Hi all, with no intention whatsoever to bash on any brand, but just to provide a user's review of a boot I purchased with my own cash.
Talking about the Crispi Dakota GTX.
First of all, I'd like to add here a size comparison for those coming from other boots, I'll make a list of equivalent sizes.
Crispi Dakota 11 Wide, Crispi Valdres 11 wide, Asolo Powermatic 10.5, Cabelas Western guide 11, Cabelas denali 10.5 wide, Crispi Wyoming 11, Salomon Quest 4d GTX 11
All of those boots above I have owned for some length of time, and they are all comparable in fit, for my feet. I include comments on each of these boots towards the bottom.
Back to the Dakota's.... durability of these is sub-par, to say the least. After ~70 miles on trails, the tip of the sole had started to separate from the leather rand at the tip, the stitching of the leather rand had frayed badly all around and even cut in some places, and some of the stitching on the collar was starting to become undone too. For that kind of mileage and a ~300 dollar boot, it's unacceptable. 70 miles is just barely 7 days of use....
One thing that is a gripe of mine, and I consider a fundamental flaw in the design, is that fabric eyelet on the collar... seriously? How long is that going to last? And it's mighty inconvenient at the time of lacing boots. A 300 dollar boot should have a metal hook there. They cannot save more than 2 bucks by cutting corners in that place, and it compromises durability and usability.
To crispis' credit, I was able to send my boots back for a refund. I had purchased these boots straight from them.
a little PSA here: to all those 'influencers', you are doing a major disservice to outdoors-men that spend their hard earned cash on products like these.
By 'influencers' i'm referring to those who receive a new pair of boots for free every season in exchange for an unfair review where they tout the goodness of such product. Idiots like me read those reviews and purchase said products only to find out you are a lot of money out for a product that doesn't perform, and you won't get a free pair next year to replace the one that broke down in little to no time.
I'm attaching pictures of the issues mentioned, and again, with the only intention to provide useful information to anyone considering buying these boots.
In closing, I'd like to mention that the the sole of the boots after 70 miles had significant sign of wear and cracks in several places. I didn't take pictures of this, since I thought in comparison to the other issues, namely, the boots coming apart after little use, the wearing of the sole was not as bad... the boots would come undone before the sole wore out.
Crispi Valdres 11 wide. Cheaply made. little to no support around the ankle. super comfortable light-weight boot.
Asolo Powermatic 100 10.5. Bought these things from STP for 80 dollars. I have had them for two years, and piled up hundreds of miles on them in all kinds of terrain. They are a little on the heavier side. Good ankle support. Gore-tex membrane has lost function and I do get some water pass through if the boots are used in wet terrain/snow for a while. Sole is wearing out, upper is in great shape. No separation of rubber/leather whatsoever. I wished I had bought another pair of these back when I bought the first pair. Not the best for side-hilling, the tread is not aggressive enough. Even so, I might end up re-soling these boots, they have served me well and I think the upper would stand a few more hundred miles.
Cabelas Western guide 11. these things are super burly, and super stiff. They are uninsulated, but otherwise I'd think of them more of a mountaineering boot. they accept crampons.
Cabelas denali 10.5 wide, These things are the bomb. super well made, really good quality. a little more flex than the western guide. The collar was mighty uncomfortable, it had a really painful pressure spot that made it unbearable to walk in them. I wanted to keep these things like heck, but unfortunately weren't right fit for me.
Crispi Wyoming 11. I had this for a short time and sent them back. the fore front of the toebox was way low and the top of my toes would rub against it.
Salomon quest 4d gtw 11. This things are GARBAGE. I utterly destroyed a pair in 30 miles while doing the grand sawtooth loop. seams broke, sole became unglued from the shoe, it was just a bloody mess falling apart. Little support for carrying heavy weights. I'd regard this more of a trail running boot/fast-light hiker with a light backpack on the yellow-brick road. They require no break-in time. they will not stand up to severe punishment. nay, neither mild punishment. this might be more related to my own build and feet, but they hurt my Achilles tendons really bad, to the point where I couldn't walk. I was on a 60 mile backpacking loop, and it was really hard to finish it and hike myself out since these boots destroyed my feet. luckily here again, salomon took them back for a refund, but they did give me a lot of trouble. Bad CS.
