Update on the Vivo Tracker Esc's. So far since getting them I have somewhere around 200 miles of hiking in them, split between day hiking, upland bird hunting, a week long elk hunt, a few days of antelope and some mule deer hunting. All the hiking has been here in Wyoming ranging from river bottoms with thick brush to rocky terrain above tree line.
I have really like the tread pattern on the soles, I have had great traction on a wide variety of surfaces, they seem to shed mud and grime quickly.
So far have packed out two animals wearing them, 1 mule deer and 1 antelope, I made one trip with bone in quarters for each and both pack outs were about 1-1.5 miles in length with some steep terrain. My feet felt fine during and after each of the pack outs, and never felt like I was missing the stability that a stiffer boot would provide. Keep in mind that I wear minimalist/barefoot shoes at least 90% of the time and am very used to this style of shoe.
A big benefit of the boots that I was not expecting is I am able to be much quieter while moving than with stiffer boots.
A couple of minor cons I have found with the boots over the last few months.
1. As others have mentioned the lace loop does push on the ankle bone, however I was able to avoid this by a slight change in how I lace them, which allows me to tighten the top and bottom differently.
2. While antelope hunting I had a few occasions where I stepped with my arch on a cactus, the spines did push through the leather enough for me to feel it but not painful or enough for the spines to stay in. Not a big deal to me as I should pay a bit more attention to where I step but this hasn't happened to me in stiffer boots.
3. I have sweaty feet and feel like they don't breath enough to keep my feet dry. This is not exclusive to these boots, and could just be a me problem more than the boots, so I typically just try to air my feet out when I get a chance while glassing and go on my way.
4. I do feel like I catch my toe on rocks/stick/logs more often with these boots than others. Could just be a sizing thing but just something I have noticed.
Overall I have been very happy with the boots. The durability seems to be doing well at this point, they have scuffs and scrapes on the leather but nothing unexpected from the off-trail and rocky hiking I have done. Not once have I wished I had a stiffer pair of boots while wearing them, and they fit my feet well, I have not had a single blister while wearing them.
www.lemsshoes.com
