Asolo Fugitive Boots defects

[Tipi Walter]

I've had Zamberlan boots for about 3 years and they have been fine. In all fairness, I only wear them in winter opting for trail shoes in summer.
I'll be interested to see how they hold up for you as I know you'll put more miles on your boots in only a couple of trips than I have in the entire time I've had them.

Good luck!

I'm going with Asolo fitting and online ordered a pair of Zamberlan Vioz Plus boots at size 10 so I hope they fit. The Vioz looks similar to the Asolo 520s so I don't think the weight will bother me. Hopefully. Online boot choosing is a crap shoot especially with a new brand. Once I get the fit right with Zamberlan then every Zamberlan I get should fit in that size range.

[Cadenza]

I can't remember,.....mine are either 10 or 10 1/2. I tried them on at an REI store with fairly thick wool socks. I can't stand tight boots, especially in the toe box. Snug in the ankles and instep is good but I want wiggle room for my toes even with the thickest socks. And I don't want my toes jamming into the end while going down hill.

My Zamberlans have better (higher) arches and much better cushion than my old pair of Asolos.

[Tipi Walter]

Drooling as we speak.

[poolskaterx]

I have had the Asolo Fugitives, 1st pair leaked within 1 month of use, second pair leaked after about 4 months. I upgraded to the 520 "all leather boot" at $300 thanks to the REI guarantee only to have to attempt a return about 1.5 year later when the soles on both boots were delaminating- I probably had about 70% tread left but the uppers were pristine (again $300 boots). I was told that the lifetime REI warranty was no longer valid and they would not give me a credit or help me in any way; I left that person and found another REI employee that listened to my story and took care or the issue. I am happy to say that the replacement boots are holding together great and are as watertight as ever even though I don't use these boots much any more as I have gone to a much lighter LaSportiva boot for my hiking. I do kind of like the "old school look" of the 520's though. Thanks REI for taking care of the problem.

[greenmtnboy]

I'm ready to move on from Asolo, just because the two "fugitive" goretex style pairs I had last don't survive long enough, and the pair that needed 3 and more pro treatments with their high tech glues are just too high maintenance.

[greenmtnboy]

I have two pair that I picked up on ebay that I will be throwing away due to defective soles, in favor of my two Limmer pairs.

[Traveler]

Oddly, I have thousands of miles over several pairs of Asolo 520's without a problem. Maybe the luck of the draw but as a result I swear by them when conditions demand a heavy boot.

[ScareBear]

I've put over 200 miles on my AKU Teton GTX's and they look like new. Well, ok...they are dirty with one or two stains, but they look like new on the inside and the soles!

Handmade in Italy, Vibram soles. Great sale at STP on them. Find a 25 percent off coupon(sign up for email is one way...) and you are getting handmade Italian backpacking boots(Gore-tex, no less!) for under $100 bucks!!!

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/aku...tring=s~aku%2F

[Nepherim]

I had this exact problem with a pair of Asolo a few years back. Soles separated from the boot in a hike where there was 2 foot of snow. Fun times. As you say, it looked like the inside of the sole basically crumbled away. Before that the boots were excellent. In my case the boots were pretty old, but hadn't seen a huge number of miles. Despite being generally very happy it did cause me to switch from Asolo for my next boot.

[greenmtnboy]

I bought some Asolo leather boots, hopefully these will be better. Never buy used from a dealer like on ebay, unless you know how they have been kept. Bad storage or defective equipment can be a big problem.