Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Dunham Waffle Stomper Paramount Boots > James E. Triplett > Initial Report

Initial Test Report:
Dunham Paramount
Waffle Stomper Hiking Boots

 

Paramount. Updated version of the 1968 original with improved
performance and comfort - a revolutionary boot made to fit every outdoor challenge.

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My style can best be described as lightweight, but not at the cost of giving up too much comfort.  I am continually looking at lighter replacement items for gear I own, which is generally not that hard, since a lot of my equipment is rather dated.  I prefer a tent over a tarp, but have not yet tried a hammock.

Product Name: Waffle Stomper Paramount
Model #:  MWH800BR

The price and weight information below came from another source as it was not contained on the Dunham site.

MSRP:  $134.99 US (for Mens sizes)
Listed Weight:   1 lb 10 oz (737 g)
Actual weight:
                Left boot - 1 lb 15 oz (879 g)
                Right boot - 1 lb 14 oz (850 g)

Total Actual Weight:  3 lb 13 oz (1,729 g) (For the pair, including the installed laces)

• Exclusive Vibram® Sole Unit
• Polyurethane Midsole, Tapered Nylon Insole Board
• ABZORB® Footbed
• Full Grain Waterproof Leather Seam Sealed
• Ski-flap Gusseted Tongue
• External TPU Heel Counter

Upon Arrival:
The Dunham Waffle Stomper Paramounts came in a typical shoebox, with the typical crumpled paper and the obligatory silica gel (moisture absorbent) packets.  There was also a packing slip from Ontario, California, although the website lists their contact address as being in Boston, Massachusetts.  The Waffle Stompers were laced with some bright red laces, and had attached to them, the typical Vibram sole hang tag, and an alternate set of brown laces.  Absent was any literature on the features or care of the boots.

Initial Inspection:
The Waffle Stompers seem light for such massive boots.  Even before opening the shipping box, I noticed how light the package felt.  The listed weight is 1 lb 10 oz (737 g), and despite weighing in heavier than that, they feel lighter than they look.  The sole and other synthetic parts of the Waffle Stompers appear to be where the weight has been reduced compared to old school heavy boots.  These seem much more top-heavy than the steel shank models I used years ago.  There doesn't appear to be any weight spared in the upper portion of the boots.

Parts of the Paramount

The main part of the uppers is full-grain leather, and it is stiff and fairly thick.  The heel area is wrapped with a stiff, but bendable, brown plastic material.  Anchored below that is a small volume of a softer red material which only can be seen in the heal area.  Below that, and running the full length of each boot, is a grey material which appears to be of the same composition as the red foam.  It is possible to compress these foam areas with my fingernail, unlike the hard brown material I mentioned earlier.  The bottom of the boots consists of the rubbery Vibram sole.

Vibram Tread Pattern

The tread, which is the trademarked Vibram component of the Waffle Stompers, is billed as an "Exclusive Vibram Sole Unit".  I must admit that I have never seen a tread pattern quite like this one.  To me, it resembles more closely the tread of a trail-runner than of a hiking boot, except that the pattern is quite deep, and almost, well, "waffle-like"!  In my limited experience with these boots so far, the waffle tread has demonstrated its ability to leave grand foot-tracks in the snow and mud, and also to bring plenty of mud back to camp.

Initial Fit:
These boots are made with heavy, full-grain, leather.  There are five pairs of lacing eyelets followed by three pairs of speed hooks, for lacing up the boots.  I measure a 12 D on a Brannock Device, and these boots fit the bottom of my feet perfectly.

Keep in mind that this is my initial experience with the Waffle Stomper Paramounts.  That being said, so far there is some discomfort involved with these boots the first couple of times I have worn them.  I was fortunate with my last set of heavy boots in that they needed zero break-in time.  That will not be the case with the Dunhams.  In particular, my inner left ankle experiences some pain when the boots are laced up, and generally both ankles feel discomfort.  I have yet to determine if there is a difference in the two boots, or a difference in my ankles.

Image showing the tongue configuration

The other pre-break-in difficulties I am having involve the actual lacing of the boots.  The tongue in particular is quite thick, and I don't seem to be able to tighten the laces as much as I would like.  The tongue is a "Ski-flap Gusseted Tongue" which is attached all the way along one side of the boot as well as at the bottom.  I have some experience with this approach on roller-skates, and it is successful in keeping the tongue centered on the boot.  Beneath the ski-flap tongue is another continuous tongue, which is nicely padded and appears to be some material other than leather, or at least a very soft leather.  The inner tongue is for comfort, the outer for protection from outside calamity. All this material makes it nearly impossible to tighten the boots to the point where I feel confident... at least at this point in time.  The laces are long enough, although I would prefer them to be slightly longer.  The final item which I shall mention in this area is that the upper most set of speed hooks is high enough on the boots that the laces want to creep up over the tongue when tying them off.

Web Site Information:
I don't usually spend a lot of time reviewing a manufactures website, but I wanted to mention enough things here that I added a separate section.  First of all, to find the Paramounts on the Dunham website, at least at the time of this writing, you must look under [MEN] (for the mens model, that is) - [OUTDOOR] - [HIKING].  They are not under [BACKPACKING].  Second, the site is pretty cool in that it seems interactive as you move your mouse around to different parts of the page, rather than the refresh of a new page which is more typical.  The down side to this is that there is no way to highlight any of the text for copying and pasting, at least on my browser.  I generally like to copy and paste information into a spreadsheet when researching product selection.  Also, there is no weight or price information on the Dunham site.  And third, most of the "Where to Buy" links on the Dunham site don't list the Paramount, and many don't even seem to list Dunham.

Test Plan:
My location in Eastern Iowa has been blessed with a somewhat late snow storm as I write this.  I will get in as many day-hikes as I can in the snowy conditions before it melts away in the next few days.  I also plan to test the Dunham Waffle Stomper Paramounts with a loaded pack (I have a four-day trip coming up in Missouri), and on weekend trips and day hikes on the variety of terrain which comes with the change in seasons.  As long as I can break them in properly, I will use the Paramounts for all my hiking excursions.  I have yet to establish the various socks I will experiment with, but I have three sets of insoles I plan to try, and I will further investigate the inside of the boots for my next report.  I will also asses whether the "Full Grain Waterproof Leather Seam Sealed" claim provides adequate waterproofness.

Summary:
The two things that jump out at me as good things about the Waffle Stompers, are the aggressive and serious look of the boots, and the light weight.  They look like they could easily stomp more than waffles.  My only concerns at this point are the lacing issues I spoke of, and the ability to break them in to a comfortable fit.  Look for more pros and cons in my field report.
 

Respectfully submitted,

-James T.

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Dunham Waffle Stomper Paramount Boots > James E. Triplett > Initial Report