Reviews > Footwear > Boots > TrekSta Womens Evolution Mid GTX Boots > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

TREKSTA WOMEN'S EVOLUTION MID GTX BOOTS
BY KATHLEEN WATERS

July 9, 2012
OWNER REVIEW

TESTER INFORMATION

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: TrekSta USA Year of Manufacture: 2011 Manufacturer's Website: http://www.trekstausa.com MSRP: US $160.00 Listed Weight: 12.9 oz (366 g) Women's size 7 (US) per shoe Measured Weight: 13 oz (369 g) Women's size 8 (US) per shoe Sizes: Available: N/A Size Reviewed: 8 Women's Colors Available: Brown/Tan Color Reviewed: Brown/Tan

Photo Courtesy of TrekSta USA

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The TrekSta Evolution Mid GTX Boot is part of TrekSta Evolution line and is the only one that is a mid-height boot. The height of the boot from interior sole to the top of the collar is 3.3 inches (8 cm) and from the outsole to the top of the collar is 4.5 inches (11 cm).

Boldly graphical, the body of the Evolution is comprised of various textures from smooth vinyl-like material, to what feels like a rough leather and then again to full-grained leather and onto a mesh-like fabric. The light to dark shades of brown highlight the textures and give the boots a very pleasing style - rather futuristic, in fact.

The lacing system is constructed of fabric loop eyelets, rather than metal with the TrekSta logo discretely woven into each loop. Soft woven flat laces thread through the five loop pairs and are secured at the top of the boots with 1 pair of hard plastic quick-lace holders. When tightened, another TrekSta logo in leather is just barely visible on the gusseted boot tongue.

A space-agey bit of vinyl-like material wraps around the heel and is topped with a loop for assistance in pulling on the boot.

Space-Age Look

Snazzy Logo Lacing

A rather different toe rand which is notched in the center and higher at the (front) side segues into the outsole of the Evolution. The outsole is very aggressive-looking with rather deep indentations under the arch and a couple more on the outside edge of the boot. However, the main feature of the boots are the 10 large lugs which border the edges of the boot. These lugs have triangular pads which are impregnated with micro-glass filaments for traction on slippery surfaces

Micro-Glass Filament Pad

Inside the Evolution boot is a stock insole with noticeable extra padding in the heel and the ball of the foot. To the front of the extra forefoot padding are perforations for added air circulation.

FIELD USE AND PERFORMANCE

Locations and Weather Conditions

Over the last 11 months, I've put a good bit of miles/kilometers on these boots, I estimate about 100 miles (160 km), wearing a backpack weighing anything from 5 lb (2 kg) to 25 lb (11 kg) and averaging 15-17 lb (7-8 kg).

On the Newlin Creek Trail with TrekSta

Outside of the state of Colorado, I was able to wear these boots on a 2011 mid-September trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming and a two-day backpack in Dinosaur National Monument, in Utah. Instate, but out of my area, the TrekSta were worn on a two-night snowshoe near Rocky Mountain National Park in December 28-30, 2011. However, most of my day hikes and short overnights (1-2 nights) were spent exploring the Bureau of Land Management wilderness that abuts our northern property line. There are thousands of acres/hectares of the Rocky Mountains between us and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. This land ranges in elevation from 5400 ft (1600 km) to 14,000 ft (4300 km) at Pikes Peak. I'd say that average elevation for overnights is around 6000 ft (1800 km). As would be expected, the rough terrain is often very rocky with lots of limestone boulders for climbing on and around and granite slopes to slip on. However, I'm almost just as often in very dusty, powdery dirt and there are large tracts of broken up shale in exposed areas. Vegetation in the mountains is very typical of the high desert of southern Colorado - heavy old-growth juniper, pinon pine and cactus, both cholla and prickly pear with the odd small barrel cactus thrown in. The valleys between the ridges have been especially dry this past year, so the floor is dusty and sparsely populated with scrubby grasses.

And speaking of dry, which about sums up the weather conditions these boots have seen - lots of dust, and no moisture other than lots of snow on snowshoe hikes. Looking over my notes, not once did I encounter rain while backpacking or dayhiking.

The above listed trips were supplemented with lots of casual usage at home. Living out in the boonies on a building site means dirt, rocks and desert vegetation - prickly stuff. And when there has been rain, we have the stickiest mud on earth. I mean, the kind of mud that sucks the shoes right off my feet - no kidding! No cute sandals for me! If I step out my door, I've got boots on and the TrekSta Evolution boots are one of 3 or 4 in my daily rotation.

Performance

Anyone who knows me knows I love footwear. And I think a gal can never have too many boots! Thanks to my addiction - er, extensive experience - I can usually tell almost immediately if a pair of boots is going to work for me or not. I like a boot with support around the ankles and a moderately stiff arch, yet I want it to feel like a slipper. That's not too much to ask for, is it? Apparently not, as the TrekSta Evolution Mid GTX Boots give me all that I ask for in a boot and more.

As with my TrekSta Sidewinder trail shoes, the women's size 8 fits me perfectly. I have enough room in the toebox so my toes aren't scrunched but not so much as to be able to wiggle them more than just slightly. I do not have a wide foot, so if I am going to have a "fit" problem, I generally have too much room rather than not enough. That is not a problem with the Evolutions as the body of the boot fits snugly but not constrictively so when laced up.

