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Asolo Amazon GV Women's Hiking Boot
Test Series by Sophie Pearson
Initial Report - October 27, 2009
Tester Information
Name: Sophie Pearson
Age: 27
Height: 5' 8" (1.71 m)
Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Shoe size: US 10 wide (EU 42)
Email address: sophiep3 at gmail dot com
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA
I first started backpacking as a teenager in England. I did a
28-day trip in the Arctic, but most of my backpacking experience
has been weekend to 10-day trips, in a range of terrains and climates.
I am a volcanologist so I also do day hikes carrying loaded packs over
intense terrain. Nowadays I am generally in sub-tropical climates. I
am heading increasingly towards ultralight packing, and unless I am
sharing I use a bivy. I try to pack around 20 lb (9 kg) for long
weekend trips but have carried over 50 lb (23 kg).
Initial Report
October 27, 2009
Product Information
Manufacturer: Asolo
Year of Manufacture: 2009
URL: www.asolo.com
MSRP: Not listed
Weight: 390 g (0.86 lb / one shoe size 5 UK)
Size received: 8.5 US, 40 EU
| Listed weight (total) | 1.70 lb (770 g) | | Length (measured) | 10.75 in (27 cm) |
| Measured weight (both shoes) | 1.98 lb (898 g) | | Height (measured) | 6 in (15 cm) |
| Measured weight (one shoe) | 1.01 lb (458 g) | | Width (measured) | 4 in (10 cm) |
Materials
| Upper | Water-resistant suede |
| Lining | Gore-tex extended comfort footwear |
| Lasting board | Vario Asolflex woman |
| Anatomic footbed | Freeland |
| Sole | Asolo/Vibram Syntex woman |
| Fit | ML |
Product Description
The Asolo Amazon GV are light-weight, mid-height women's hiking boots. They are part of the Asolo Freeland series of boots, and the Everland is the man's equivalent. The Amazon boots are available in women's half-sizes from 3.5 to 9.5 UK (US 4.5 - 11, EU 36 - 43). There are a choice of colors: graphite/gunmetal, beige/sand, cream/major brown, light grey/dark purple. I received the light grey/dark purple, unfortunately in two sizes too small. The boots come with a one year warranty (printed on the box) against defects, not against wear and tear.
The uppers of the boots are a mixture of suede and mesh, while the soles are Vibram. The soles have the word Vibram imprinted in yellow. The soles are primarily black, but have some purple to match the uppers. The tread stands up about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) from the sole.
The Vibram soles have deep tread and purple to match the uppers.
Between the soles and the uppers is off-white rubber with purple rubber above it. Above that is light-grey suede. At the sides and front the Vibram comes up higher, and there is rubber at the front over the toe cap. Where the sides come up higher there is an extra layer of suede, elsewhere the suede is shaped to mirror the shape of the soles. The toe, heel and sides of the boots are reinforced to make them more solid.
The toe has rubber over it. The heel, toe and side of each boot are reinforced for extra protection.
The uppers are primarily light-grey suede, with some parts cut-away and filled with mesh. Joined to the light-grey suede is purple suede, and inside that is dark purple mesh. The mesh has grey stitching across it in parts.
The boots are made of dark purple and light gray suede, with dark purple mesh.
The tongues are purple mesh, with light grey mesh at the top on the inside. Near the top of each tongue there is a patch of light-grey suede with the Asolo logo on it. The laces are grey and lace through holes in the sides that are evenly spaced up the boots. Along the center of the each tongue there is a strip of maroon and grey material that the laces are fed under in parts. The pull tab at the back is made from the same maroon and grey material.
The boots have mesh tongues and lace like sneakers.
The insides of the boots are mainly a dark grey, mesh-like material. There are no obvious seams on the inside that might create blisters. Around the tops of the boots seems to be fairly well padded.
The insides of the boots are a dark-grey mesh. Around the tops feels fairly padded.
The inners are fairly thin black padding that pulls out quite easily. They have a slight curvature but are almost symmetrical along their length, as are the outsides of the boots themselves. They have a small lip around the sides and very slightly elevated arch support.
The inners are fairly thin with just a little arch support.
First Impressions
Even in the box I could tell that these boots are light. When I took them out I realized that they are indeed light, and if anything resemble a sneaker more than a hiking boot. However, they do come up above the ankle. They lace regularly, similar to a sneaker, which means that it is harder to get the boots tight lower down, but the material is so soft that I don't think it would make much difference if they were really tight anyway. I am really curious to see how I like this - my current hiking boots are heavy but provide great support so these will be a very different feel and there are some situations (like hiking over lava flows when doing fieldwork on Nicaraguan volcanoes) when I would definitely stick with my old, sturdier boots.
I am quite impressed by the soles of the boots. The workmanship looks good, and the tread is really deep so it should last a long time. It feels like they would have a really good grip. The soles are also fairly solid; they don't flex much when I put pressure on the heels and toes. I like this as it means they will be better at absorbing impact and protecting my feet from rocks etc. The reinforced heels and toes also seem like they will provide good protection.
I am not so sure about the inners to the boots. They do not seem to provide much arch support, which means that they will fit a wider range of feet, but I generally find that boots without arch support result in really achy feet by the end of the day. We shall see, although I definitely intend to start off with shorter hikes with lighter packs first!
I like how these boots look. The grey is more like a pale purple and I find the combination of colors visually appealing. They will certainly be easier to wear around town than my current boots. The uppers are very soft, which I am worried may make them more susceptible to abrasion and provide less support, but again we shall see! At least they do come up quite high, above my ankles, for support. The boots are Gore-tex lined, which is nice as there is nothing worse than non-waterproof boots and wet feet!!!
Unfortunately they sent me the wrong size so I can't comment on the fit, but my first impression is that these boots seem really narrow. The inner is almost straight along both sides, meaning that wide, curvy feet (like mine) may not work that well with these boots. Other than that they seem like really cute, light-weight but well-built hybrid hiking boots/sneakers. They are probably not suited to really intense backpacking trips, but will be great to wear on light hikes or overnight trips, which has become my more common hiking style recently. Please check back in two months to see how I actually get on with them on the trails!
This concludes my initial report. Many thanks to Asolo and to BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Asolo Amazon GV hiking boots.
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