Vivo forest tracker esc durability

[twall13]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to at least give it a shot, found some used Magna FG on Ebay for cheap. Probably won't take them on spring bear this year, but they'll get used for most everything else between now and fall.

Couple more questions after a lion hunt this weekend that prompted some thoughts.

• Sounds like it has been addressed above, but what crampons work well with these boots? Any full manual crampon, and with or without a solid connecting bar? Or only the lighter duty spikes?
• Without crampons, how are the Vivos on extremely steep/frozen terrain? With stiff boots I've always relied on kicking an edge/toe in on steep/frozen slopes. Not sure how that will work with the Vivos yet.
• How does the additional foot/ankle mobility affect knees? I've been trying to pay more attention to this with the stiff boots, and it seems like some minor knee issues I've felt might be exacerbated by the stiffer boots and reduced with the mobility of the barefoot boots.

The KG Boot Guard is good stuff, I have some on a pair of Lowa Tibets that has survived 4 seasons of lion/spring bear hunting and looks brand new. I prepped pretty aggressively for it with 40 grit sandpaper and acetone, none of it is peeling at all yet. I'll probably try that or the 5200 on this pair of Magna when they show up.

I've never used crampons with Vivo's as I don't think it would work well. Microspikes are fine for the most part but you do feel them underfoot on really icy stuff and they can put a little pressure on your toes from the rubber on top. It hasn't been a problem for me but it's work pointing out.

For me, moving to barefoot shoes really helped my knees. That is speaking across the board beginning with running shoes but also boots.

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[Braaap]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to at least give it a shot, found some used Magna FG on Ebay for cheap. Probably won't take them on spring bear this year, but they'll get used for most everything else between now and fall.

Couple more questions after a lion hunt this weekend that prompted some thoughts.

• Sounds like it has been addressed above, but what crampons work well with these boots? Any full manual crampon, and with or without a solid connecting bar? Or only the lighter duty spikes?
• Without crampons, how are the Vivos on extremely steep/frozen terrain? With stiff boots I've always relied on kicking an edge/toe in on steep/frozen slopes. Not sure how that will work with the Vivos yet.
• How does the additional foot/ankle mobility affect knees? I've been trying to pay more attention to this with the stiff boots, and it seems like some minor knee issues I've felt might be exacerbated by the stiffer boots and reduced with the mobility of the barefoot boots.

The KG Boot Guard is good stuff, I have some on a pair of Lowa Tibets that has survived 4 seasons of lion/spring bear hunting and looks brand new. I prepped pretty aggressively for it with 40 grit sandpaper and acetone, none of it is peeling at all yet. I'll probably try that or the 5200 on this pair of Magna when they show up.

I don’t have any info on crampons. I can comment on your question about steep ground and knees. On steep ground they work just fine but it’s different than stiff boots. The added ankle mobility lets the boot sole match the slope angle, but you need to have good mobility and if you don’t ease into this as it does place more stress on your Achilles. As for the knees I find them to be easier on the knees. Stiff boots just transfer necessary movement up to the nearest joint that moves. Soft boots split it between foot/anke/knee/hip. Just my personal experience.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Without crampons, how are the Vivos on extremely steep/frozen terrain? With stiff boots I've always relied on kicking an edge/toe in on steep/frozen slopes. Not sure how that will work with the Vivos yet.

On steep frozen terrain, they are awful for exactly the reason you mentioned how you use traditional boots to kick & edge into the terrain. You have to completely change how you approach terrain, and when there is no choice but to sidehill on steep frozen ground, you will struggle. If you try to match the slope angle with the boot sole on that type of terrain, especially with weight on your back, you will get no purchase and they will slide right out. Imagine trying to traverse a hard slope on skis, keeping the base flat with the slope. There is a very good reason alpine climbers and mountaineers don't use barefoot boots. They certainly have their place in hunting, but they don't work for every situation.