I just got back from my Colorado elk hunt and another Asolo boot failure. My first pair of Asolo boots failed 8-10 years ago. I bought them in college, used them sparingly and after a few years in the closet took them on a hunt. The sole delaminated on a rainy day hiking in the mountains. The sole and boot were in great shape. It was odd, but I didn’t think much of it. Fortunately I had another pair of boots and kept hunting.
In 2013 I bought another pair of Asolo goretex boots from Sierra Trading Post. The boots have been comfortable and performed well on my annual hunting trip. I hike 5-10 miles per day for a week and split the duty with a pair of Crispi.
I retired the Crisi last year because they were a little too wide and didn’t work well side hilling. I added the Scarpa Charmoz last year.
This year I was alternating between the Asolo and Scarpa. One rainy day on the hike back I heard a flapping sound and noticed the heal delaminated from the boot. When I got back to our cabin the sole was held in place by my gaiter strap. The boots were older, but appeared to have good upper and sole life left.
I wrote Asolo and did get what appears to be a good explanation of the failure. It’s still disappointing the boots aren’t made to last.
Here’s an excerpt from Asolo.
From the picture you sent us it seems your boots has been affected by hydrolysis which is the chemical breakdown of a compound due to the reaction with water. In our case, we are talking about polyurethane (PU) which is used to make midsoles (the component in the middle of a boot between the outsole and the upper/insole). It can gradually absorb moisture over time and deteriorate. The polyurethane gets harder, more porous and, at some point, starts to crumble. In extreme cases, it can disintegrate completely and the sole might fall off your boots.
Most high-quality mountain and trekking footwear manufactures use ester-based PU since it is the most suitable material - despite hydrolysis. For this all footwear manufactures have to deal with the problem of ageing polyurethane. Please note that hydrolysis isn’t visible from the outside because the deterioration takes place from within and even new looking boots may have a crumbling construction, so we strongly recommend to take your old boots on a test run before you wear them on a long trip, especially if they have been sitting around in the loft or a cellar.
Proper storage can help to prevent hydrolysis: boots are best kept in dry, well-ventilated conditions and they should never be exposed to high temperature. These factors scientifically speed up the process of hydrolysis. There are significant differences in when hydrolysis sets; at the moment, we estimate that it starts around six to seven years after a midsole is manufactured. It’s worth considering that the manufacturing date of your sole might well be some time before the purchase date when you bought your boots. In addition, supply time for the sole, storage of the sole and manufacturing at Asolo plus delivery to retailers and further storage can all add up. When you buy a pair of Asolo boots in a shop, they could have been on the shelf for a few months. If you snap up a pair of last year’s model during sales, then the boots might even have been standing in the store for couple of years. Keep this is mind when you try to work out how old your boots are.
The good news is that all our boots can get resoled (if the upper is in great conditions) and we make this service in our Italian headquarter.
(End email)
I thought others may find this interesting. I guess the lesson is by boots and use them early. They could fail just from age in the closet.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In 2013 I bought another pair of Asolo goretex boots from Sierra Trading Post. The boots have been comfortable and performed well on my annual hunting trip. I hike 5-10 miles per day for a week and split the duty with a pair of Crispi.
I retired the Crisi last year because they were a little too wide and didn’t work well side hilling. I added the Scarpa Charmoz last year.
This year I was alternating between the Asolo and Scarpa. One rainy day on the hike back I heard a flapping sound and noticed the heal delaminated from the boot. When I got back to our cabin the sole was held in place by my gaiter strap. The boots were older, but appeared to have good upper and sole life left.
I wrote Asolo and did get what appears to be a good explanation of the failure. It’s still disappointing the boots aren’t made to last.
Here’s an excerpt from Asolo.
From the picture you sent us it seems your boots has been affected by hydrolysis which is the chemical breakdown of a compound due to the reaction with water. In our case, we are talking about polyurethane (PU) which is used to make midsoles (the component in the middle of a boot between the outsole and the upper/insole). It can gradually absorb moisture over time and deteriorate. The polyurethane gets harder, more porous and, at some point, starts to crumble. In extreme cases, it can disintegrate completely and the sole might fall off your boots.
Most high-quality mountain and trekking footwear manufactures use ester-based PU since it is the most suitable material - despite hydrolysis. For this all footwear manufactures have to deal with the problem of ageing polyurethane. Please note that hydrolysis isn’t visible from the outside because the deterioration takes place from within and even new looking boots may have a crumbling construction, so we strongly recommend to take your old boots on a test run before you wear them on a long trip, especially if they have been sitting around in the loft or a cellar.
Proper storage can help to prevent hydrolysis: boots are best kept in dry, well-ventilated conditions and they should never be exposed to high temperature. These factors scientifically speed up the process of hydrolysis. There are significant differences in when hydrolysis sets; at the moment, we estimate that it starts around six to seven years after a midsole is manufactured. It’s worth considering that the manufacturing date of your sole might well be some time before the purchase date when you bought your boots. In addition, supply time for the sole, storage of the sole and manufacturing at Asolo plus delivery to retailers and further storage can all add up. When you buy a pair of Asolo boots in a shop, they could have been on the shelf for a few months. If you snap up a pair of last year’s model during sales, then the boots might even have been standing in the store for couple of years. Keep this is mind when you try to work out how old your boots are.
The good news is that all our boots can get resoled (if the upper is in great conditions) and we make this service in our Italian headquarter.
(End email)
I thought others may find this interesting. I guess the lesson is by boots and use them early. They could fail just from age in the closet.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
