knoydart's Full Review: Asolo Tps 535 Mid Weight Hiking Boots Men
While I lived in the UK I'd been a long time user of Scarpa boots but on moving to the US Scarpa boots were harder to find & my favourite Scarpa (Delta M3s) boot wasn't available at all. Since I'd previously used a pair of Asolo Softee hard shell boots for high altitude climbs in the Andes I thought I'd give the Tps535 a try as they seemed close in specification & price to the Scarpas (especially as I was going to go to the length of importing the Scarpas from the UK).
At first there seemed little difference, they seemed well made, tough enough to put up with extended use carrying large loads & comfortable. I wore my new boots around the house for a few weeks & then during my work day to be sure that they were going to be OK & then took them out for a day hike.
Despite the price these were not Scarpas quality as they had a tendency to leak slightly around the bellows tongue & the stitching (the Scarpas were one piece uppers with no stitching to leak). The leather was also thinner but did actually seem to resists abrasion well. The Vibram soles also had good traction in pretty much all the trail conditions I met.
What I became aware of was a tendency to blister my heel on both feet, but mainly the right one (I’m right handed so this is to be expected). I expected this to get better as time went on but it didn’t completely go away. I tried double socks, I even tried double wall running socks (the amazing anti blister “Wright Socks”) with an application of Body Glide but I still got blisters even after 3 months. This I cannot hold up as a 100% genuine criticism as it may, MAY be simply the shape of the boot being incompatible with the shape of my feet, but maybe not. More of that later.
It was becoming apparent that there was something wrong with these boots but I couldn’t work out what it was. I persevered for a while trying to find a solution & things got better to the point that they were wearable once my feet hardened up to them but then on one day hike they simply fell apart internally. First to go was the mid sole of the right boot with a loud “Thump!” as I was clambering up a boulder. I thought I’d simply broken a branch or something but then I noticed that my boot was feeling odd & it was letting in water very badly (I later found the sole had split open too). A few hours later the left boot also snapped its midsole, this time the Vibram sole stayed intact & water tight but now the boots were almost like wearing slippers they were so bendy & the break in the midsole bent my feet unnaturally as I walked.
Later inspection showed that they had fractured the midsole in exactly the same place, the cracks even the same shape. Clearly there was a problem with this boot's quality but I could find no help from my retailer or Asolo who both clamed I'd somehow abused them.
I was lucky that I wasn’t too far from the trail head but even after only 2 or 3 miles by the time I got back my feet were in agony. Worst of all on further, close inspection I found that the heel unit had also failed in my right boot. Although nothing was visible from the outside manipulation of the boot made it crack & shift like it had split all the way from top to bottom.
I remain absolutely stunned that a boot from such a seemingly respectable maker failed so badly. I’m out almost $180 after only 4 months of occasional wear with a mere 130 miles of actual trail use. In the end I gave up, unable to get a refund from the retailer or Asolo, I did what I should have done to begin with & called up my old Hiking Store back in Scotland & had another pair of my favourite Scarpas Delta M3s sent over. The Asolos simply got thrown out as they were beyond repair & unwearable for anyone.
An update to the classic 535 now with TPS (Triple Power Structure) midsole/outsole technology which increases comfort while reducing fatigue.2.6/2.8 f...More at Campmor
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