BackpackGearTest
  Guest - Not logged in 

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Tecnica Cyclone Mid GTX Boots > Test Report by Andrea Murland

Tecnica Cyclone II Mid GTX Boots
Test Series by Andrea Murland

Initial Report - November 22, 2010
Field Report - January 24, 2011
Long Term Report - March 23, 2011

Tester Information

Name: Andrea Murland
Email: amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age: 25
Location: Elkford, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight: 125 lb (57 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.


Initial Report – November 22, 2010

Product Information

Manufacturer: Tecnica
Manufacturer's URL: www.tecnicausa.com
Model: Cyclone II Mid GTX Ws
Year of Manufacture: 2010
MSRP: Not Listed
Colour Reviewed: Eucalyptus-Yellow
Other Colours Available: Light Brown-Sand
Size Reviewed: Women’s US 6.5 (UK 4.5)
Other Sizes Available: UK 3 - 8.5
Listed Weight: 410 g (14.5 oz)
Measured Weight: Left 393 g (13.9 oz), Right 394 g (13.9 oz)

Tecnica Cyclone Boots

Description & Initial Impressions

The Tecnica Cyclone II Mid GTX boots are GORE-TEX lined lightweight mid-height hiking boots.

The manufacturer’s website lists the following construction:
Upper: Suede
Lining: GORE-TEX
Outsole: TRS Hiker Tecnigrip
Midsole: Phylon EVA
Footbed: Anatomic Ortholite

I received the Tecnica Cyclone boots in a shoe-box with hang tags attached. The tags tell me that the boots are GORE-TEX lined and give me some information about the insoles and the Tecnica Rolling System (TRS). The tag says that the Ortholite insoles will wick away moisture, inhibit odour and fungus, provide air flow for a cool foot, and give long-lasting cushioning. The Tecnica Rolling System is the sole design, which is intended to provide forward energy transfer, comfort, and grip.

Boots & Insoles

The upper of the boot is a combination of suede and mesh. As well, webbing strips cross the boot from the laces to the inner and outer edges of the foot. The webbing creates five loops on each side for the laces. A strip of webbing also runs up the padded tongue and has a loop for the fourth lace crossing. There is a metal “quick-lace” eyelet at the top of the boots. The mesh ankle collar is padded, and the tongue is gusseted to keep out unwanted water and debris. There is a webbing pull loop at the back of the ankle collar. The boot is 14 cm (5.5 in) high at the front of the ankle collar, and 11.5 cm (4.5 in) high at the back, coming to just above my ankle. The outsole of the boot rises slightly at the toe but does not come up over the top of the boot. The sole is flat from the heel to the ball of the foot, which is part of the TRS design.

The Ortholite insoles are removable. They appear to be a foam material covered in a fabric. There are holes through the insole under the front of the foot. There is a thin piece of what appears to be a compressed foam-type material which is moulded to wrap around the heel.

The Cyclone boots appear to be very well constructed; I can see no loose or missing stitching or other causes for concern in their construction. The Eucalyptus-Yellow colour is quite light; it will be interesting to see how dirty they get. At least it’s winter here, so they’ll mostly be seeing snow for a few months!

Trying Them Out

Snowshoeing The Tecnica Cyclone boots fit me well, and were comfortable right out of the box. I was pleased to note that they are wide enough in the foot box for me, since I have a bunion on one foot that doesn’t like being squished, and a recently-broken toe on the other foot that doesn’t like being squished either. Neither of those were bothering me in the few hours that I initially wore the boots around the house.

I have been wearing the boots in the snow to go back and forth to work on the bus (I change footwear once I’m at work), and they have been comfortable and kept my feet dry, except when I got snow in over the top of the boots. There are already a few dirty marks on the boots...probably related to working at a coal mine and living in a coal-mining town.

I took the Cyclone boots out on a roughly 9 km (5.6 mi) snowshoe for 4.5 hours at about -12 C (10 F). I was wearing ski pants, so the internal gaiter in the pants kept snow out of the boots. They kept my feet completely dry, and, to my surprise, my feet were also warm enough with just a midweight ski sock in the boots. I think I will also have enough space in the boots to put in toe warmers if required. The boots were very comfortable, and I experienced no blisters or hot spots despite the snowshoes hanging off my feet in addition to brand new boots. My feet did feel slightly tired and sore at the end of the walk, but much better than usual.

So far, these boots are doing great!

Summary

The Tecnica Cyclone II Mid GTX Boots are a lightweight GORE-TEX lined hiking boot. They seem to be very comfortable so far and I am definitely looking forward to spending the next few months playing in the snow in these boots!

