Picked these up from REI for heavy backpacking. They appeared rugged enough but lighter and more flexible than the sportiva maks. I broke these in on some summit scambles. Noticed a hot spot on the right heel. The foot beds scrunched up and slipped on the down hill... I'll look into replacing those. Waterproofed, these held up to constant rain and mud during a recent high country fly fishing trip. I managed to completely drench these boots by hiking through tall green stuff during a rain without gaitors. Gaitors would have kept them dry. I don't believe the waterproof integrity failed. Some of the trim leather has flaked off its finish but that seems only cosmetic. I'm pretty satisfied with these and would recommend them for backpacking although too soft for serious climbing in my opinion.

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La Sportiva, Vasque, Danner..

For the past 3 years I have been using my Vasque Glacier mountaineering boots for climbing as well as general backpacking and they have performed wonderfully. However, to save some unnecessary wear and tear on my climbing boots I broke down and bought a pair of Zamberlans for backpacking. The quality of the construction combined with the sale price was irresistable. I put about 50 miles on them with light loads (20-30) pounds and finally got to the point where blisters were controllable. This was also after having tried several different footbeds. The stock foot bed is a cheap piece of foam that crushes after the first hike and will leave you with aching feet at the end of the day. I also noticed that the leather seemed to act like a sponge soaking water up after only half a day of hiking despite several waterproofing treatments. This is not too much of a problem given the gore-tex lining, however it did cause me to raise an eyebrow. Despite this I decided to use them on a 2 week stint of the PCT. Big mistake! I had 2 weeks worth of supplies which had my pack weight up to 70pds. After getting a late start the first day I only hiked in about 10 miles and already had a good blister on my right heel. Luckily for me I had somehow managed to lose a fuel line bushing for my stove which rendered it useless and forced me to hike back out the next day. Upon reaching the White Pass gas station I pulled off my boots and socks to find a bloody right heel and a left one that was on the verge of being the same after aftermarket footbeds, over 50 miles of break-in, and only 20 miles with a heavy load! Needless to say these boots are going back to REI today. They may look cool, but backpacking is about much more than aesthetics!

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An excellent compromise between a stiff mountaineering boot and a hiking boot. I do a little bit of both, and they performed very impressively. Comforatable, easy to break in, fairly light on the feet, but I also summitted Mt. Shasta with them, using crampons for the last 4000 ft. Gore Tex worked as advertised, leather got a bit soaked after 3 days in the snow, but my feet stayed dry. No problems with workmanship, love the laces and looks.

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I bought these boots one day and began training in them by running stadiums the next. I never even got one blister. Since them i have been on very extensive hikes in Montana, Alaska and Washington. These boots were very comfortable, held up well and were extremely waterproof (particularly helpful in Alaska where it rained continuously for 2 days!). Quite a contrast to one of my hiking partners who wore Montrails!!! These boots blew away the Vasque boots I had previously hiked in.

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Vasque and hitec

I bought these after a friend recommended them to me and they have been great. It took me about twenty miles to break in correctly, with hot spots on my heels at first, more so than other boots I have tried, but they went away pretty quickly . I also had to tie them more loosely than other boots that I have owned. I spent four months in the Adirondacks and on the AT, accumulating near 1000 miles on them before I had to get them resoled (they desperately needed it). I haven't had a boot last nearly that long. After the resoling, they still feel great. One of the best mid grade trekking/ hiking boots I've tried. The goretex breaths pretty well, but since it is an all leather upper, don't ask for too much.

Customer Service

Resoling them through a vibram dealer wasn't too expensive, but took them awhile. They did offer me a change in the lug design, but I stuck with the original.

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I have killed Vasques and Asolos after a single season (mainly through lots of miles, and continous time on the trail without being able to clean them thoroughly), and felt that the Zamberlans have held up better, and I am going to try them for next summer. Best value for this price range(from REI)

These boots are the best fitting boots for my narrow feet and weak ankles. The have great ankle support and excellent traction. These boots do not need much of a break in period. I bought them 1 week before a Rim to Rim trip accross the Grand Canyon and I didn't even get a blister.

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Danner Mtn Lights

This boot fit my narrow feet with toes that spread wide better than any other boot because they were very snug at the ankle. However, the first pair had to be returned to REI because of a permanent fold in the liner that put pressure on my foot. The second pair, also returned, split at the sole near the toe after 50 miles of use. These boots didn't get a third chance. A great fit but a thorough disappointment that has put me behind in breaking in a pair of boots before a weeklong trip later in the summer. Don't be tempted because the price is slightly less than the rest.

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I am now breaking in a pair of Asolo 520 GTX. My last pair of boots were Salomon Authentic 5's, which lasted quite well for four years.

Zamberlan Civetta: On a eight trip to the Dolimite Mountains, I was luckey enough to have a pair of these shoes. They were the most supportive and stable shoes, I've ever owned. My wife and I made several long trekks, the longest being 8 hours to summit 8,000 ft. We made several off-trail trekks, crossing streams, which my boots never leaked once and were stable over slippery rocks and scree. This are the best boots thus far, that I have owned.

Customer Service

The people at REI, College Park, MD were great and let me exchange the size from a 101/2 to a size 11. They realy add to the buying experience with expertise.

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Vasque Clarion Impact which has good ankle support, but the heel really sucks when making steep decents.

Having read the few other reviews posted here, I guess I got lucky as I have nothing but praise for these boots. Usually footwear does'nt fit so well ( I pronate, have narrow heels, bunion on on my larger foot and a tendency to blister) but these boots fit extremely well from the get-go with virtually no break-in period and have held up to some significant abuse. They were waterproofed with biwell upon purchase and have thus far 2 winters, 1 summer remained dry.

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In a months span these boots have been hiking in Moab Utah, over 3000 verticle to the twin sisters which are tarns over 12000 feet fed by a miniature glacier between Salida and Canon City Co, up 2 14ers (peaks over 14,000 feet for those of you from lower elevations) and other smaller hikes. All I can say is that I have happy feet. I tried on about 10 different brands before I settled on Zambarlan, they fit my feet the best in the store. I require a medium toe box with a narrow last. The only place they did not fit quite the way I wanted was the heel pocket, I would have prefered something a little more snug. So far I have experienced no hot spots and dismounting 14ers is about the best test for toe-jam, I had no problem there either. I stepped in streams with these boots and they stayed dry, it snowed 3 inches the day I climbed the 14ers and my feet stayed warm. Believe it or not the gore-tex seems to be breathing like it is supposed to. The negative reviews are disheartening. So far I have experienced no problems with the workmanship of these boots and I think it is safe to say I have already put them through quite a bit. Beside the comfort, I found the stability and traction of these boots to be excellent. I almost bought the Asolo AFX 535 V for 20$ cheaper which also fit well in the store but a side by side comparison at REI led me to by the Zambarlans and I have no regrets.

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