Asolo Boot Longevity? – Read This!

[John H Swanson]

I’ve used and worn out over 25 pairs of boots over the years so I thought I knew what to expect for boot life.

After many bad boot stories, I found the Asolo 535s were a good fit for me. I “standardized” on them in 2001. Since then I wore out 6 pairs with an average life of about 919 miles.

This past Friday I put my 6th pair into retirement after a prolonged delay. I wore those puppies about as long as possible

With 4 pairs on the shelf ready to go, I was ready to move on to the next pair. Here was my surprise:

Saturday morning - I put on the next pair for a short 2 mile test walk and the soles fell right off them after 2 miles. The soles were nearly new and the uppers in great condition, but the foam midsole deteriorated and “failed.” The boots are old (at least 10 years in cool basement storage) but I was not expecting this total failure.

Later, Saturday morning - I put on another pair and the same thing happened - total failure.

Saturday afternoon - I put on pair #3 and the same thing!

Sunday am – Pair #4 – same thing!

That’s 4 pairs of Asolo 535s (about $600 to $900 of boot value) completely useless.

Sunday afternoon, I grabbed a pair of Merrill boots from the same “vintage” and took a walk with them. No issues.

I went to the Asolo-USA website and read the following:

“ASOLO®Footwear is warranted against defect in workmanship and materials for one year from the date of purchase .…. Asolo® uses natural leathers and rubber materials in many of its products. We always strive to achieve the best possible quality but like many natural based products we cannot stop the natural decomposition process. Polyurethane outsoles can be expected to last four to five years. Footwear that is stored, and not used, either by a consumer or retailer, will tend to shorten the life of the product.”​

I found it interesting that they call out the decomposition as exclusion for the warranty. It would appear to me that they have seen this problem arise with warranty claims and want to communicate that they will not cover it.

What I find interesting is that my other boots on the shelf next to the Asolos had no issue.

So, if you are looking for a long term relationship with your boots you might want to keep this in mind.

I still like the Asolos for fit and performance so I will look to get a pair of these boots resoled to see if they can be used.

 

[Mike P.]

Interesting, wore my 20 year old Pinnacle's last week on an ADK hike and they were fine. (I think these evolved into the 520's and them 535's)

I did break one of the original 20 year old laces last Monday which required a knot out on the trail (my spares were in the car (*&^) and a looser fit created a blister that I just kept opening on subsequent hikes. (John's Book Lodge did not have ay for sale) I don't know if I have the same mileage as I rarely do two hikes back to back in the same boots. Since 2003 they have spent 1/2 a year or more in the car just coming out when I go to the beach or in winter when they aren't a possible option. The insoles went years ago but Superfeet fixed that. I usually leave them in the car with gear appropriate for the season just in case I end up near a trail.

 

[TCD]

It would be interesting to know where the various pairs of boots were manufactured.

I know when Montrail outsourced the manufacturing of their trail runners to China, the quality went WAY down. (Probably inadequate controls, so material and process changes were introduced for cost savings without adequate validation.) The US made Montrail Hurricane Ridge lasted a couple seasons; the China made shoes fell apart in a month (soles falling off, etc., very similar failures).

 

[Mike P.]

Mine were on Clearance in 1995 as they discontinued the boot under that name, rebranded with number series. (520's, 357's) I bought a pair of EMS's knock off of the 357's and had some issues with those, but the Asolo's did fine. I'll see if I can find a made in ? later. Did buy Asolo trail shoes which fit great but have a couple of small holes, not an issue as I wear them through streams and even wet they've not given me blisters when tied right.

 

[hikerbrian]

A friend of mine had the same thing happen to a pair of Merrell low top trail shoes - we were finishing up a presi-traverse, she had joined us midway through due to a previous injury. On the way down Jackson both soles just fell off. They were shoes she had bought off of e-bay or Craig's list - new, tags still on them, but a few years old. Whatever it is that holds the soles to the uppers failed.

