Montrail Torre GTX

Review Date
February 5, 2010

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Daniel Soebbing ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $140.00 at Bivouac Ann Arbor

Summary:
I purchased a pair of these boots on sale at a local outfitter. I had tried on several different boots from other manufacturers, but these were by far the most comfortable. There was essentially no break in period. As soon as I started hiking these felt great.


First I took these boots on a week long backpacking trip in the Wind River Range. They performed well, though the gore tex seemed to do more to hold water in than it did to keep it out. Overall, though, I was pretty happy with these boots at that point. They were definitely the most comfortable boots that I had ever worn for any length of time.


After their maiden backpacking trip, I took these boots on a NOLS semester course. For the first month we were back in the Wind River Range. This time, however, these boots were not up to the task. Within two weeks the leather upper was separating along a seam near the inner side of the toe box on both the left and the right boot. As the semester wore on, the separation grew worse and worse, as the seam continued to unravel. There were large holes in both of my boots allowing you to see all the way to the gore tex liners and beyond. Sand crept into my boots and started to painfully scour my feet.


As far as I'm concerned, these boots are now essentially trash. I might be able to send them back to Montrail to get them fixed, but I'll never trust them again for anything more than a day hike. I'm never buying anything for serious hiking other than single-piece, full grain leather ever again.

Review Date
November 4, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Dom(Unregistered User) ,  Climber

Price Paid:  $140.00 at REI

Summary:
These are best desert boots I have ever owned. And I've owned a lot of boots. I just ordered a replacement for my current pair. The pair looks pretty terrible now - no tread left, a couple stitches coming out and a hole or two; but any boot upper that outlasts the sole is a good boot in my opinion. The boots survived 2.5 years, probably 300-400 days of hiking, and who knows how many miles (literally thousands). The sole stands up to sharp desert limestone and volcanics that destroy softer rubber. The fact that I am buying them again is a testament to their worth.

To all the people complaining about the narrowness - they come in wide sizes - buy them. I have wide feet and often have problems with other boots. The wide sizes from Montrail fit me perfect.

Customer Service:
Never dealt with them.

Similar Products Used:
Various models from Asolo, Vasque (terrible!!!), Solomon, REI, Scarpa, La Sportiva, Merrell and others.

Review Date
March 15, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: Dave(Unregistered User) ,  Day Hiker

Price Paid:  $0.00 at REI

Summary:
I bought these after an exhaustive fitting session at REI to find something, anything, that fit properly. The Montrail Torre GTX Wide fit the bill perfectly. They have been awesome in snow and ice and the waterproofing has yet to be penetrated. They are comfortable (like a heavy high-top sneaker, if you're a bit old-school and remember those) but they might be trouble in summer because they don't have breathable areas. That doesn't worry me as I would consider the foot sweat a great trade-off for having a boot that fits my flat feet.

Review Date
March 5, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: Brian(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $140.00 at REI

Summary:
I bought these boots for fastpacking, hiking and general backpacking and so far the have yet to disappoint. Although I only have about 250 miles on these boots i feel as though they will continue to serve me well. Boot provides a solid "mid level" support. They are not hiking shoes and they are not steel shanked mountaineering boots. They have enough support to carry a pack upwards of 40-50lbs I would say. Anything over that and you probably want to look into a taller possibly full leather boot. They provide great protection to toes, side of your foot and ankles. Also the sole is very stiff and durable, you wont get sore feet from walking across rocks all day long as you will with some other boots. I backpack a lot in the high sierras and sometimes spend days scrambling over rocks and i have yet to get stone bruising with these boots. Ive inadvertently placed my feet in sharp "rock pinches" and both my feet and the boots were fine afterwords. Vibram sole is nice and grippy on rocks and in loose shale, however vibram is designed to be soft and grippy so it has a tendency to wear quickly (so dont drag your feet!). Boots are gore-tex which means they dont breath that well so they can be warm and your feet will sweat in them. If i am backpacking i change my socks at lunch when i wear these boots and my feet stay dry enough to aviod problems. That said these boots are very water tight. I spent last weekend stomping around in the mud for two days and my feet stayed very dry. I was very impressed by the waterproofing of a boot that is not full leather.

They are very comfortable, however the toe box is slightly too short on the baby toe sides of the boots and when spending any considerable amount of time going downhill with a heavy pack they press on the nail of my baby toe. My father has the same boots and has the same problem with them. This could possibly be fixed by getting them streatched, but im not entirely sure. Overall the I would highly recommend these to anyone who is a casual hiker to an 3-5 day trip backpacker. They are comfortable, durable, and have good support.

Review Date
October 14, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Johnisu ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $50.00 at www.steepandcheap.co

Summary:
These boots were surprisingly light for boots of this style. So far I've worn them on lots of day hikes and a few strenuous 14'ers, but nothing super burly. They've held up great and offer good support. In the past I have always worn trail runners on all my hikes, but these boots are light and comfortable enough that I've started wearing them exclusively. Quality boot.