Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mountaineering boots?

Anybody know of a store in southern California that has a good selection of light mountaineering boots? By "good selection", I mean more than the four styles/brands that the REI and A16 in San Diego carry. (I have narrow heels and have difficulty finding boots that fit me well.)

I buy my hiking boots and running shoes on-line due to similar trouble -- nobody carries hiking boots in the wide size I need.

I use zappos.com

Jim,

If you haven't tried this yet I'd suggest getting one of the boot fitters at A16 to do a detailed foot measurement. I know the staff there goes through detailed boot fit training and I've seen some very hard to fit feet get fitted with boots. If they don't have any in stock they'll order up the style they think will work best based on what they find in the measurements. They can also offer up a couple accessories that may help as well.

I agree with Steve C on Zappos.com. Just search for "mountaineering boots" and voila!

Your order usually arrives the very next day after ordering online. When your order arrives and they don't fit well you just reorder online and then return ship the order you received. No hassles.

I ordered 6 different pairs I thought I might like from REI.com, and had them delivered to the store near me.(free shipping if it goes to the store) Once they all arrived I went in and tried them all on. I also tried the few they carry in store. I found one that fit good and returned the rest. Talk to the workers there and find out who the boot expert is, and try them on when they are working.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Kurt, the manager of the A16 in SD did my measurement and we tried alternate lacing. I also got Ed Viesturs Sole footbeds (which are high volume) to help my foot fill the boot. Still no joy so far. I decided to try Zappos; returns are a hassle, but at least it's free with them. The Kayland Apex XT sounds like it might work for me, so I ordered a pair.

If you're really gung-ho, check out Dan Asay at The Rubber Room in Bishop. He hand-builds a pretty nice light weight boot (very similar to the Muir Trail boot of the 70s). Takes a mold of your foot and arch as well as measurements.

My wife's had a pair for 6 years now and thinks they're great. The downside is they're pretty expensive, but you make it up in excellent fit and that they'll probably outwear 2 or three pair of anything else you can buy. My wife probably has over 3,000 miles of wear on hers with one resole.

George

Yeah if that didn't help after getting a good measurement I'd say try a custom boot like George recommends above. They're a bit pricey up front but about 4 times cheaper in the long run.

La Sportiva's Trango EVO S might be the ticket. I have low to medium volume feet with a narrow heel...coupled with a size 12 1/2...oh what joy this is when it is time to buy shoes/boots.

Many manufactures are now making this type of boot. When I bought my Trangos they were the only game in town.

I actually tried on the Trango EVO at REI and they fit better than anything else I tried. However, there are a number of stories on the web backed up by the folks at REI and A16 about the Trangos delaminating after some exposure to being wet - not a good thing in a boot one would expect to use on a glacier in the summer. It doesn't make sense to me to spend about $300 on boots that might start coming apart after getting wet, however good they feel on your feet.

I've had my EVOs for 4 years...they ain't as red as they used to be, that's for sure. I wear them exclusively when there is snow on the ground; therefore, there are constant wet every outing. I have not experience any delamination or hint of it.

If they are purchased at Return Everything Incorporated you are covered. I had a pair of 5-year old Zamberlan Civetta which I had resoled, the Gore-Tex sock was compromised and leather rotting,, I said the above to an REI manager also with the words I am dissatified, in jest. The serious reply was, "We can work something out." I trashed the boots.

I think all boots delaminate after some heavy use. I'm not sure that some exposure to being wet does this to these boots. Don't believe everything you read on the Internet or people from REI. Wear and tear and uses on rocks might contribute to the delamination, not just straight exposure to wet. It doesn't make any sense for a boots designed to be waterproof to delaminate after getting wet. La Sportiva is a good company with superior products. There's no way they would let one of their most successful line of boots suffer that kind of failure.

I've had them for three years now and they do show signs of delamination but my feet still stay dry in them. These are some of the best light mountaineering boots on the market. I have used the Trango Evo S and Trango Extreme with a lot of success over the past three years for a variety of uses from 10K' dayhikes in the desert to ice climbing in Colorado so I'm a big fan of the company and recommend them everytime.

Regarding the Trangos delaminating:

I wonder how many of those delamination cases were also exposed to unusual heat. Here's the scenario: Hikers get into cold, wet conditions with their boots. Maybe they get some snow inside, too. So they build a campfire, or just set the boots close to a stove to warm them up and dry them out.

Excessive heat will cause delamination faster than anything! Saw it happen to some hiking boots once (not that brand).

Edit: beat you to the submit button, George!

I see a few delaminations from people drying or sitting with their boots by the campfire. Melts the really low-heat glue. Also, boot soles aren't commonly stitched on any more.

In the olden days, all the ranger stations in Sequoia Kings had small shoe anvils, hammer and boot nails for repairs. Your tax dollars at work. Most have disappeared by now. We'll try to glue them sometimes, but I've found that's not as successful a repair as a mix of Duct & fiber tape.

g.

Edit: jeez, you gotta be quick around here. Don't any of us have to work??

Okay...well, I'm going to listen to the voices of experience here and go try the Trangos again. (Not a big fan of the gaudy color, but if the shoe fits...) Again, thanks for all the advice, everyone.

You will look really spiffy, you coordinate it a bit. Red/Black boot, black pants, red baselayer and black jacket or vest.

I hear it is all the rage...at least that is what I keep telling myself each winter. ;-)

If you're looking at the Trangos, definitely try the Kayland MXT as well. They run about a half size small (I needed 10.5 and I usually wear 10 in running shoes).

http://www.zappos.com/product/7385720/color/147

http://www.bentgate.com/mxthibobyka.html

If anyone is interested in a used pair of women's La Sportiva Trango S Evo GTX Mountaineering boot's in size 40, let me know. They still have a good amount of life left in them, but I've replaced them with a pair of Kayland boots that have a little wider toe box, which my feet appreciate.