| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Also on Backpacker.com
Backpacker Magazine – 2010 Editors' Choice/Gear Guide
Gear Review: SCARPA Bhutan GTX Hiking Boots
A versatile boot with impressive support for its weight
SCARPA Bhutan GTX (BP Photo Department)
Most Versatile
“Get big-boot performance in a surprisingly trim package,” said one Alaska-based tester after tromping through loose dirt and stones, mud, and snow—then climbing Pyramid Peak’s knife-edge summit ridge. “It handled heavy loads in ankle-twisting terrain, but wasn’t too stiff to rock hop.” The Bhutan’s secret recipe: It borrows the versatile sole package from SCARPA’s Kailash, which earned an Editors’ Choice Award in 2008, and pairs it with a full-grain nubuck leather upper, which boosts stability, protection, and durability.
The Vibram sole has deep, widely spaced lugs that grip and brake securely, and shed mud and debris. It’s layered on a shock-absorbing midsole that mixes EVA (under the heel, for extra cushion) and polyurethane (elsewhere, for durability). After carrying 50 pounds through Zion National Park, one tester said, “Impressive support for a midweight boot. Normally, my feet are fatigued at the end of a day, but after seven hours in the Bhutan they felt great.”
Allow a couple of days to fully break it in, but then expect a stable, all-conditions boot that should last a decade or more. A Gore-Tex liner and high tongue gusset provide reliable waterproofing, but the combination of membrane and all-leather upper is warm in hot weather. Fits narrow- to medium-width feet. $199; 3 lbs. 2 oz.; m’s 38-48, w’s 36-43
FULL PRODUCT SPECS: Bhutan GTX
Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Reader Rating:
-
My Profile
Join Now
Most recent threads
The Political Arena
The police are here to protect us... right?
Posted On: May 19, 2013
Submitted By: Buggyboo
Submitted By: Buggyboo
Editors' Choice 2013
412 trail-tested products
Boost Your Apps
Add powerful tools and exclusive maps to your BACKPACKER apps through our partnership with Trimble Outdoors.
Carry the Best Maps
With BACKPACKER PRO Maps, get life-list destinations and local trips on adventure-ready waterproof myTopo paper.
FREE Rocky Mountain Trip Planner
Sign up for a free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planning kit from our sister site MyRockyMountainPark.com.
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat BetterThe Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only.
Canadian subscriptions |
International subscriptions
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
READERS COMMENTS
These are seriously for people with low-volume feet. Even the wide version will pose trouble for people with a triple-E width.
These boots are the top of the range for this sole. The bottom of the range is this one http://en.scarpa.net/products/trekking/zg65-gtx/ and as you can see it lacks the metal bits where the shoelaces go. The Kailash is the middle of the range and this is the top. For me, two things stand out: the quality of the workmanship is outstanding; and the leather upper makes them quite a bit stiffer than the Kailash. I'm trading up, but they're outstanding to me.
I have this boot and love it! I have a narrow foot and narrow heal and this boot fits like a glove. Very little break-in is required. I tried on a number of boots from Merrell, Asolo, Danner and several more, but this fits me the best.
ADD A COMMENT