I had my first pair of Raichle Mtn Trekkers for something greater than 10 yrs, but I'm quite convinced I won't get that much time out of my current Asolo 535's. I can already see some separation in the toe area; I've had them about 3 yrs, 300 miles or so total. Others may have a better experience, but I have to say I'm not terribly impressed with these boots. Good fit for me, but they haven't held up.

 

[David Metsky]

This is, if not common, a known problem with all modern shoe materials. I wouldn't expect a 10 year old shoe using modern lightweight materials from any manufacturer to hold up under actual use at this point.

 

[peakbagger]

I was hiking with a friend for a week several years ago and half his sole came off unglued. We lucked into a hike with a tube of barge cement. He cleaned everything up as best the could and glued the sole back on. I think he got a couple of years on them before the leather wore out.

 

[Stan]

I was hiking with a friend for a week several years ago and half his sole came off unglued. We lucked into a hike with a tube of barge cement. He cleaned everything up as best the could and glued the sole back on. I think he got a couple of years on them before the leather wore out.

That happened to me, too, only it was a winter day snow shoe hike and I wore a pair of Vasque Sundowners. which I like because they are lightweight and comfortable ... also, I usually wear orthodics but don't need them with hiking boots ... I've had good luck with Vasque Sundowners and wore them on most of the 100 highest once I found out that sneakers and blue jeans were not de rigueur for peakbagging. I replaced the soles whenever they starting losing traction, about twice per pair and would then retire them to yardwork.

Well, back to the pair that failed ... Vasque offered to either replace them or repair them, the former offer if the boots were made in China, the latter offer if they were made in Italy. These were older models made in Italy so I got the re-soles.

Nothing lasts forever ... dammit.

 

[Mike P.]

My Asolo Pinnacle's were made in Croatia. I do have a very heavy pair of EMS boots, probably 10 years old, insulated heavy leather crampon compatible, almost as stiff and as heavy as my plastics and one of the soles were coming off. Brought back to EMS and they fixed. While they were very old, as a boot horse, these boots had about 100 miles on them virtually all in the snow. (worn on a few November hikes in NH and some winter ones in MA and CT when plastic is almost called for)

Most of the year, those are kept in the basement, except for the cold months when they occupy the car.

 

[alexmtn]

The 520s and 535s are classic boots. I've not until this thread run into anyone who's been unhappy with them, and there are a lot of them on the trails. Also, Asolo is a quality brand. As with many brands there are occasional bad production runs, but the company replaces the product pretty faithfully in these cases.

I've owned a pair of 520s since 2003, and they're still going strong with no discernible imminent issues. I do most of my hiking in lighter shoes and rely on the 520s for backpacks and gnarly bushwhacks. I estimate that at this point they have ~500 miles on them, and there's still plenty of tread left and the uppers going strong. Given that he stockpiled 4 pairs, I take it that John, too, at least until now, has also been a staunch believer.

So what's with the catastrophic sole separations? I've had this happen with a really nice pair of Millet backpacking boots after about 10 years, another friend with low-cut Merrell's after 10 years, and another with Trezeta mountaineering boots after about 10 years. In all cases, including this one with the 535s, we're dealing with an upper that's glued down into a Vibram or Vibram-like outsole.

Since I don't really believe that this sort of thing strikes at random, I try to come up with hypotheses that fit the data I've got. Until hearing this report, my hypothesis has been that heat, damp, and oxygen are the culprits that speed (well, if you call 10 years 'speedy') the decomposition of the midsole and/or adhesives. In my case, most of my boots go in plastic bins once dry, and don't get exposure to the three aforementioned elements when stored. However, the Millet's stayed on an open shelf in my garage, where they were definitely exposed to more air and humidity than their peers. The hypothesis also worked for my friends' failures (damp-ish open environments in two cases, and a hot attic in a 3rd).

John, I don't know if your basement runs more humid than your living space or if your boots were in a bin or not, but the above hypothesis would posit answers of 'yes' and 'no', respectively. And was Pair #6 (which I gather did not suffer the catastrophic sole detachment) stored in your living space (the hypothesis would posit 'yes')?

