As my previous pair of low mountain shoes proven faulty, I begun searching for a replacement. I have seen these pair of shoes last year at a retailer, so I paid a visit to check them out. I was so impressed that finally got them. Here’s the story and a short review of my first impressions.
Product Description (Web Site Information)
The approach model in the HANWAG ROCK-collection: lightweight, sturdy and absolutely suitable for rock scrambling to reach the wall base.
- Lightweight construction
- High friction zone at sole tip
- Special climbing last
Upper Material: Sportvelours (leather) and Cordura® Rocket. All upper DWR treated (Durable Water Repellent)
Elevated Brim: A hand-mounted rubber surrounding the lower part of the upper protects the leather in scree and rocks, highly increasing durability of the entire boot.
Lining: GORE-TEX®
Sole: Vibram® Cross with Shock Absorb (Lightweight sole featuring a tip with almost no profile and biting studs in the middle and heel section. Shock absorber and full length cushioning. Ideal for all activities demanding full foot control such as scrambling or easy climbs)
Usage Classification: B = firm foothold for trekking and hiking
Sizes: 6 – 13 , 3,5 – 9
Construction (Web Site Information)
Pinched Manufactured
HANWAG footwear is last constructed, i.e. the shaft is worked over the insole. This is a traditional, very complex manufacturing process, which involves a great deal of manual work. Yet, it is definitely worth the time and effort, as it provides the footwear with excellent stability and ensures a long-lasting great fit.
Also, all shoes can be easily resoled – a fact that is of particular relevance for durable boots with a great fit!
First Impressions and Fit
To be honest, I have not felt that happy with a pair of shoes that early again. The fit was very good, I was feeling surefooted while walking and hanging on the testing ramp. The only small problem I noticed was that the insoles were quite thin and as these shoes have stiff soles, they felt a bit hard on the front of my feet while walking. For this reason I am using a pair of Superfeet Blue insoles. (As I am late posting this review, I am currently using the shoes with the Superfeet Blue insoles and they work fine.)
I was also quite impressed with the fit of the heel cage. The heel cage locks to my heel as no other shoe that I have used so far.
The overall construction of the shoe is excellent. The upper leather is soft and embraces the foot, the lacing system is adaptive and the sole materials are very good.
The grooves of the soles are quite different from the normal mountain shoes. The grip is very good and the climbing zone in the front really provides sticky support. I have traversed narrow ledges on these shoes without a problem (nice side sole support), and also climbed easy boulders (in order to test the climbing zone of the shoes). Please bear in mind that these shoes are very nice all round approach shoes, but I believe that when climbing gets harder you will have to switch to your climbing shoes. At size 46 ( these shoes weight 640 g with the Superfeet Blue insoles and 600 g with the stock insoles. While not being the lightest I believe that would not be a problem to put them into the rucksack and climb.
I have tested the shoes in snow as well and their performance was again very nice. As Alpine routes are normally mixed climbs I believe that the approach shoe should be performing well on both rock and snow. Front pointing on these shoes was excellent. I almost forgot that I wear low approach shoes. Ok there were not as stiff as mountain boots but they were stable and stiff enough. Descending on the heals? No problems again! To my surprise they performed better than expected in conditions of frozen snow. Ok this is the time you put your crampons on, but generally they were more stable that other shoes in this type of conditions (such as Five Ten Camp Four’s for example).
Finally I performed the stream / cigarette test. I do this with all my new shoes in order to check the Gore-Tex lining and their insulation capacity. I step into a stream of water, I light a cigarette and I wait like this until I finish my smoke (approx 5 min). If there is something that is not working properly… it will show. The lining passed the test with flying colours. My feet were kind of cold but this could be attributed to the socks that I was wearing (thin shocks for Snowboard boots). I think that if I was wearing thicker mountaineering shocks it would be much better.
Overall, these are well constructed, excellent fit and support mountain shoes. I believe that they will accompany me for a long time on the mountains. I highly recommend them for people who are looking for a low summer to 3-season shoe. Just to note that these shoes are not comfortable for all day city use but they do well what they are intended for.
Likes:
- Fit
- Construction
- Materials
- Foot and ankle support
- can be resoled
Dislikes:
- Thin stock insole
- Extra cost for insoles
- Some could argue that they are pricey, but I believe that expected durability (judged from materials and construction) counterbalance this
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