New Boots Information
Regular readers know that I go to several of the big outdoor industry trade shows during the year to see what is going on and report back. I will continue to make those trips but I am going to put less emphasis on them because this is not a new gear introduction website, it is a website that promotes what I think is best in class gear. So, unless it is something that I find interesting or has to do with a product or product line that I have already mentioned here, I won't waste your time with tantalizing but worthless little tid bits about new gear or technologies that might never make the grade. If you are just looking for a report on the latest products to hit the market, there are plenty of slick, vacuous, commercial sites out there to do that. We will continue to sort through the flotsam and jetsam of the outdoor industry to find and promote the best.
Here are a few things from a recent trip I think are worth mentioning.
The OTB product line displayed on the side of the New Balance booth at this years Outdoor Retailer Summer Show.
Special Operations footwear maker OTB (Over The Beach) was recently purchased by New Balance and is now being marketed along side that brand. Interesting. I remember just a few years ago seeing Dan Ellis sit, somewhat sheepishly, with not much more than a card table and a few products on a tiny piece of real estate on the Outdoor Retailer floor. Now he is with the big boys. Good for him. However, he has been promising for months that he would send me a pair of Bootistans to evaluate. Despite numerous reminders and an equal number of positive responses, I have not seen them. Makes me think that they are not as good as they were supposed to be.
The Scarpa Fuego is designed for wildland firefighters.
I am a Scarpa fan, in fact I recommend the Escape GTX, and have a good number of wildland firefighters who are readers and correspond with me regularly so I was very pleased to see this new boot. There are some specialty boot manufacturers like Whites and Haix that have been making old school logger and wildland models for many years and they are beautiful boots but some of the young pups have started wearing more main stream light mountaineering boots.
Problem is that some of these boots, like the La Sportiva Glacier, are not up to FS specs and have reportedly failed while on the fire line. Mainly sole delamination from prolonged exposure to the intense heat. Anyway, Scarpa decided to address the issue with a purpose made model called the Fuego which, for all you gringos out there, means fire in spanish. Those clever marketing guys are something else aren't they? The Fuego is very similar to the Liskamm, which I like. I am anxious to hear some feedback on how it performs in the field under real life conditions.
A side by side comparison of the outstanding Lowa Ranger GTX and the new, taller Ranger Hi GTX.
A side by side comparison of the beefier Lowa Tibet Pro GTX and the taller, insulated Hunter GTX Extreme which is nearly identical to the Sheep Hunter that Lowa makes exclusively for Schnees.
I have had a lot of good things to say about Lowa over the last couple of years and for good reason. Starting with the new Renegade and working up the ladder to the Silberhorn they have just about every hardcore outdoor activity covered with a best in class boot. I have said it before and I don't mind repeating it, Lowa currently offers the best line of high quality, high performance outdoor boots on the market. Period. And even better, many of their models are offered in wide and narrow widths.
Last week, while at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show in Salt Lake, that Lowa will make a leather lined Renegade called the Renegade LL (leather lined). The Renegade LL is to the Trekker what the the Renegade GTX Mid is to the Ranger GTX. A lighter more flexible version sans the Gore-Tex liner. See what I mean about a well coordinated and complete line? Very nice.
Additional model configurations and colors are in store for the Lowa Uplander which just happens to be another Hardcore Outdoor recommendation.
A sage grey version of the Lowa Uplander (pictured above) will be available soon as will one in coyote brown. Neither color will be available in Gore-Tex though, at least for the time being, which indicates to me that they are aimed at a specific market or user type. More on that later.
Koflach plastic mountaineering boots are back and here is proof from the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show.
I heard a couple months ago from the folks at the Whitaker Mountaineering Base Camp in Ashford, Washington that the Koflach mountaineering boots were coming back . They were right. They are indeed back in production and now distributed by Scarpa. That should make many of you, who were upset by rumors of their demise, happy. Too bad a similar arrangement could not have been made with another well known european boot brand, Raichle.
Notice a difference in these pictures as compared to ones in previous articles? They were not taken with my trusty Olympus Stylus 850SW. They were taken with my Motorola Droid cellular telephone and mostly with just one hand. Not quite as good as the Olympus but not bad for a phone and it allows me to carry one less piece of equipment. Hopefully I will get the hang of it and the picture quality will improve. We will see.