Talking about the Crispi Dakota GTX.
First of all, I'd like to add here a size comparison for those coming from other boots, I'll make a list of equivalent sizes.
Crispi Dakota 11 Wide, Crispi Valdres 11 wide, Asolo Powermatic 10.5, Cabelas Western guide 11, Cabelas denali 10.5 wide, Crispi Wyoming 11, Salomon Quest 4d GTX 11
All of those boots above I have owned for some length of time, and they are all comparable in fit, for my feet. I include comments on each of these boots towards the bottom.
Back to the Dakota's.... durability of these is sub-par, to say the least. After ~70 miles on trails, the tip of the sole had started to separate from the leather rand at the tip, the stitching of the leather rand had frayed badly all around and even cut in some places, and some of the stitching on the collar was starting to become undone too. For that kind of mileage and a ~300 dollar boot, it's unacceptable. 70 miles is just barely 7 days of use....
One thing that is a gripe of mine, and I consider a fundamental flaw in the design, is that fabric eyelet on the collar... seriously? How long is that going to last? And it's mighty inconvenient at the time of lacing boots. A 300 dollar boot should have a metal hook there. They cannot save more than 2 bucks by cutting corners in that place, and it compromises durability and usability.
To crispis' credit, I was able to send my boots back for a refund. I had purchased these boots straight from them.
a little PSA here: to all those 'influencers', you are doing a major disservice to outdoors-men that spend their hard earned cash on products like these.
By 'influencers' i'm referring to those who receive a new pair of boots for free every season in exchange for an unfair review where they tout the goodness of such product. Idiots like me read those reviews and purchase said products only to find out you are a lot of money out for a product that doesn't perform, and you won't get a free pair next year to replace the one that broke down in little to no time.
I'm attaching pictures of the issues mentioned, and again, with the only intention to provide useful information to anyone considering buying these boots.
In closing, I'd like to mention that the the sole of the boots after 70 miles had significant sign of wear and cracks in several places. I didn't take pictures of this, since I thought in comparison to the other issues, namely, the boots coming apart after little use, the wearing of the sole was not as bad... the boots would come undone before the sole wore out.
Crispi Valdres 11 wide. Cheaply made. little to no support around the ankle. super comfortable light-weight boot.
Asolo Powermatic 100 10.5. Bought these things from STP for 80 dollars. I have had them for two years, and piled up hundreds of miles on them in all kinds of terrain. They are a little on the heavier side. Good ankle support. Gore-tex membrane has lost function and I do get some water pass through if the boots are used in wet terrain/snow for a while. Sole is wearing out, upper is in great shape. No separation of rubber/leather whatsoever. I wished I had bought another pair of these back when I bought the first pair. Not the best for side-hilling, the tread is not aggressive enough. Even so, I might end up re-soling these boots, they have served me well and I think the upper would stand a few more hundred miles.
Cabelas Western guide 11. these things are super burly, and super stiff. They are uninsulated, but otherwise I'd think of them more of a mountaineering boot. they accept crampons.
Cabelas denali 10.5 wide, These things are the bomb. super well made, really good quality. a little more flex than the western guide. The collar was mighty uncomfortable, it had a really painful pressure spot that made it unbearable to walk in them. I wanted to keep these things like heck, but unfortunately weren't right fit for me.
Crispi Wyoming 11. I had this for a short time and sent them back. the fore front of the toebox was way low and the top of my toes would rub against it.
Salomon quest 4d gtw 11. This things are GARBAGE. I utterly destroyed a pair in 30 miles while doing the grand sawtooth loop. seams broke, sole became unglued from the shoe, it was just a bloody mess falling apart. Little support for carrying heavy weights. I'd regard this more of a trail running boot/fast-light hiker with a light backpack on the yellow-brick road. They require no break-in time. they will not stand up to severe punishment. nay, neither mild punishment. this might be more related to my own build and feet, but they hurt my Achilles tendons really bad, to the point where I couldn't walk. I was on a 60 mile backpacking loop, and it was really hard to finish it and hike myself out since these boots destroyed my feet. luckily here again, salomon took them back for a refund, but they did give me a lot of trouble. Bad CS.