Putting the boots on is like slipping into my favorite camp shoes - quick and easy. With the laces loosened just a bit, the gusseted tongue allows me to, without any effort; slide my foot into the boot. I do use the pull-loop on the back heel so as to not pinch my finger between my foot and the back of the boot.

The interior of the Evolution is very smooth with nothing to rub me the wrong way. Never once did I suffer a blister and at no time did I suffer even a "hot spot".

One of the most important features of a backpacking boot for me is how the boot supports my arch. The arch support of the Evolutions is stellar. I often have a problem with my left arch getting sore - apparently, my feet are not symmetrical and the left arch is slightly forward. Some other boots/shoes with high arches will cause my left foot to ache from the arch "hitting" me in the wrong (for me) place.

The boot insole/outsole combination feels solid and moderately stiff. This is particularly welcome when I am toting a 25+ lb (11+ kg) backpack. In the winter, on the trail, snow and ice become quite hard and I've found with lesser boots, my feet get quite sore from the pounding they take - just as much as when I'm on rocky mountain trails. With the Evolutions, my arches have been protected from that pounding. In the winter months I've worn heavyweight wool or bamboo-blend socks with the Evolutions, usually accompanied by a pair of toe-sock liners. Lately, though, I've switched to a mid-weight wool blend sock and ditched the liners. Way too hot now!

At first glance, the predominately mesh material in the boots uppers didn't instill a lot of confidence as to the how well the Evolutions would hold up in winter. I worried about my feet getting soaked and icy-cold. However, the first time I wore them in a lot of snow, snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park in December, I found the waterproofing and insulation capabilities of the boot to be superb! During an anniversary celebratory trip (42 years and counting…), my husband John and I did a snowshoe day hike where we encountered temperatures below freezing, almost constant wind gusts in excess of 35 mph (56 kph) and lots of snow. The Old Fall River Road over the Continental Divide was snow-covered and closed to motor vehicles, so we snowshoed it uphill for 3 miles (5 km) - it's very steep -before turning around and heading back. On that first day-hike out of a base camp, I was very grateful for the Gore-Tex lining in the boots. Despite being constantly submerged in the white fluffy stuff, the boots never wet through. I've also worn the boots through stream crossings without incident as well.

TrekSta's IceLock technology coupled with their Hypergrip outsole with the "micro-glass filament pads" really did/do a great job of creating traction on ice and packed snow. I was very confident tramping down the trail with the boots on under those conditions. In my backyard playground of the Cooper Mountains, I never fell - well, not because of the Evolutions' traction deficiencies, anyway. My only mishaps were the result of my carelessness on powder snow covering ice-coated rocks. I don't think it would have made any difference whatever boot I was wearing. The powder just slid and I slid with it. No harm done except to my pride as I "turtled" on top of my backpack!

It's no secret to anyone who has ever gone backpacking or hiking with me, I'm sort of a klutz. This is often to the determent of my wearing apparel. Snags, pulls and all-out tears are the bane of anything remotely fragile. Thankfully, my innate clumsiness on the trail hasn't led to any real adverse wear on the mesh or the leather uppers of the Evolutions. Nor are the Evolutions suffering from food or drink stains.

They are however, a bit dirtier than when they were brand new. I've found a vigorous brushing loosened any of the sticky mud we often tromp through and after easily 100+ miles (160 km), the Evolutions still look great and show no real wear on the soles.

STARRING ATTRACTIONS

1.) Lightweight for a mid-height waterproof boot.
2.) Has great traction on ice, packed snow and slippery mud.
3.) Excellent arch support even with a heavy load.
4.) Trim, non-clunky style.

MINOR DISTRACTIONS

1.) Since I was racking my brain for a "negative", I was going to say boring color as I'm so tired of drab boots, but I actually like this brown/tan combination. A bright tomato red would be nice though!

SUMMARY

The Evolution Mid GTX boots are not my first TrekSta footwear. I already have a pair of Sidewinder Trail Running Shoe with IceLock technology from a couple of years ago (my Owner Review is on the BGT website). I've become a big fan of the IceLock technology and think it is what makes the TrekSta shoes so outstanding. I feel so much more confident when backpacking and hiking on slippery surfaces with the IceLock soles and that confidence makes my trekking so much more enjoyable. I was very happy to learn (after chatting with a TrekSta representative) that the IceLock micro filaments will be exposed for the life of the sole, in fact, the "rubber" part of the sole will wear out long before the filaments. This means I don't have to "hoard" or save my Evolution boots for winter use. I can wear them anytime I might come across slippery conditions - I'm thinking, rocks in stream crossings - all year long. Yay!

I'm pleased with the fit, support, traction and comfort of these boots. The attractive style that doesn't make my feet look like clunky gunboats doesn't hurt either. I'm definitely glad the Evolution boots are in my gear closet for any hike or backpacking trip that will encounter slippery rocks, snow, ice, ball bearing-like sand, sticky mud, water...wait! I guess that covers most of my trails, most of the time. So, I should say, I'm definitely glad the Evolution boots are in my gear closet, period.

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > TrekSta Womens Evolution Mid GTX Boots > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters