount of flex.

I also tried Garmont and Aku but found them too narrow for my foot.

I then tried the Zamberlan Vioz GTs (It appears from other threads while researching that no one has historically stocked them in Tas, but Mountain Designs in Hobart now stocks Zamberlan, but not sure about the other MD stores around Tassie?) these were also a very comfortable fit, and I quite liked the pronounced roll as you take a few steps (there is an upward arch near the ball of the foot which when you take a step help the boot move forward and propells you along with each step!), my main concern was that in the 15mins I wore them in the shop my feet got quite hot (I am assuming due to the gor-tex lining) and the thin shoelaces make it hard on the fingers when pulling it really tight, again very good lateral support with very little twist and maybe just a tad stiffer mid-sole than the Asolos.

So after pondering the boots for the afternoon I decided it was between the Zamberlans and Asolos. The Asolos were considerably cheaper but felt of a slightly lesser build quality in comparison to the Zanderlans (the Zamberlans just felt more solid without being much heavier, but that's just my opinion), the other thing that I like about the Zanderlans was the sole tread which is more agressive then the Asolos, I am not sure how the two tread patterns would react out in the field but I would think the more agressive tread pattern would be grippier.

So in the end I purchsed the Zamberlans which I wore for 3-4 hrs last night and had no problems with hot feet and so far I am very happy with, but of coures the real test will be on the next couple of walks once they are broken in

Michael.

[Ent]

Hi Micheal

Look forward to the long term report. Backpackers Barn used to sell them and had nothing but good to say about them. Interesting the hot foot comment re Gore-tex liners. That little point has launch many people to post claiming that is a old wives tale and other supporting the view so on my informal tally board it appears about fifty-fifty split and maybe a job for Mythbusters

In fact I would like to see Mythbusters do a bushwalking gear special. Be good to see Buster in boots Also can you get a MSR Wishper-Lite cylinder to blow up. Brett wants a boom

Cheers Brett

[Mickeymoo]

Hi Micheal

Look forward to the long term report. Backpackers Barn used to sell them and had nothing but good to say about them. Interesting the hot foot comment re Gore-tex liners. That little point has launch many people to post claiming that is a old wives tale and other supporting the view so on my informal tally board it appears about fifty-fifty split and maybe a job for Mythbusters

In fact I would like to see Mythbusters do a bushwalking gear special. Be good to see Buster in boots Also can you get a MSR Wishper-Lite cylinder to blow up. Brett wants a boom

Cheers Brett

Yeah, I had real concerns about hot feet in the shop, but as I said I am only assuming that hot feet occur due to gor-tex liners based on things I have read, it could simply be that I had walked quickly to the shop and had hot feet but as they allow you to buy the boots and wear them around for a few days at home and then bring them back if you're not happy with them, I decided to go for them. Of course I was only sitting around at home wearing them so not a real test of how hot they are likely to get while actually walking but didn't get hot at all for the 3-4hrs I wore them last night. I wonder if the type of socks you wear has any real bearing on the heat issue as well??

I think you're definatly right though a mythbuster episode is required, it could be quite a good episode with many myths busted and some good explosions, maybe a BWT annual metting/myth busting walk is required

Michael.

[Son of a Beach]

I then tried the Zamberlan Vioz GTs (It appears from other threads while researching that no one has historically stocked them in Tas, but Mountain Designs in Hobart now stocks Zamberlan, but not sure about the other MD stores around Tassie?)

There used to be quite a variety of shops in Tasmania (and presumably the rest of the country) that stocked Zamberlans up until about 6 years ago. It was about that time I wanted to buy some, and all the shops I went to were out of stock, and told me that there was some problem between Zamberlan and the Australian distributor at the time, and that they were no longer being imported into Australia at all.

Since then, there's been a few specialist shops on the mainland that have been getting them in.

Late last year, Mountain Designs (Australia wide, I believe) became the official Australian distributor for Zamberlans, so you should be able to get them in any MD shop.

I too will look forward to hearing about your experiences with them, as I was very disappointed not to be able to get them 5 or 6 years ago, and now that I'm getting some problems with the boots that I ended up with back then, it may soon be time to finally get the Zamberlans.

[durks]

For what it's worth:

Here in Scotland I use Scarpa SL M3's (in the wide version) for Winter hill-walking, and Scarpa Ranger boots for the rest of the year. I wouldn't want to use SL M3's all the time: they are designed to be stiff so that you can kick steps in hard snow, and also use crampons as necessary - but the stiffness isn't necessary otherwise. The Ranger is a much lighter and more flexible boot.

Good luck in your choice. The main thing, of course, is to get what fits. Personally, I never try to save money when buying boots.

[corvus]

For what it's worth:



Good luck in your choice. The main thing, of course, is to get what fits. Personally, I never try to save money when buying boots.

I second that,and try b4 you buy.
corvus

[rucksack]

I have been wearing Scarpa boots for nearly 20 years now, both Trek's and SL's and neither have ever let me down. I'm with Durk though, the SL M3's are stiff, but they really come into their own when you are in and out of crampons on ice and hard snow and things are getting a little steep. At lower levels, (and in Tasmania), I almost always walk in Treks, but in winter and up higher, it's the SL's every time. I have never had any foot trouble with either, I have to say, but each to his own and Corvus (and others) are right .. try before you buy.

rucksack