Asolo discovery..

[Jay H]

Asolo discovery boots

Hello forum fiends and friends, wear a size 8 Montrail torres GTX which I seem to go through like ice cream. They fail in the same spot every time, in the inside seam right above the ball of the feet. Due to the flex of the boot, that seam always rips. The last pair lasted me 1 season and not only is the tread almost gone, the seams are ripped. SierraTradingPost, is spitting out coupons like a baby's pacifier, so I checked their stock. They have mostly women's Montrails and a bunch of Asolos. Since I am a Men's size 8, I thought I could safely order some Montrails but can't find anything that really interests me.

But there are some Asolo Discovery boots for men that look nice, (under 3lbs), vibram sole, not too tall, looks like feet . Anybody have any experience with them, how they compare to a size 8 Montrail, etc... They are also cheap which is good for me and I have coupons...

Jay

 

[JR]

Jay,
I unfortunately do not have any experience with the Discovery boots, but I have been wearing Asolo FSN 95 boots pretty much since I started hiking. They were the first boot that fit my feet after trying many pairs and I have replaced them with new boots as needed (my current pair is worn pretty bad in the tread, but has lasted for 4 seasons including a 2 month backpacking trip to Switzerland and Scotland).

If the FSN boots are representative of other Asolo boots, I would have no hesitation to recommend you go ahead and get a pair, especially if they are cheap.

One word of caution would be the sizing. Different manufacturers do have different definitions of a certain size and you may not necessarily be a size 8 in that boot. Maybe try something by Asolo on at a local place to see if they are in the ballpark. Also, Asolo's tend to be a little more narrow than some of the other boots out there; though they fit me better even though I have wider feet at the toe. Go figure...

Good luck!
-JR

 

[Chip]

Have you contacted Montrail re their 1 year warranty ? Maybe you could get a couple pair in "the float" and have 1 hiking and 1 being repaired. With the amount of mileage you put on your boots I'd think you'd need a medium or even heavy hiker, something equivalent to the Montrail Olympus (which is a lighter weight boot rated as a "Heavy" hikier). Both the Montrail Torre and Asolo Discovery are ranked as light, I believe. Do you use a different winter boot ?

 

[Juniper]

Hey Jay. Montrail Torre GRX wearer myself, and just replaced my last pair due to the same failure you describe. Got a newer model from steepandcheap for a ridiculous price. The design has changed and now there is more rubber over the same area where my old ones split. Boot is more ugly, but maybe it will perform better. Were your last ones like this??? Here is a pic.

Anyhoo...before the Montrails I wore Asolo leather boots and loved them. I was worried I wouldn't find a replacement that fit as well, but the Montrails worked like a charm right out of the box. I also wear Asolo trailrunners and they fit great. I really like the look of the Discovery (maybe I'll try them myself!) but I have read a number of bad reviews about the durability of the non-leather Asolos. Just sayin.

In terms of size, I agree you should try something on in person before ordering online (or you could be like me and have to return half the stuff you buy online!). I wear an 8.5 for most shoes, the Montrails I require a 9.5 and Asolo is a 9. Hope that helps somewhat.

Rebecca

 

[Jay H]

JR: yeah, I am trying to stick with Montrails... I have looked at the Asolo 95 before.. I may stop by Campmor tonight, it appears they're open til 9:30pm...

Chip, I wear Scarpa Charmoz mtn'ing boots for winter pursuits, they're practically as light as 3-season boots but have been awesome in terms of durability, traction, and waterproofness.

Juniper:

STP has the following women's Torres:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/...re-Tex-Hiking-Boots-Waterproof-For-Women.html

Not sure what the diffs would be between the womens/mens, although I know women usually have smaller feet, I would assume the size scale would be the same. They do look a bit different than my plain old brown torres. (I can't see your picture here.. )

Jay

 

[Stan]

My son had a pair of Montrails and they, after only a couple years, failed in a number of places. We're accustomed to many miles on our hiking boots with two re-soles over their lifetime.

I think you should not only look to the manufacturer's warranty ... I would think they'd be eager to learn about problems with the boots ... but to the retailer as well. Well known stores like REI, EMS and especially LLBean have very customer friendly return policies. Unfortunately, there are a few characters that abuse this courtesy but your story is an unquestionably valid reason for replacement.

As an aside, I only buy products made in China as a very last resort. I have many reasons for this ... environmental, humanitarian, quality, technological and cultural pirating, etc. ... but suffice to say, the profit margin on Chinese products is so high that "manufacturers" and retailers can afford to replace your boots many times over.

 

[Chip]

My son had a pair of Montrails and they, after only a couple years, failed in a number of places. We're accustomed to many miles on our hiking boots with two re-soles over their lifetime.

I think you should not only look to the manufacturer's warranty ... I would think they'd be eager to learn about problems with the boots ... but to the retailer as well. Well known stores like REI, EMS and especially LLBean have very customer friendly return policies. Unfortunately, there are a few characters that abuse this courtesy but your story is an unquestionably valid reason for replacement.

As an aside, I only buy products made in China as a very last resort. I have many reasons for this ... environmental, humanitarian, quality, technological and cultural pirating, etc. ... but suffice to say, the profit margin on Chinese products is so high that "manufacturers" and retailers can afford to replace your boots many times over.

MEC's site indicates the Montrail Torre's are made in China. I'm not saying that's good or bad, one way or the other. If less expensive manufacturing is what Montrail has decided on then they probably won't have an issue replacing/repairing within the warranty. I think in situations like this it's the retailer that probably gets the shaft in the deal, if you're trying to process the replace/repair through them and not the "manufacturer" directly.

Most boots aren't made to be able to replace the sole anymore. It's a "Buy it Cheap and Throw it Out" world. It may be time to buy Limmers, Jay.

 

[Jay H]

Well, I had an actual order for Asolo 95s from STP for $110 shipped (20% off, I had the little free shipping riddle answered, sometimes you can use that and also get free shipping which would of made it $100 shipped) but just after I submitted the order, I got an email from Backcoutry's Outlet and voila, they have a discontinued mens torres GTX (new style, Juniper! ) for $82 with free shipping.... in my size!!! Bingo, cancelled STP, ordered it from BC Outlet... nice.

I can't, in my right mind, contact Montrail, because they fit fine, quite fine, perhaps, I have no complaints, just a durability issue. I fixed my first pair of Torres with Gorilla Glue and that worked great but that pair lasted about 3 years.. The one I bought from STP last winter only lasted til now. The tread on both pairs are pretty worn.. But I can't pass up these $82 boots from BCO so...

I will though, Stan, check out the new ones to see if they changed their design, from the picture on the website, it looks a bit different than my older Torres so perhaps they already listened, but you're right, if these are the same, I shall see if I can contact them. Like you said, most good companies are very willing to hear customer comments..


Jay