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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > La Sportiva Venture Mid XCR > Coy Starnes > Field ReportLa Sportiva Venture Mid
XCR
(hiking boots) Field Report January 8,2006  The Venture Mids are holding up well after a few hiking trips
Tester Bio I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing and most other outdoor activities. Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However, I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3 season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information
Product Description Here is what La Sportiva has to say about the boots. "Super light, breathable and waterproof multi-purpose trail shoe for everyday use. Built for protection from the elements as well as off-road terrain."
Testing Locations and Conditions I have used the XCR boots while tromping around in the woods here in Northeast Alabama and just across the state line in Southern Tennessee. Terrain has been varied and has included a lot of wet conditions. I have worn the boots on flat easy trails, trails with more up and downs and roughness in general, as well as off trail with even more roots, limbs, and rocks to stumble over. Temperatures have also been varied with mid 70s F early on, and here recently, very cold conditions at 17 F (-8 C) while hiking at Savage Gulf in Tennessee. Field Test Results Below I will try to cover all aspects of how the La Sportiva Venture Mid XCR boots have performed. In General To date the XCR boots have met or exceeded my expectations. First of all, I was very impressed with the comfort right out of the box and then on several day hikes of around 3 miles (5 k) each. Later on a 12 mile (19 k) hike, the XCRs again proved very comfortable. I found they kept my feet dry even when I intentionally walked in stream beds as long as I kept my feet in water below the tops of the boots. Comfort The XCR boots get high marks here. My number one criterion has been met in that the boots have not caused any blisters or hot spots to develop when hiking both with and without a pack. My longest continuous hike was around 6 miles (9.5 k) one way and 12 miles (19 k) round trip. What was most impressive on this hike was despite not being an insulated boot, my feet stayed warm in the boots despite some seriously cold hiking conditions. It was in the mid 20s F (around -4 C) while hiking in and around 17 F (-8 C) while hiking back out. I attribute the cold weather performance to the fact that my size 45.5/12 US boots are a tad big and I wore them with thick hiking socks. Even with the thick socks the boots are not tight fitting and I find a looser fit usually leads to warmer feet if all other factors are equal. I also found the boots were great when going down steep inclines and have not suffered any toe pinching or toe soreness. Heel slippage has not been a factor either. Overall comfort has only improved with each hike as the boots have adjusted to my wide feet. Support I found the La Sportiva Venture Mid XCR boots offered excellent support on uneven terrain. I never felt my ankles trying to roll over when side hilling with my winter pack loads which are typically around 25 lb (11 kg). Traction The traction these boots provide is second to none. In fact at times I tripped because the boots gripped so well. It is hard to explain what I mean other than maybe the sure grip would catch suddenly. I'll just say that the wet rocks down at the creek are just short of "slick as ice" and these boots seemed very well suited for rock hopping at the creek. On wet and muddy trails, the soles did a great job of gripping and mud build up was not bad. The tread usually cleaned itself when I got out of the muddy sections. What little remained was easily removed after the boots dried with a few good whacks on a tree or my cement porch back at home. Wear Issues As for wear, the sole is still in great shape. I wore the boots in the woods mostly, but on occasion I have worn them when walking on asphalt roads and/or concrete sidewalks. Also, the uppers are still in great shape, with only a few scratch marks, wrinkles and slightly weathered look showing on the Nubuck leather. I have not taken any special precautions as far as treatment of the leather. I have cleaned the boots with a stiff brush and water from an outside faucet a few times but I usually just sloshed around in the creek a little when I went hiking the next time and the trail was dryer. This has kept the boots clean enough to suit me. Waterproofness I am very pleased to find the boots are still waterproof. The boots may very well stay waterproof for the life of the rest of the boots (soles uppers, etc). I know that with each step I take the flexing of the boot is stressing the Gore-Tex liner. Breathability As for breathability, it has actually been cool enough that I haven't had a lot of problems with foot sweat. The few times I have hiked in 70 F (21 C) weather I have noticed my feet and socks becoming slightly damp, but not any worse than when wearing much lighter footwear such as running shoes. One Other Observation I am reluctant to mention this because it is one of those unscientific observations I usually experience when wearing most any new shoes or even clothing. As I mentioned earlier, the boots were very comfortable right out of the box. However, they just did not feel as good as my other boots I had been wearing for the previous 6 months. However, after wearing the XCRs for a few weeks this sensation went away. I tried to figure out why but could not, so just recently I decided to see if the older boots still felt better. To my surprise, I found the other boots now felt a little off. Summary Thus Far The La Sportiva Venture Mid XCR boots have proven they are a great hiking boot for the mild winter conditions I have encountered thus far. Early on in the testing they did well in warmer conditions but the fact that I needed to wear a thick sock really hindered my getting a true reading on how the boots would feel in hot weather. Continued Testing I will continue using my boots for all my hiking in the coming months. With a sore knee (an old injury just recently aggravated) I doubt I will attempt any long distance hikes for awhile but I will continue to get out on the trails as my knee is feeling much better. February is traditionally the coldest part of winter around these parts. If weather permits I will see how the boots handle snow and or ice on the ground. I will continue to keep an eye on the waterprofness of the XCRs and any other wear related factors. Stay tuned for the final Long Term Test results. Read more reviews of La Sportiva gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Footwear > Boots > La Sportiva Venture Mid XCR > Coy Starnes > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||