And lastly, a separate question: were the 4 "new" pairs purchased in the same lot as Pair #6, or in a different lot? If the latter were a separate purchase, then of course we can't eliminate the possibility of a bad production run/bad batch of glue/nasty-hot storage at the wholesale level, etc.

Alex

 

[alexmtn]

Along the lines of David’s comment, it’s important to remember, amid our laments of boots that failed after 10+ years, that the modern advances in boot technology are reducing longevity rather than extending it.

I recently retired a $250 pair of hi-top Goretex Salomon Wings boots that didn't even last a season. I loved their amazing lightness and overall nimbleness, their stream/muckproofness, their rock protection and long-distance comfort, but after 250 miles of Bigelow traversing, Pemi looping and Presi traversing with the occasional ‘normal hike’ thrown in, they were leaky, smooth-soled, and in tatters.

Absent whatever my initial purchase discount was, that’s $1.00/mile! I picture myself hiking with a sheaf of singles, and despite LNT, pitching one into the wilderness with every mile completed (I know, I should be thinking more in EZpass terms). I’m currently in a pair of Ultra Raptors that I love, but I fear that with their wonderful sticky/grippy rubber soles, they’ll be done even sooner.

Alas, such is the price (literally!) of performance. :-/

 

[The Sikes]

The same thing happened to me with my boots (Lowas) on the way down a trail last year. They looked new but....When I called the company and sent them back, they said it was dry rot and that they would sell me another pair for a discounted price. I asked why I would do that when these literally fell apart while I was hiking and I only wore them 4 times prior and had only owned them for a couple of years. They said wherever I purchased them from must have had them longer and also that they improved their materials since then. I was not happy.

I had an older pair of boots from Canada that finally wore out (not fell apart) and was sad that they no longer make them. I guess that's how things go now.

 

[John H Swanson]

All 4 pairs of boots were made in Romania

 

[John H Swanson]

...Until hearing this report, my hypothesis has been that heat, damp, and oxygen are the culprits that speed (well, if you call 10 years 'speedy') the decomposition of the midsole and/or adhesives. In my case, most of my boots go in plastic bins once dry, and don't get exposure to the three aforementioned elements when stored. However, the Millet's stayed on an open shelf in my garage, where they were definitely exposed to more air and humidity than their peers. The hypothesis also worked for my friends' failures (damp-ish open environments in two cases, and a hot attic in a 3rd).

John, I don't know if your basement runs more humid than your living space or if your boots were in a bin or not, but the above hypothesis would posit answers of 'yes' and 'no', respectively. And was Pair #6 (which I gather did not suffer the catastrophic sole detachment) stored in your living space (the hypothesis would posit 'yes')?

And lastly, a separate question: were the 4 "new" pairs purchased in the same lot as Pair #6, or in a different lot? If the latter were a separate purchase, then of course we can't eliminate the possibility of a bad production run/bad batch of glue/nasty-hot storage at the wholesale level, etc.

Alex

All of the boots were stored together on shelves. There were no extremes with heat or cold - temps were always 60-80. The enviroment was more humid than normal but I dont think it was the issue because the othr boots on the shelves (there were about 12+ pairs) had no issues. Even pair #6 which was recently worn completely out had no midsole problem. The issue was complete deterioration of the midsole - not the usual glue failure / delamination

 

[alexmtn]

John, were the 4 latter/bad pairs purchased all together at the same time? And was/were this/those purchase(s) separate from and subsequent to the purchases of Pair #6 and its progenitors?

 

[John H Swanson]

John, were the 4 latter/bad pairs purchased all together at the same time? And was/were this/those purchase(s) separate from and subsequent to the purchases of Pair #6 and its progenitors?

I purchased my first pair of 535s. Then I received all the other 9 pairs as a gift. They came in 2 lots (2 trash bags) about two or three years apart. All the pairs were numbered from 1-7 and the last 2 pairs were not numbered. They were all broken in but had no significant tread wear. I used them in series.

I can't say if they were purchased together, but I would guess no more than 2-3 pairs were purchased at one time.

