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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Scarpa ZG 65 GTX > Coy Starnes > Field ReportScarpa ZG 65 GTX
(trail boot) Field Report June/12/2005  One of
many stream crossings in Scarpas
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 I found the Scarpa ZG 65 GTX listed under Hiking and Trekking on the US web site. They are what a lot of manufacturers call "approach" shoes, meaning they are suited for trail work with a pack but are not full blown mountaineering boots. To my discerning eye the boots are rather handsome but my wife says they are ugly. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Here is what Scarpa has to say about the boots. "The ZG 65 is the lightest and most breathable boot in the new collection. With a highly breathable Gore XCR liner, this boot provides ample protection from the elements, while allowing moisture to escape and the foot to remain dry. In fact, the ZG 65 is one of the first mid-height trekking boots that’s breathable enough to incorporate Gore XCR. Leather and fabric uppers are paired with an ultra-light exclusive Vibram trekking sole to keep things as light as possible. A trim, trainer-like design provides out-of-the-box comfort, while a speed lacing system allows for quick and easy in-field lace ups and adjustments. Hikers and backpackers who are concerned with breathability will want to get their feet in the new ZG 65." Field Test Locations and Conditions I wore the Scarpa ZG 65 GTXs as hiking and camp shoes. By camp shoes, I mean I did not take them off till bedtime while in camp. Temperatures encountered were as cool as 35 F (2 C) and as warm as 90 F (32 C). They were worn in rain, light snow, and on some dry trail sections. I also wore them crossing creeks and on some occasions following the creek stream bed. Trail conditions were typical of the Appalachian foothills I most often find myself hiking. While I did wear the boots in the cold temps mentioned above, most hiking was in warm spring and early summer temperatures. Field Test Results. Before I get into the details I need to first mention that the size 45.5 boots (approximately a men's 12.5 in US) I'm testing are a little big on my feet unless I wear thick socks. So, I wore socks I would normally wear only in winter even on the hikes in 90 F (32 C) weather. I wore the boots a few times with some thin socks and while I encountered no problems, the boots felt like they fit better with thicker socks. Also, I will not try to break down every hike in the Scarpa ZG 65 GTX boots but hit on a few which shed some light on the boots' performance. I wore the Scarpa ZG 65 GTX boots on three day-hikes the first week with only a light fanny pack. I wanted to see how the boots worked with my feet before venturing further afield with a full-blown backpack load. I wore my thickest socks, Thorlo Level 3 Trekkers. Temps were warm for early spring with an average of about 60 F (16 C). I kept my hikes to approximately 3 miles (4.8 km). I paid particular attention to the waterproofness of the boots by wading around the creek, and I even sat with my boots in about 4 inches (10 cm) of water for several minutes during rest breaks. I noted how the boots felt going down steep sections and other uneven terrain. My feet were comfortable, neither too warm nor too cold, and did not get wet on these hikes. Suffice it to say, I was pleased with all aspects of the boots so far. I was hoping they might possess some magical properties and not slide on the notoriously slick rocks around the creek. Unfortunately, this was not the case. To be fair, I have yet to find a shoe or boot that sticks on these rocks, and I have worn a lot of different ones. I next wore the Scarpas on an overnight campout in Hot Springs, North Carolina. I left home at 3:30 AM wearing the boots on the 5.5 hour drive up, and then I continued to wear them around camp and town the rest of the day. It was cool and raining when I arrived at the campground and got cooler as the day progressed. The good thing is my feet stayed warm in the Scarpas while lounging around camp and walking the half mile into town a couple of times. The campground was pretty muddy, but my feet stayed dry and warm. I turned in just before midnight and the Scarpas spent the night under my hammock. It was raining when I climbed into my hammock and snowing when I woke up. In fact the snow hitting my face is what woke me up. It had accumulated on my boots a little and there was some snow inside the boots, but a quick shake got most of it out. I put them on and spent the next few hours loafing around camp and walking into town for breakfast, all the while taking pictures of the snow. Fortunately, it would snow hard then quit and the ground was warm enough that it melted soon. Again the boots