Salomon Quest 4D Boots - First Impressions

Well, it looks like I ended up picking up a pair of Salomon Quest 4D GTX boots for my next pair, seeing as though my Lowa Renegades self destructed at the seams and I needed an intact pair for my impending Borneo excursion.  

I was considering many boots - Vasque Breeze, Lowa Zephyr, Keen Oregon PCT, Asolo Flame and the Adidas Trek GTX,  I really wanted the Adidas Trek GTX, because I like the proportion of nylon mesh uppers, I like the styling and it looks like what I have been looking for - a good balance betwwen lightweight and ruggedness.  But, alas shopadidas.ca didn't stock any soon enough for me to take on my trip - I would think they would have some in stock for the season by now.  It's mid April.  I wanted a boot similar to the Lowa Renegades I have been using for the past 8 yrs or so, but I didn't want one that had all leather uppers.  Ideally it would be lighter, still have a mid cut for some ankle support over rough terrain and still have a Goretex liner to make sure they are all season and all terrain.  I have been moving my gear towards and ultralight style of backpacking, and many ultralighters will only wear trail running shoes, but that really isn't what I want at this point.

After reading many online comments and reviews about all of these boots, many had a lot of positive comments, but there are always some negative ones, no matter what boot you talk about.  Common complaints are boots falling apart too soon, not being waterproof, and soles being too hard so they are slippery on logs and damp rocks.

To be honest, I didn't even try on a bunch of different brands at the store - I just picked the Salomon Quest 4D based on what I read online.  Almost all comments I read were positive, and the user reviews on MEC gave it a a really high rating.  They fit rather comfortable in the store, so I got them. Salomon calls them day hikers, but I certainly don't see the need to take anything heavier than these backpacking.  Putting them side by side with my old Lowa Renegades, these Salomons look like they are actually in a different class of boot, more notch rugged.  I would even call them heavy light hikers.  the tread is more aggressive, the uppers are taller, almost full height, and at least brand new, the soles are much stiffer than the Renegades.  I was hoping they would be lighter than my Renegades, but they are slightly heavier.  In a size 10 1/2, my old Lowa Renegades are 1354 g for the pair, where my new Salomon 4Ds are 1420g.  That said, it looks like there are quite a few better features in the Quest 4D over the Lowa Renegades - the higher upper, aggressive tread for muddy and loose dirt conditions, stiffer sole.  Some other better features are the built in toe cap and heel protector as well to prevent the soles from delaminating from the uppers when scraped on rocks.  Hopefully the integrity is better than the Lowa so they will last a while.  Perhaps I could have went a little lighter with the Salomon 3D fastpacker boots, instead of the 4D, but I don't mind a little heavier weight for the ruggedness.  After I get some good use out of these, I'll report back my final review, but at least so far, these look like they will do the trick in Borneo and much beyond..

Lowa Renegade and Other Light Hiking Boots

Well, I have about 2 weeks left to go before I leave for Borneo, and I haven't figured out what boots I am going to buy or use.

My Lowa Renegade boots are really not very usable at this point any more, especially  for a 3 week trip that involves a lot of walking and trekking in the jungle and mountains.  It's unfortunate because the boots aren't very worn out.  Only the seams on the upper near the ball of my foot where the shoe bends are all falling apart on both sides of both boots are seeing this  On the right boot, the upper is separating from the lower towards the arch because of this as well..  The rest of the boot is fine though, the soles are good and have most of their cushion in them, the rest of the uppers are good.  The boots aren't waterproof anymore, probably due to the same issue near the sides of the toes.  I would certainly call this a design flaw, because it the rest of the boot is good, but there is an obvious flaw if both sides of both boots are failing in the same way, yet the rest of the boot has (or would have) much more life in them if the seam rips weren't stopping me using them further.