Of the 4 pairs that failed, 3 looked the same and one was definitely from a different vintage as the foam around the top of the upper was a slightly different color. I would guess them to be at least 10 years but probably not more than 14 years old.

I think the cause of failure was just old age (loss of the plasticiser in the foam from migration to adjacent contact surfaces or the enviroment). I've seen many boots delaminate from glue failure and I would have expected that type of failure ... I am quite surprised that the foam mid-sole crumbled like a dry cookie.

I have always been a proponent of purchasing multiple pairs of boots when you find that perfect pair because they may not be available in the future. In the past I've always used them up before they "timed out" ... that is until now. The Asolo boot life in this case was limited to about 14 years.

I thought I had a supply for another 10-12 years of hiking but it was not to be. I can't be upset over not using the boots fast enough and having 4 pair go bad. I have one pair on route for resoling now, so all is not lost.

 

[skiguy]

Nothing lasts forever ... dammit.

Trail Munchies is another good thing to keep an eye on for shelf life also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaxOMbvgacc

 

[alexmtn]

I can't say if they were purchased together, but I would guess no more than 2-3 pairs were purchased at one time.

It would have been interesting to try and zero in on whether it was a manufacturing/materials issue or a storage/use issue or both, but we don't have the necessary longitudinal data for your pairs to tell.

I think the cause of failure was just old age (loss of the plasticiser in the foam from migration to adjacent contact surfaces or the enviroment). I've seen many boots delaminate from glue failure and I would have expected that type of failure ... I am quite surprised that the foam mid-sole crumbled like a dry cookie.

As I mentioned, I've encountered this several times in my circles. I agree it's a shockingly grizzly/impressive/surprising mode of failure -- but actually pretty common. Obviously the storage conditions (both by you and the folks ahead of you) are key in determining the pace and timing of the rot.

I'm bummed to learn that the 535 (or at least some inventory batches and/or production runs of it) is prone to this, because it means there's a significant chance that my own 520s, currently at 12 years and counting, may have the problem as well. I guess the prudent course is to carry a little extra duct tape with me, just in case...

I have always been a proponent of purchasing multiple pairs of boots when you find that perfect pair because they may not be available in the future.

That idea has always appealed to me as well -- but in actuality, it's only actually paid off for me once. In the other cases, the backups were never needed ahead of their own expiration -- meaning all I accomplished was 'enjoying' the extra clutter -- or else when the primaries failed there were then *better* options available, such that either I went for the new stuff, feeling guilty about forsaking the backups, or else was disciplined about keeping to inventory and being annoyed by the knowledge that I *could* be using something better had I not obtained the backups. So these days I try to restrain myself to things I see a very decent chance of needing within a year.

I have one pair on route for resoling now, so all is not lost.

Hey, at least you've got 4 sets of outsoles that you can supply to the cobbler!

 

[ChrisB]

Hey, at least you've got 4 sets of outsoles that you can supply to the cobbler!

Really?

My Asolos failed as all of the above. The problem was disintegration and drying out of the mid-sole.

I took them for resoling and was told that it was impossible because the mid-sole was not a replaceable item.

When I returned them to EMS I was told that 8-year boot life was "normal" and no replacement was available. (so much for lifetime satisfaction guarantee).

I guess boots are now "consumables" like all the other crap we buy!

Peter Limmer please forgive us!!

cb

Oh yeah - The Asolo boot failure mode is dramatic too. My boot showed no signs of weakening or compromise problems until -BANG! - the sole was flapping in the breeze as I was half way into a 12-mile hike. Got duct tape???

 

[SteveR]

I had a pair of 520's as well that were used heavily from the moment they came out of the box until their premature demise.

I loved every thing about the boot but the midsole rather quickly broke down while the sole and uppers were still uncompromised. I won't be spending my dollars on a pricey Asolo again.

At least with my Limmers (also now deceased) I was able to resole 3 times before being told that there wasn't enough meat left for another round.

Now even under a heavy pack I would wear a (relatively) lightweight boot with largely synthetic uppers. Can't see the merits of going back to a leather boot.