[Mike McGavin]

Hello.

Does anyone have any experience with Zamberlan boots? I’m thinking about getting some new summer boots. (Definition: less heavy, less than about $250-$300, and likely to last for at least 2 or 3 years).

Bivouac is selling off an old model of some Zamberlan Trek Lite boots at a discount, which is an Italian brand but manufactured in the great state of Romania.

They feel fairly solid and felt okay when I tried them on, and I found some informal web reviews that people have written on Trailspace over the last 10 years (Specifically at http://www.trailspace.com/gear/zamberlan/trek-lite/ ). Most of those opinions don’t seem to have much relevance to typical NZ conditions though, which in my experience has involved moderate amounts of mud and walking through rivers for hours at a time. They’re probably also reviews by people who are carrying less weight.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[RooTramping]

I tried them and liked them. They were light and comfortable and fine for summer walking. Get the wide (at the front) and low cut (at the back) ones if you can.

[Gail]

Hi Mike,
My partner’s had a pair of these which have lasted him well for the last couple of years – including mud, bush bashing, rivers with various heftiness of packs. He’s used them a lot at work and not just tramping (being a fit tramper I suspect he’s more demanding of his boots than me)!
Hope that helps
Gail

[Simon Ward]

Hi there

Years ago I had a pair of Zamberlan Alpine Light boots – they were very comfy and coped with some hefty SI trips, and the treated leather also dried quickly after river crossing…. until the Dusky – after 9 days of mud the staples holding everything together rusted out and the uppers and soles parted company. They generally have a good reputation especially for comfort – but I agree with the RooTramper that you should look for wider sizes if you have wide feet – Italian boots are often cut pretty narrow (which is why I bought them),

Slime

[Mike McGavin]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all the useful feedback and points. I went out to grab some yesterday afternoon. I’ll probably try them out on Kapakapanui this Saturday and see how they go.

Cheers.
Mike.

[RooTramping]

Mike,

I would suggest you walk your new boots around home before using them on Kapakapanui tramp.

Happy Tramping

DzungN

[Mike McGavin]

Yeah I was thinking about that, but figured I’m going to have to wear them in sooner or later. (I put a few band-aids and strapping on my feet before starting.) They went great.

[RooTramping]

Have you heard about Fixomull stretch Sport, hypoallergenic adhesive non-woven fabric? It is excellent for preventing blisters and can be purchased in metre at pharmacy. One down size of it is not water proof meaning that it does no good for river/creek crossing tramps.

Happy tramping

[Mike McGavin]

Thanks for the tip. That said, I’ve so far found regular strapping tape okay in cases when I’m concerned about blisters. I’ve tended to find that in four trips out of five, we’ve ended up wading in and out of rivers for several hours at a time. If I get it on when my feet are nice and dry (such as prior to leaving), it’ll usually stay there and doesn’t seem to cause problems.

[RooTramping]

Yes, strapping tape worked well. Factors leading to my liking Fixomul more than strapping tape include comfort, lightweight and cleaness. I am reminded of three of us (a couple and me) who waded two and a half kilometres through North Arm at low tide saving one hour walking. It was on our 10 day NorthWest Circuit some years ago.

[Author]

Posts