Thanks for visiting.
Here are a few things from a recent trip I think are worth mentioning.
The OTB product line displayed on the side of the New Balance booth at this years Outdoor Retailer Summer Show.
Special Operations footwear maker OTB (Over The Beach) was recently purchased by New Balance and is now being marketed along side that brand. Interesting. I remember just a few years ago seeing Dan Ellis sit, somewhat sheepishly, with not much more than a card table and a few products on a tiny piece of real estate on the Outdoor Retailer floor. Now he is with the big boys. Good for him. However, he has been promising for months that he would send me a pair of Bootistans to evaluate. Despite numerous reminders and an equal number of positive responses, I have not seen them. Makes me think that they are not as good as they were supposed to be.
The Scarpa Fuego is designed for wildland firefighters.
I am a Scarpa fan, in fact I recommend the Escape GTX, and have a good number of wildland firefighters who are readers and correspond with me regularly so I was very pleased to see this new boot. There are some specialty boot manufacturers like Whites and Haix that have been making old school logger and wildland models for many years and they are beautiful boots but some of the young pups have started wearing more main stream light mountaineering boots.
Problem is that some of these boots, like the La Sportiva Glacier, are not up to FS specs and have reportedly failed while on the fire line. Mainly sole delamination from prolonged exposure to the intense heat. Anyway, Scarpa decided to address the issue with a purpose made model called the Fuego which, for all you gringos out there, means fire in spanish. Those clever marketing guys are something else aren't they? The Fuego is very similar to the Liskamm, which I like. I am anxious to hear some feedback on how it performs in the field under real life conditions.
A side by side comparison of the outstanding Lowa Ranger GTX and the new, taller Ranger Hi GTX.
A side by side comparison of the beefier Lowa Tibet Pro GTX and the taller, insulated Hunter GTX Extreme which is nearly identical to the Sheep Hunter that Lowa makes exclusively for Schnees.
I have had a lot of good things to say about Lowa over the last couple of years and for good reason. Starting with the new Renegade and working up the ladder to the Silberhorn they have just about every hardcore outdoor activity covered with a best in class boot. I have said it before and I don't mind repeating it, Lowa currently offers the best line of high quality, high performance outdoor boots on the market. Period. And even better, many of their models are offered in wide and narrow widths.
Last week, while at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show in Salt Lake, that Lowa will make a leather lined Renegade called the Renegade LL (leather lined). The Renegade LL is to the Trekker what the the Renegade GTX Mid is to the Ranger GTX. A lighter more flexible version sans the Gore-Tex liner. See what I mean about a well coordinated and complete line? Very nice.
Additional model configurations and colors are in store for the Lowa Uplander which just happens to be another Hardcore Outdoor recommendation.
A sage grey version of the Lowa Uplander (pictured above) will be available soon as will one in coyote brown. Neither color will be available in Gore-Tex though, at least for the time being, which indicates to me that they are aimed at a specific market or user type. More on that later.
Koflach plastic mountaineering boots are back and here is proof from the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show.
I heard a couple months ago from the folks at the Whitaker Mountaineering Base Camp in Ashford, Washington that the Koflach mountaineering boots were coming back . They were right. They are indeed back in production and now distributed by Scarpa. That should make many of you, who were upset by rumors of their demise, happy. Too bad a similar arrangement could not have been made with another well known european boot brand, Raichle.
Notice a difference in these pictures as compared to ones in previous articles? They were not taken with my trusty Olympus Stylus 850SW. They were taken with my Motorola Droid cellular telephone and mostly with just one hand. Not quite as good as the Olympus but not bad for a phone and it allows me to carry one less piece of equipment. Hopefully I will get the hang of it and the picture quality will improve. We will see.
Thanks for visiting.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or BS'd.Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
Posted by Wade Nelson at Sunday, August 08. 2010 
Categories: Feet
Tags: lowa renegade LL lowa ranger hi gtx lowa tibet gtx Lowa Uplander scarpa fuego lowa hunter gtx extreme otb boots koflach mountaineering boots Scarpa Fuego
Categories: Feet
Tags: lowa renegade LL lowa ranger hi gtx lowa tibet gtx Lowa Uplander scarpa fuego lowa hunter gtx extreme otb boots koflach mountaineering boots Scarpa Fuego
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