Field Report – January 24, 2011

Snowshoeing at Nancy Greene

Field Conditions

Since receiving the Tecnica Cyclone boots, I have worn them almost every time I’ve left the house. I have worn the Cyclones for 5 snowshoe trips 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 mi) in length, at temperatures from -20 C (-4 F) to above freezing, when it was snowing, lightly raining, and in dry conditions. In addition, I have worn the boots for taking the bus to and from work and for general around town use. This has included several short hikes on packed snow.

Observations

The Tecnica Cyclone boots have been very comfortable to wear. I have not had any blisters, hot spots, sore spots, or anything else unpleasant in the boots. They seem to fit my feet perfectly! I have used the stock insoles and have found them to provide adequate cushioning and support for my feet.

I have found that my feet have stayed warm in the Cyclone boots even in cold temperatures. For snowshoeing, I was working hard enough that I was maintaining adequate circulation and wasn’t surprised to have warm feet with just a midweight wool sock on. On the bus to and from work in the cold, my feet have been slightly chilled but pretty warm overall. The breathability of the boots seems to be excellent when I’m working hard, though after snowshoeing my feet will steam a bit in the cool air, so there’s obviously some dampness in the boots.

The water resistance of the Cyclone boots has been excellent so far. Although I have gotten snow over the top of the boots and gotten my socks wet from the top, I haven’t had any water coming in through the boot. I did notice on my last snowshoeing trip, walking through wet snow while it was raining, that the toes of the boots appeared to wet out, but didn’t feel anything on the interior of the boot, even when I checked with my hand at the end of the trip.

The traction seems to be sufficient. The boots will slip some on packed slippery snow or on ice, but they’re quite stable.

To my surprise, the boots haven’t picked up too much dirt/coal and have maintained their light colour. There are no loose threads or other significant wear showing...actually, they look pretty new!
Wetted out toes
wetted toes

Summary

I have really enjoyed wearing the Tecnica Cyclone boots for the first half of this test. I can’t think of a single thing that I don’t like about them! I’m looking forward to the next 2 months!

Long Term Report – March 23, 2011

Field Conditions

I have continued to wear the Cyclones constantly during the Long-Term testing phase. I have worn the boots for two snowshoeing trips between 5 and 10 km (3 to 6 mi) in length, as well as a 6 km (3.7 mi) hike on packed (and a little bit of unpacked) snow while wearing gaiters. I also wore the boots for search and rescue practice several times, including for a day of rope rescue practice, which involved hiking to the top of a bluff on mixed snow and loose soil and then rappelling from the bluff. I have continued to wear them to and from work and around town, including some short hikes on packed trails.

Observations

The Tecnica Cyclone boots are still very comfortable. I think they are the only pair of walking shoes or boots that I have ever owned that have never given me a single blister. No complaints about that!

Temperature regulation has also been a non-issue in these boots. They seem to allow perfect circulation so that my feet can regulate themselves as I work hard snowshoeing or hiking. They also breathe pretty well, at least in the cool temperatures that I’ve used them in so far. Although there is a slight odour if I remove the insoles and stick my nose right up to them, odour management doesn’t seem to be a problem.

The water resistance of the Cyclone boots has also continued to be perfect. As long as I can keep snow out of the top of the boots, my feet and socks stay perfectly dry. The toes have wetted out a few more times, but there has never been any water in the boots.

The traction has been fine. Although I have used the boots mostly for snowshoeing, where traction isn’t due to the boots, I did take them on several short and one longer hike on packed snow. I had no troubles at all with slipping on those trails. I have noticed some slipping on icy roads around town, but I wouldn’t expect any different on sheer ice!

The boots are somewhat darker in colour than they were at the beginning of the test, and have picked up a bit of coal and a few scuff marks, but look like they’re in pretty good shape. There are no real wear spots that are causing me concern. The tread looks a tiny bit worn, but is still in great shape. The insoles have packed down a little bit, but again they’re still in very good condition. The durability of these boots has been excellent so far.
Hiking in Kimberley

Summary

The Tecnica Cyclone boots have continued to perform very well through the Long-Term testing phase and will be my primary hiking boots as I move into spring and summer here. I love them!

Thumbs Up:
Waterproof
Resist Staining
Comfortable

Thumbs Down:
Nothing!

Thanks to Tecnica and BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the opportunity to test the Cyclone Boots! I really enjoyed the test, and the Cyclones have earned a place in my shoe rack!



Read more reviews of Tecnica gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Tecnica Cyclone Mid GTX Boots > Test Report by Andrea Murland



Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.



All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson