Craggy Gardens is an area near Mt. Mitchell (the highest peak East of the Mississippi) in western North Carolina. The maximum elevation during this backpacking trip was 5892 ft (1796 m) and the low point was around 4200 ft (1280 m). On this particular trip, we had a light mist and heavy fog to start the hike. To further clarify the situation, I was carrying around 22 lbs (9.9 kg) and the first 1.5-2 miles (2.4-3.2 km) was a steady and rocky descent towards a waterfall. I highlight these details in order to accurately depict the activity in which the shoes were being tested.

Performance

Over the first leg of the hike, a steady downhill, I found the shoes to be surprisingly sticky with respect to grip. I was surprised because a light rain/mist had been falling and accumulating on the rocks for about an hour before we began our descent leaving the rocks very wet and slippery. I was moving at a 3.5 mi/hour (5.6 km/hour) pace down these rocks and only had one instance where I relied on my trekking poles to catch me from slipping and falling. Initially, I was very happy with the performance of the shoes given the semi-treacherous conditions.

Since we got a late start, we only hiked about 2 hours on the first afternoon. Towards the end of this two hour hike, I did notice the shoes to begin to feel restrictive. In other words, they began to feel tight around the center "band" of my foot - the top portion of my foot extending from the arch and the arch itself. Speaking to the shoes' ability to keep out water, they were great. When I got inside my tarp and took my shoes off, my feet were completely dry regardless of the wet conditions. The XCR liner definitely did its job.

The next day, everything had dried out and it was a very nice day. I was particularly interested to see how the boots would perform on this day given that I would be doing a steady uphill section - the type of hike that would typically give me blisters on the back of my heel. The first section was uphill and I had no issues at all regarding movement or slippage in the heel area. For me, this was a borderline miracle. I have been through several pairs of boots and shoes and have never been able to avoid a heel blister altogether. Nevertheless, I refrained from jumping for joy because the hike was by no means finished and I didn't want to get my hopes up.

The hike went on over a relatively flat terrain with only minor uphill and downhill sections. By day's end, I had hiked around 12 mi (19.3 km) and was blister free. Needless to say, I was pleased with the Stratos' overall performance on this hike.

Trip 2: Uwharrie National Forest

Conditions

This area is much lower in elevation and therefore had fewer ups and downs than the previous trip. The elevation at the trailhead was 553 ft (172.4 m) with only an approximate 2,500 ft (779.3 m) change in elevation over roughly a 20 mi (32.2 km) loop. I encountered no rain or moisture at all on this trip making for an ideal hike.

Performance

Arriving late at the trailhead (again) meant only a 2.5 hour hike in on the first day. I covered roughly 7.5-8.5 mi (12-13.7 km) during that time. During the hike, I did loosen the laces through the middle "band" of my foot so that I would not encounter the same sort of pressure I felt from the previous trip(s). By now, I knew how to deal with the issue and it was no longer a real problem for me at all. While the shoes are narrow through this area, I feel that it helps in reducing slippage of my foot inside the shoe while hiking and thereby reducing blisters as well. It is important to mention that the shoes really only feel narrow through this region and leave me, for the most part, ample room in the toe box - an area I'll discuss later.

On the second day, we finished up the remaining part of the 20 mi (32.2 km) loop. Again, I felt no discomfort while climbing and rubbed no blisters on my usually troublesome heels. I did, however, encounter a problem in the toebox. I seemed to rub a blister on the outside part of my fifth metatarsals (pinky toes) on both feet. By no means were the blisters horrible, but I did feel them and there was a marginal amount of discomfort involved. I'm not exactly sure what the problem was since I  neither had that problem prior to that point nor have had it afterwards. My only guess is that perhaps I was lacing the shoes too tight towards the toes compensating for the slack I was giving the center of my foot. Honestly, I don't know.

With respect to shedding water, the shoes held up great. I sloshed through various creek crossings and had no problem shedding the shallow water.

Trip 3: Grayson Highlands

Conditions

This trip consisted of taking a loop that connected the Appalachian Trail to another blue-blazed trail called the Pine Mountain Trail. The loop was roughly 21 mi (33.8 km) and varied in elevation from low points of about 3500 ft (1067 m) to a high point of 5728 ft (1746 m). There were quite a few very rocky ups and downs which certainly gave me a chance to evaluate the issue of stability. Also, I came face to face with a severe thunderstorm that brought with it approximately 50 mi/hour (81 km/hour) wind gusts and small hail. This definitely put the XCR liner to the test.

Performance

The first day of the trip consisted of about a 1200 ft (366 m) climb over about 2.5 mi (4 km) and then a short descent before I called it a day. I had no issues with slippage during the climb, no hotspots, and certainly no discomfort. The next day, I hiked the remainder of the loop. The weather was excellent most of the morning until around lunch. I was on a ridgeline when the "bottom fell out." The wind was howling and the rain was pouring. After several minutes, it began to hail and I was miserable. Rain was pouring in through the tops of my boots as I had no gaiters or rain pants on. I only had about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the next shelter and decided to push on instead of setting up a tarp to wait it out. To make a long story short, everything I owned was completely saturated. I finally reached the shelter and waited the storm out for about an hour and a half. Needless to say, my shoes did not dry and were sopping wet when I decided to continue hiking. In fact, "not dry" is probably an understatement - they were absolutely soaked. Fortunately, all of the water inside my shoes and socks did not cause a blister the remaining 5-6 mi (8-9.6 km) of the hike. I cannot say exactly how long my shoes took to dry as I had another pair of shoes once I got back to the car.

Summary

Durability

So far, I have not noticed any structural failure in the boots. Specifically, I have seen no problems with respect to stitching, toe rand/sole delamination, eyelet failure, or tread. In terms of durability, the boots have exceeded my expectations. After eight months use, I would have expected to see more wear than I see at present. Frankly, the only wear worth mentioning is that they are dirty.

Breathability

Breathability is one of those issues that I think is very important in my shoes yet pay little attention to once I'm actually hiking. However, I have noticed on several trips how my feet do get quite hot by the end of the day. I know this simply because I feel so much relief when I finally take my shoes off. In other shoes I've worn, particularly non-waterproof shoes, I do not encounter the same problem of heat release when I take my shoes off. Fortunately, though these shoes do seem to be warmer than others I've worn, they have yet to cause any major blister problems which was a main reason why I valued breathability to begin with. So even though they are not extremely breathable, I have not seemed to suffer as a result. In fact, the trade-off to have the XCR liner has been worth the lack of breathability thus far.

General Comments

After 8 months of fairly heavy use, I am pleased with the Montrail Stratos XCRs. As I mentioned before, I have had a terrible time trying to find a pair of trail shoes or boots that would not rub me wrong and give me terrible blisters. I was looking for something that would not only be comfortable and lightweight, but also provide sufficient protection from water and moisture. So far, these fit the bill.