Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Montrail Torre GTX > Owner Review by Jennifer Williams

Montrail Torre GTX (Owner Review)

REVIEWER INFORMATION

Name: Jennifer Williams

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Height: 5' 3" (1.6 Meters)

Weight: 120 Pounds (56 Kilograms)

Email: jensmail78 (at) yahoo.com

Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Date: February 15, 2005

Backpacking Background:

I grew up horseback riding, camping, and hiking and developed a love of the outdoors and respect for nature. I try to get outside as much as possible and am an avid skier and snowboarded. I started backpacking about two years ago. All of my trips have been one or two night stays. My trips normally range from coastal trails in the redwoods to mountainous terrain in the Sierra Nevadas. I tend to hike where I encounter rain and dampness. This year I am looking forward to making some longer trips in northern California and gaining more experience. I am not a lightweight backpacker yet, but would like to reduce my current pack weight significantly.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Montrail

Year of manufacture: 2003

URL: www.montrail.com

Listed weight: 1 lb. 6 oz. (0.62 kg)

Weight as delivered: 1 lb 10 oz (0.74 kg)

Size: Women's 9 (US)

Width: Regular (available in Wide)

MSRP: $150

Color: "Bark/Sand" (brown and tan)

Product Description:

This is a medium weight, high-cut backpacking boot with a waterproof Gore-Tex lining and a sturdy Vibram outsole. The uppers are 2.0 mm Nubuck leather with a rubber toe cap for extra protection. Described as a boot for hiking and backpacking.

FIELD INFORMATION

Sierra Nevadas: Multiple day hikes at elevations around 6000 feet (1829 meters) with steep elevation gains. Trails consisted of rocky, dry terrain. Temperatures were typically between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 27 Celsius).

Coastal Trails/Redwoods: Multiple day hikes at elevation between 0 and 1000 feet (305 meters) with more gradual elevation gains, if any. Trails consisted of damp and sometimes muddy conditions with occasional stream crossings. Temperatures were around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 21 Celsius).

Central California Ventana Wilderness: Hiking and backpacking trips at elevations around 4000 feet (1219 meters) with gradual to moderate elevation gains. The trails were dry with multiple stream crossings. Temperatures were around 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 32 Celsius).

I have logged about 100 miles (161 kilometers) in these boots and I am generally pleased with their performance despite the occasional blister. Let me start by saying that I have very particular feet that definitely don't resemble the "average" foot type. My feet are narrow and have low/flat arches, making them very low volume in general. When trying on boots these were the only boots that did not feel loose and sloppy. With most boots I can lace them as tight as they will go and still feel that they are too wide or loose. With these boots I can get them as snug as I want and still have room to tighten more if necessary. (Don't let this scare you off if your feet are wider, since they make the Torre in a wide version as well.) My heel felt snug and my toes had plenty of room to wiggle. When I got them home I took them out to wear around the house for initial break-in. The box contained a quick guide to caring for the boots and pamphlet of different lacing techniques that address specific problems like heel slippage or making room for extra high arches. I found this guide very helpful.

On my first hike in these boots they were comfortable for most of the hike until I reached an extended uphill section. I hiked a 5-mile (8 kilometers) trail in Muir woods in somewhat damp conditions. About half way into the hike we started up a steep, uphill section that lasted for about one mile (1.6 kilometers). During this climb I noticed my heels slipping a little. By the time the trail leveled off I could tell I had a blister forming on each heel. The rest of the hike was level or descending so the blisters were not that painful and ended up being relatively small. Although I ended up with blisters, I was willing to try them out again since they weren't broken in yet and I have unforgiving feet anyway.

On my next few hikes I tried the lacing technique that helps lock your heel in place to prevent slippage. This seemed to help quite a bit and I did not develop any blisters. Although these hikes were somewhat more moderate regarding elevation gains and I did not encounter any steep uphill climbs. I noticed during these hikes that the flex of the boots seemed to spring my foot back at the end of each step. This made my feet feel more energized and less prone to fatigue. The high cut of the boots also prevented a few ankle twists on rocky terrain. Some of these hikes were quite hot and despite the full leather uppers, my feet stayed comfortable and were not excessively sweaty at the end of the hikes. I also noticed that the rubber cap on the toes of the boots seemed to protect my toes and the boot leather when scrambling through rocks.

Next I went on an 8 mile (13 kilometer) backpacking trip that consisted of dry and wet terrain and warm temperatures. The trail was dry and rocky and the boots performed very well. The sole seemed to grip the rocks very well and I was never afraid of slipping on short scrambles. The attached tongues on the boots kept out all of the loose dirt and pebbles along the trail that typically sneak in near the laces. Despite the usefulness of this feature at keeping debris out, the leather that attaches the tongue is just as thick as the rest of the tongue. I find this uncomfortable because once I have laced up the boots, one side of the tongue bunches up instead of folding over and lying flat. I have since trained it to lie flat but it took a bit of effort. I would recommend that they redesign the tongue connectors with a thinner material to reduce bulk. This trail also involved many wide stream crossings and the boots' waterproof lining was excellent. I submerged the boots all the way up to the ankle multiple times and my feet stayed completely dry. This saved me the pain of soggy blisters that my companions ended up with. Again, the flex in the boot kept my feet from feeling too tired, although the boots started feeling a bit heavy on the way back.

I have since used these boots on more day hikes with mostly satisfactory results. However, I occasionally still develop a blister on my left heel. I never get them on my right foot so I suspect that I might be lacing one tighter or differently than the other and I am experimenting with different techniques.

SUMMARY

The Montrail Torre GTX boots are good boots for hiking and backing. I find them durable and well constructed. They are generally comfortable but I have to take care to avoid blisters. I would recommend them for extended hiking or backpacking but they are probably on the heavy side for short day hikes that stay on maintained trails.

Things I like:

Responsive flex

Rubber toe cap

Roomy toe box

Waterproof lining

Things I don't like:

Attached tongue

A little heavy on long hikes

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Montrail Torre GTX > Owner Review by Jennifer Williams