     These Lowa Renegades I have only had for 3 years - I figure I have put about 400-500km on them or so.  It would be good if they fixed this issue since I bought mine, but the latest ones look the same as mine in the toe area unfortunately.  Other than this issue, I love these boots, enough to have had two pairs of them in a row.  I use these for my all round boot from day hikes to backpacking.  My ankles are soles are tough enough that I don't need a stiffer boot.  They fit my feet so well that there is zero break-in time required, both pairs I have had I have felt that way.  Although not ideal, I would actually go backpacking with them the day I bought them.  Some say these are too heavy for ultralight packing and I do agree that they are heavier than they really need to be.  I don't need full upper leather - it isn't doing all that much to me since I am not constantly scraping my boots on rocks.  The only minor complaint, other than this seam issue is the heel support needs to be a little more like a cup, contoured to the heel.  It puts a bit of a stress point at the roundest part of the heel and doesn't come back in, higher than the roundest part.  I don't know if this makes sense, but that's be best way i can describe it.

      I would prefer a goretex hybrid type of hiking boot/running shoe.  Still mid length, but mesh fabric like a light trail runner for the most part and an aggressive enough tread.  So, looking around there are many boots that fit this category, but none that stand out as the one and only.  I am leaning towards the Lowa Zephyr, a lighter boot than the Renegade.  I can't find anyone that offers these online from Canada - I already know what size I would take from my current Lowas.

 

Another appealing option is the  the Adidas Trek GTX looks like it would be great for my needs.  I have been waiting for shopadidas.ca to get some in stock but unfortunately it looks like they won't get stock in early enough this year for me to pick up a pair for my trip.  I would have ordered some from a shop in the states, some of which which just got some stock in, but it's too late when all the cross border time is figured in.  

    Oh well, I guess I have no choice but to decide next weekend and drive somewhere to get a pair of boots.  I'll see what I end up with...

Travel Packs, Travel Packs Everywhere – Osprey Waypoint 65

Looking for a travel pack, there’s tons of choices out there – brands, sizes styles, etc.  I don’t buy things in stores a lot of the time.  Simply for starters,  there are no outdoor type stores anywhere close to me, only 1/2 hr drive each way + away.  I can’t stand spending all that time driving to a store only to find out their selection sucks, they don’t have something in inventory, or it costs way more than it should cause they’re hosing people.  So I do a lot of research online and then shopping for things.  That’s exactly what I did for my travel pack.  I ended up getting an awesome deal on an Osprey Waypoint 65….. $189US(+$33CAD customs fees at the post office = approx. $222CAD at my door), delivered to me from Moosejaw which arrived last week.  I’ll give anyone $10 if you can find one anywhere near this cheap from a store in Canada after taxes – it’s simply not possible.

Anyways, for the pack itself, I did spend much time researching online, flip flopping between different brands, models and styles.  I dig the packs that have an integrated daypack that detaches from the mothership bag by means of a zipper or clips.  Even in that category there’s quite a few choices.  I was looking at the Osprey Waypoint, and Farpoint series, Eagle Creek, Deuter and some of the MEC branded ones.  I eventually chose the Waypoint 65 due to it’s size and some reviews I read about all the packs I was looking at.  Osprey is a great backcountry backpack manufacturer, and I was figuring that they can translate their knowledge of that to a travel version.  I would rather have that than the other way around – a luggage company creating a backpack.

Volume is another question – for someone who has not spent much time travel backpacking, especially in a tropical location, I have no idea how much space I would want in my pack.  Even though it might be a bit much for my impending trip to Borneo I opted for the 65 liter, since I would be able to use it for future travels in colder climates where I would want to bring more gear.  The Waypoint comes in two different lengths small and medium/large to fit different torsos.  I got the Large which also has a slightly higher capacity than 65 liters.  The Waypoint has been a model Osprey has carried for a while.  Osprey also makes a newer design slightly lighter weight, lower cost and less frill version of travel pack c/w daypack called the Farpoint series.  I originally was looking at this one but I didn’t opt for that one in the end as I read somewhere that the material is quite thin and may not be all that suitable for checked baggage.  I also do like the few extra pockets and don’t mind the slight bit of extra weight the Waypoint has over the Farpoint.  In any case, I am looking forward to using it and seeing how much gear I will have in it for my Borneo adventure.