prairieclimber
- 2011-07-14
The Perfect Hiking Boot?
Well I certainly think so. These boots are full grain leather, non gore-tex lined, light and extremely comfortable. What initially attracted me to this boot was the lack of a gore-tex liner. I have "hot feet" and when I wear gore-tex lined hiking boots my feet constantly sweat. This has not been an issue in these boots. The Zamberlan Trekker hiking boots are the most comfortable pair of hiking boots I have owned. These replaced a pair of Asolo 520's which, by comparison, were heavy, hot and narrow. The Zamberlan Trekker has ample space in the toe box, moderate arch support, and are light weight. After breaking these in (50 or so miles of evening/weekend hikes) they feel like a dream. Now, the sizing... Remember these are made in Italy, thus European sizing! I usually wear a 9.5-10 depending on manufacturer, thus around a 44-43.5. After sending back the first pair I ordered (44, or 9.5/10) I ordered a half size down(43, or 9) and ended up with a perfect fit. If in doubt, call Altrec, the customer service dude was supper helpful. Anyway, I look forward to wearing these on many excursions for years to come.
jmanussier
- 2011-03-27
Incredible boots
I bought a pair of these for my wife and a pair for myself. These are great boots and I bought them on strength of my other Zamberlin boots (760 steep) and magazine reviews. She has been using her's more and loves them. We Sno Sealed them and have done a number of winter hikes and have been comfortable from the start. She has been loading up with moderate weight and this boot seems to have enough support for backpacking as well as just general hiking, but will update after we return from backpacking the Cumbrian and West Highland Way. The quality of these boots are amazing and I would highly recommend them for anyone who is looking for a quality boot that will last for years and give great service straight out of the box.
DennisC1
- 2010-09-23
Zamberlan 308 Trekker
By far the finest boost my feet have ever had the privilege of hiking in. If ever there was a perfect hiking boot created, this is it. I've hiked wearing the Scarpa Kailish, Garmont Sitka, LaSportiva Typhoon, and Asolo TPS 520 GV. Although, I loved the Typhoons, they can't compare to the 308 Trekker for comfort. The Typhoons were disontinued by LaSportiva, however, the Trekker 308 eclipses every feature of the Typhoon thus far (note, I haven't as yet put them to a full stream water test; the Typhoons were impenetrable in water; however, the toe cap with leather separated, opening a 1" hole into the cambrelle lining within two years of hiking (approx. 1,000 miles +). The Garmont Sitkas had a very mushy platform and the boot invariably raised blisters on my heels. The Scarpa Kailish, although it had a great platform, also raised blisters on my heels. The Asolo 520, although it had a very good platform and ankle support, has a narrow toe box, and raised a painful blister on my big toe. I can't give the Zamberlan 308 Trekker enough kudos; this is, in my limited opinion, an exceptional boot; if you need a roomy toe box, excellent ankle/heel support and a firm yet flexible hiking platform, I've worn nothing that can compare to this boot.