Re: disappointing lifespan for shoes
Posted: January 29th, 2018, 8:12 am
At the moment I'm using Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator Mids for general hiking and Lowa Arco GTX for rougher trails, cross-country, and easy snow.
I like the Moabs (comfortable fit for me) but the first pair lasted less than 2 years - the tread started to come off - and, on the current pair, the pull-on tab has already ripped out (but the tread is still holding).
The Lowas are also a comfortable fit but my first pair ruptured (likely from dirt in the stitches) where the toe flexes and, with the current pair, I've had to glue part of the tread back on already.
I also have a pair of Salomon Climashield waterproof boots for snowshoeing and other snow/wet hikes. These are in their 3rd year thanks only to generous applications of adhesive caulk to patch splits where the toe flexes. Despite that, one still leaks.
I understand that boots/hiking shoes probably take more continual punishment than any other piece of hiking/backpacking gear but for a $150 to $300 item to last only a year or so seems wrong. And despite all the hype about the "wonderous technical improvements" in each season's boots/shoes, the failure modes remain distressingly consistent, with failed seams at flex points and disintegrating tread/lugs being the ones I've seen for years. Rather than spend all that time and effort "designing" a boot's color and lace size, how about some solid engineering on durability? I'm happy to pay for good engineering but not for designer fluff...
I like the Moabs (comfortable fit for me) but the first pair lasted less than 2 years - the tread started to come off - and, on the current pair, the pull-on tab has already ripped out (but the tread is still holding).
The Lowas are also a comfortable fit but my first pair ruptured (likely from dirt in the stitches) where the toe flexes and, with the current pair, I've had to glue part of the tread back on already.
I also have a pair of Salomon Climashield waterproof boots for snowshoeing and other snow/wet hikes. These are in their 3rd year thanks only to generous applications of adhesive caulk to patch splits where the toe flexes. Despite that, one still leaks.
I understand that boots/hiking shoes probably take more continual punishment than any other piece of hiking/backpacking gear but for a $150 to $300 item to last only a year or so seems wrong. And despite all the hype about the "wonderous technical improvements" in each season's boots/shoes, the failure modes remain distressingly consistent, with failed seams at flex points and disintegrating tread/lugs being the ones I've seen for years. Rather than spend all that time and effort "designing" a boot's color and lace size, how about some solid engineering on durability? I'm happy to pay for good engineering but not for designer fluff...