Epic Boot Review. Salewa, Lowa, Meindl, Kennetrek, Saloman, Crispi.

[ttucci16]

Hey @ttucci16 how are those Salewa Mtn Trainers holdin up? Thanks for the great info on all those boots!

I'll be 100 percent honest and say that after bringing them out in the field three times, i never brought them back out. I lost 3 toenails coming out of the Pasayten Wilderness, which suprised the hell out of me. These boots never felt tight or like there wasn't enough room in the toe box. My only issue has been the soles are getting torn to pieces WAAAY too fast, and the boots are leaking where i'm pointing at in the picture on both boots. After early season scouting, I went back to my trusted Lowa Tibets, which performed like a champ for the 40ish days i spent in them during deer, elk, and bear season. My one word of advice with the Salewas is that they will not accomodate the rigid superfeet insoles. These boots narrow out at the arches a lot and therefore, the flat rigid support of superfeet gree, blue, and orange will not work with these. I still stand by my statement that these are insanely comfortable and mold to my feet very well. For some reason they didn't work out, and it sucks that they didn't. I'm probably going to be trying out the Whites Oywhee boots soon.

 

[Oldforester311]

I'll be 100 percent honest and say that after bringing them out in the field three times, i never brought them back out. I lost 3 toenails coming out of the Pasayten Wilderness, which suprised the hell out of me. These boots never felt tight or like there wasn't enough room in the toe box. My only issue has been the soles are getting torn to pieces WAAAY too fast, and the boots are leaking where i'm pointing at in the picture on both boots. After early season scouting, I went back to my trusted Lowa Tibets, which performed like a champ for the 40ish days i spent in them during deer, elk, and bear season. My one word of advice with the Salewas is that they will not accomodate the rigid superfeet insoles. These boots narrow out at the arches a lot and therefore, the flat rigid support of superfeet gree, blue, and orange will not work with these. I still stand by my statement that these are insanely comfortable and mold to my feet very well. For some reason they didn't work out, and it sucks that they didn't. I'm probably going to be trying out the Whites Oywhee boots soon.

Thanks for the update @ttucci16! Hate that they didn’t work out for you. Sounds like you really liked them.

 

[All American Boy]

Men's size 10.5. Love the Asolo Hunter Extreme GV. I am a BIG fan of Asolo. Wore a different pair 35 years ago for 2000 miles on the AT, with no blisters. If they fit your foot, they are comfortable, ankle support, tough toe rand, aggressive tread, and Goretex.

 

[Wapack]

I'll be 100 percent honest and say that after bringing them out in the field three times, i never brought them back out. I lost 3 toenails coming out of the Pasayten Wilderness, which suprised the hell out of me. These boots never felt tight or like there wasn't enough room in the toe box. My only issue has been the soles are getting torn to pieces WAAAY too fast, and the boots are leaking where i'm pointing at in the picture on both boots. After early season scouting, I went back to my trusted Lowa Tibets, which performed like a champ for the 40ish days i spent in them during deer, elk, and bear season. My one word of advice with the Salewas is that they will not accomodate the rigid superfeet insoles. These boots narrow out at the arches a lot and therefore, the flat rigid support of superfeet gree, blue, and orange will not work with these. I still stand by my statement that these are insanely comfortable and mold to my feet very well. For some reason they didn't work out, and it sucks that they didn't. I'm probably going to be trying out the Whites Oywhee boots soon.

Bummer I’m sorry they did not work out for you. I also have these boots and have been super happy with there fit. Especially after murdering my feet with my last set of scarpas... I have a couple hundred miles on my pair and have had zero issues with any separation, loss in waterproofing, or any durability issues really. But I’m not sidehilling through scree on every hike either. Anyway my point being maybe reach out to Salewa? But if your losing toenails your probably over them altogether haha.

 

[ttucci16]

***Update***
I sent the Salewa Mtn Trainers into Goretex for a warranty claim due to them leaking like a faucet. The whole experience was painless. I contacted Goretex, explained the situation, and they sent me a warranty claim to fill out and ship the boots back to their testing facility. Within a week of shipping the boots back, a refund was sent to my paypal for the cost of the boots. If any of your boots have an issue due to the goretex, give those guys a shout. I highly recommend those guys due to their customer service and all around support. Anyone else been testing out boots in the off season?

 

[tclipse]

I have a pair of Asolo TPS Equalon GV that I found in the clearance section at Sierra for $22- probably one of the best deals I've ever gotten on gear. I wondered if they were 2nds but couldn't find any flaws. They used to run $300 or so, but looks like they are discontinued.. a few sizes left around for $180 on Sierra and other clearance sites.

They have been awesome for me, I use them for Appalachian turkey and whitetail hunts and hikes. 50+ miles into these over the past few years and I don't have any complaints. Waterproofing works like it should and no sole wear yet. Super comfortable with good support.

YMMV as this is the first pair of nice boots I've owned and don't have anything else high end to compare it to. My last pair were Irish Setter Vaprtreks so that is my reference point, at a minimum these blow those out of the water.

 

[Doc89]

Nice Review! I'm in the process of testing out the Salewa's. Just picked up a pair of the Raven 3 GTX's & Vulture EVO GTX's. Blown away at the fit. Testing and time will tell! I normally need something with a little more toe room width wise. These boots fit great. The Raven especially is the first boot that made me say "whoah..." when I first put my foot in. They just wrap and contour the foot so perfectly.

For reference:
Right - W: 11.1 L: 28.3 CM
Left - W: 11.4 L: 28.6 CM

Raven 3 GTX - Size 12 fits like a dream (4.10lb/set)
Vulture EVO GTX - Size 12.5 is great with a thick sock (4.80lb/set)

Both are stiff boots for sure. Raven a 4.5, Vulture a 5. (gohunt stiffness for reference). I picked up both for my Idaho hunts. The Raven for early season & spring bear when its warmer and I need a lighter breathable boot to ram jam off trail in the steep stuff.. I have the Vulture in mind for Late Season Mule Deer in November, they are basically ski boots and the ankle support is just unreal. Would love to pick up a pair of the Mountain Trainer's as well! They look super comfy.

 

[Bearwhisky]

Great write up and idea for people to post the sizing references. I wish I had found more info like this on my boot quest. Below are my measurements and some boots/sizes that I have found work for my (after many return shipping bills).

R 11.27 cm wide, 29.2 cm long
L 10.95 cm wide, 29.3 cm long

I measure right at 12.5 and just a smidge over regular width on a brannok device.

Schnees Beartooth 200 size 13 wide. I absolutely love this boot. Its like its made for my foot. Not as hot in warm weather as I expected. Nor is it too stiff for flat ground, but it is stiff enough for some elevation.

Salewa Alps Trainer 2- size 13. Fits my foot pretty dang good. Toe box wider than expected for a regular width in a european boot. Extremely lightweight and pretty flexible, all while offering pretty good protection with a firm rubber rand. Perfect for daily wear or hiking without heavy load. They are waterproof so far. Time will tell how well the goretex holds up.

Crispi Guide size 13 wide- way too big, returned

Crispi Valdres size 13 wide- way too big, exchanged for 12.5 wide. Waiting on exchange pair.

It is quite interesting to see the size difference in the 13 wide from schnees vs crispi. I thought the schnees were too small at first. I almost sent them back but didnt and im glad...they fit absolutely perfect. All the while I had 2 pairs of crispis in the same 13 wide and they were absolutely gigantic on my foot. If you have an extremely wide foot, I cant imagine anyone making a boot wider than the crispi wide models. If you are a true wide, I dont think schnees will work for you.


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