Scarpa Ribelle Lite HD. Would like to hear from Scarpa fanboys

[letrbuck]

Been wearing Scarpas for almost 10 years now (with a pair of Meindl mixed in). I've burned through a couple pairs of Kinesis pros, a couple R Evolution Plus, and now working my way through another pair of Kinesis Pros and Zodiac Plus.

The Ribelle Lite HD is really intriguing to me. I like a stiffer shank boot, but haven't used a full shank boot in a while. Is the Ribelle Lite HD an actual full shank boot? Anyone using them that has experience with any of the other Scarpas? They're 7oz lighter than the Kinesis, but wondering if they are considerably stiffer.... The Kinesis is a stiff boot, but not over the top.

Thanks for any input on your experiences!

 

[CodeMonkey]

I tried these on and was impressed. Lightweight, supportive, and fit my foot great. That said, they were very stiff, as in you're in a ski boot.

If I ever draw sheep or goat, these are on the short list.

 

[IBen]

They’re not as stiff as a Trango Tower or Charmoz. They felt good when I was testing them on a slant board and indoors. I ended up returning them but am going order them again after being disappointed by the fit of some hanwags and some others. The synthetic ones squeaked a bit.

 

[Ram94]

I’ve also been using Kinesis Pros for the past 6 years or so. Burned through my second pair last season and ended up pulling the trigger on a set of Ribelle Lite HDs. Been hiking in them for a couple months now and am very happy! They are a bit stiffer than the Kinesis but with the rocker profile they are not difficult to walk in on flat ground. The toe box is a touch wider on them too just something to be aware of. The Kinesis was always just a bit tight for me so that was a welcome change. Time will tell on durability, but they seem solid so far and on paper they check a lot of boxes.

 

[CodeMonkey]

So long story short... the Zamberlans I bought are too flexible for my liking. Didn't realize this until some heavy pack training in the hills.

I have a pair of Ribelle Lite HDs coming Sunday. Will keep y'all posted.

At this point, I've spent more money on Italian boots in my lifetime than my wife has.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

So long story short... the Zamberlans I bought are too flexible for my liking. Didn't realize this until some heavy pack training in the hills.

I have a pair of Ribelle Lite HDs coming Sunday. Will keep y'all posted.

At this point, I've spent more money on Italian boots in my lifetime than my wife has.

Which zamberlan’s are those? I got the mountain treks and like how stuff they are.

 

[redchinviking]

I’ve run three pairs of kinesis through the years now and love em but yeah a bit heavy. For full full shank I went scarpa grand dru. They are a “toe in” boot meant for upper alpine sheep/goat hunts and or cold/snow as they are lightly insulated and are crampon compatible. Not fun for trail but unparalleled in the steep nasty. Great ankle cup/support. Stiff as hell if that’s what your looking for.

 

[S.Clancy]

I have a pair, they rock box

 

[CodeMonkey]

Which zamberlan’s are those? I got the mountain treks and like how stuff they are.

I have a pair of 1104s that I got a really awesome deal on. Allegedly these are a "3" flex, but I can basically fold them in half with my hands.

 

[CodeMonkey]

After getting another pair of these to try, I stand by my original assessment.

They are awesome fitting boots (for my narrow and low volume feet) that are just too stiff for my liking and use case. If I had a sheep tag or if I wanted to summit 14ers all summer in Colorado, these would be my #1 choice.

 

[ndbuck09]

They’re not as stiff as a Trango Tower or Charmoz. They felt good when I was testing them on a slant board and indoors. I ended up returning them but am going order them again after being disappointed by the fit of some hanwags and some others. The synthetic ones squeaked a bit.

I too have been eyeing the ribelle lite's since my current Charmoz are worn thru at this point in the toe. Have run 2 pairs of Charmoz for all of my hiking and hunting for the past 4 years. Curious if you could elaborate more on the stiffness of the Ribelle's compared to the Charmoz? Also curious if you think there's more/less/equal amount of cushionin in the Ribelle than the Charmoz?

Thanks

 

[IBen]

I too have been eyeing the ribelle lite's since my current Charmoz are worn thru at this point in the toe. Have run 2 pairs of Charmoz for all of my hiking and hunting for the past 4 years. Curious if you could elaborate more on the stiffness of the Ribelle's compared to the Charmoz? Also curious if you think there's more/less/equal amount of cushionin in the Ribelle than the Charmoz?

Thanks

There’s more cushioning. They feel kind of clunky honestly. Very aggressive rocker which i dont like. They have a flex point built in almost. Kicking in to steep hillsides wont have the same support as the charmoz. I have a pair that I’ve been wearing but I bought them from REI so I’m going to return them. I’m going to stick with the La sportiva Trango tower in size 45.5. I wear 46 in the ribelle. There is definitely more room in toe box on the ribelle compared to TT’s and Charmoz, the trango towers have more room than the charmoz (45.5 vs 46). The upper on the Ribelle is just softer overall around the toes.
You can still buy trango towers at Oliunìd.com if you're interested

 

[Cactus kid]

I too have been eyeing the ribelle lite's since my current Charmoz are worn thru at this point in the toe. Have run 2 pairs of Charmoz for all of my hiking and hunting for the past 4 years. Curious if you could elaborate more on the stiffness of the Ribelle's compared to the Charmoz? Also curious if you think there's more/less/equal amount of cushionin in the Ribelle than the Charmoz?

Thanks

I found the stiffness in both the charmoz and ribelle lite to be comparable. The Charmoz had a much narrower toe box. The ribelles had about the same cushion, but I use insoles that leveled the playing field. I found the ribelles could do every thing the charmoz could do but could could conquer the flat miles much more comfortably thanks to the rocker.

 

[ndbuck09]

Your message popped up since you replied to my original one from June....I had meant to come back to this thread too and provide my sort of impressions since I did go ahead and buy the Ribelle Lite's and used them exclusively from June to present in Idaho scouting, a 35 mile thru hike in colorado and all of archery elk, deer and chukar hunting.

I agree with you on what you said about stiffness and the charmoz toe box being way narrower. The Ribelles are way more comfortable!

I've not used insoles much in boots as I've never had any issues to warrant it until these Ribelles. I tried to use them for a month and a half with the stock insoles and there is absolutely no cushioning in those insoles whatsoever, much less than the stock Charmoz insole (i compared them). So with the ribelles, after 5 hrs of having them on, my feet would feel like I was and had been walking on concrete. The ball would just flat ache. At first I chalked it up to my feet just getting used to them, then I also tried looser lacing, but nothing I did would stop that ache and having my feet footsore. When you put your hand inside the boot, it was as hard as a rock in the footbed. So I went to a local shoe store here in Boise and told them I needed a low volume but cushy insole. They directed me to Cadence insoles EX. I swapped those in and the next scouting trip I went on in July was like heaven. I've not had any sore feet since and I can honestly say these Ribelle Lite's are the most comfortable stiff mountain boot I've ever had. Even with narrow, low volume feet, the increased volume in the toebox addressed the only issue I ever had with the Charmoz in that sometimes downhills in the Charmoz would work the toes from rubbing on the tops. I've never had that with the Ribelles. They are fantastic.