kept my feet warm and dry. I wore the boots on the drive home, arriving at 4 PM. I wore the same socks for the entire trip and had the boots on for 30 hours out of the 36.5 hour trip. The activated carbon insoles did a fine job of controlling the odor I would normally experience when wearing the same shoes and socks for that length of time. The past couple of months have included more hiking with the boots around home but this time with a pack occasionally. I loaded up my Keeler with 45 lb (20 kg) and took one long hike of 3 miles (4.8 km) down to the holler. It was warm, and I sweated a lot on the hike back up the mountain. Yes, my feet were pretty damp when I pulled off the boots and thick wool socks. However, my feet never really felt hot on the hike. The boots worked great with the heavy pack, keeping my feet firmly planted on the slick sections of trail. I knew I could trust them on similar hikes in the future, which was reassuring. My last real test was on a hike to the Walls of Jericho. The temperature was in the mid 80's (around 29 C) and my pack weight was a reasonable 25 lb (11 kg). This was not a long hike, only 6 miles (10 km) total, but the first 2 miles (3 km) were mostly down hill. If a boot is going to hurt my feet it usually occurs while hiking downhill. The trail loses 1000 ft (305 m) during the first 2 miles (3 km), but it is flat about half the time so the descending sections are pretty steep in places. I made it down without any problems. The next mile of hiking was up and down, and I was pretty sweaty when we reached the Walls. I took my boots off for a few minutes to wade in the cool creek, while my son and his friend went swimming. I then put them back on for the last few hundred yards of hiking. This involved a little climbing but nothing major. I failed to get a picture of my boots on this hike (except for one of the toe and one of the boots resting under my hammock) but here is where the climbing occurred.  Rocky
streambed at the Walls of Jericho
We hiked back down the creek instead of following the trail and the
Scarpa ZG 65 GTX boots proved their worth. Up until now, I had
been struggling to keep up with two 18 year old track stars (both boys
ran and did well at track and cross county). But on the hike back
down the creek I could cross the creek just about anywhere I
pleased. The boys fell behind as they had to hunt places to cross
because they did not want to get their shoes and socks wet. Of
course I had to find places where the creek was shallow enough to not
crest the top of my boots. I never felt any water creeping in the
boots. Most of all though, it was fun to lead for a change. We got to our campsite and set up camp and fixed supper just as daylight faded away. After a few hours around the campfire we turned in. My socks and boots were dry. Though not predicted, it rained, so we had to hastily deploy our rain tarps over our hammocks in the middle of the night. While not a big thing, the rain did make the 2 mile (3 km) hike back up the mountain a little slicker than it was coming down. Again, my feet sweated quite a bit on the hike up the mountainside. After the hour drive home, I checked the boots for smell. While not rosy, the boots did not have an offensive odor. I have to hand it to the odor controlling abilities of the insoles. Summary Thus Far The Scarpa ZG 65 GTX boots required zero break-in. They are waterproof when splashing about in shallow water. My feet never felt too hot in the boots even though I hiked in some fairly hot weather wearing thick wool socks. I only hiked about 4 miles (6 km) at any one time but they were comfortable on very uneven terrain on this and other shorter hikes. So far the activated carbon insoles have done an excellent job of minimizing foot odor. The soles have handled muddy trails and campgrounds extremely well and have not caked up with excessive amounts of mud. The laces are shorter than I like but adequate. I never had to retie the boots while hiking. So far I have not had to wash the boots but frequent creek crossings have kept them fairly clean. Future Testing I will probably try thin socks for longer hikes just because it is getting really hot. I will carry my thicker socks just in case. I will continue to monitor the boots for wear, waterproofness, and overall hiking comfort. Scarpa recommends Nikwax Fabric & Leather treatment followed by a light brushing for the Crosta leather used in these boots. If I need to treat the boots I will report the outcome. After my experience in camp in North Carolina I am looking forward to cooler fall weather to hike in. The boots seem extremely well suited for that type weather. Read more reviews of Scarpa gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Scarpa ZG 65 GTX > Coy Starnes > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||