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Reviews > Snow Gear > Snowshoes > Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem > Kathy Waters > Test Report by Kathleen Waters Test Series: Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem Contents:
Product Information (from website) <back to top> Manufacturer: Kahtoola, Inc. *There is a discrepancy on the size and weight of the Gemini FLIGHTdeck between the website and the hangtag on the FLIGHTdeck. The size and weight listed above is from the website. The hangtag, however, gives the size as 8.5 in x 24 in (21.6 cm x 61 cm) and the weight as 47 oz (1330 g).
Product Information (from tester) Model: Gypsy First Impressions <back to top> Physical Description Wow! What a neat piece of gear! When I read about the FLIGHTsystem on the Kahtoola website, I was intrigued and now that I actually have the gear, I'm really excited. In-the-flesh, the FLIGHTsystem is so much better than in pictures. I'll start with the FLIGHTboots. Upon inspecting the FLIGHTboots, the first thing I noticed was the size and number of stainless steel cleats. A total of ten cleats sprout from the thick rubber-like waffle-textured sole of the FLIGHTboot. And they are BIG cleats; a full .6 in (1.5 cm) long. There are three sets of two cleats each on the forefoot; front, left and right sides, and one pair of cleats on the back heel with one cleat each on the flanking sides. The arch of the FLIGHTboot is "cleat-less." The black Neoprene uppers are reinforced with Hypalon® at the junction of the sole, back zipper and heel for a very smooth suede-like appearance. Hypalon® also crosses over the foot arch and bisects the forefoot to the toe rand.
Inside the FLIGHTboot uppers, the insulated material is very soft and smooth to the touch. The insole inside the boot is very hard and smooth, like a hard plastic. The insole has vertical (from toe to arch) ridges. A stamped label indicates that my FLIGHTboots were made in China and are size "small."
At the "toe" of the FLIGHTdeck is a white plastic label with the Kahtoola logo and at the "heel" of the deck is another white plastic label with the words "FLIGHTdeck" and "patent pending." My inspection of the FLIGHTsystem revealed no flaws in either the FLIGHTboots or the FLIGHTdeck. Every surface is smooth where it should be. There are no scratches in the aluminum frame or on any of the Hypalon® or Pebax® plastic surfaces. The rivets on the FLIGHTdeck all appear to be tight and cleanly finished with no sharp edges. On the FLIGHTboots, the Neoprene shows no signs of stress at the seams or any other weak spots. The zipper easily opens and closes and the Velcro flap closure meets up properly with the boot's body.
Putting the FLIGHTsystem To Use The first thing I learned about putting on the FLIGHTboots is to not try it on a hardwood floor! The cleats can do major damage. Otherwise, it was very easy to insert my sneakered feet into the FLIGHTboots even without reading the three step instructions provided by Kahtoola. I first released the ratchet buckle by pushing on the smaller of the two tabs and removed the strap. With my feet already in my sneakers, I inserted my toes into the unzipped and un-Velcro-ed (is that even a word?) FLIGHTboot. Carefully pushing my feet forward into the boot while grasping the top of the boot and then pushing down my heel, I was pleased to find that I could get my size 7.5 (US women's) Asics runners into the FLIGHTboot without undue strain. A quick tug on the back zipper and a close of the front FLIGHTboot flap and I was ready to re-adjust the ratchet buckle. The FLIGHTboot was then quite snug around my ankle. I found I did have to retie my usual "double bowed" shoelaces to a single bow though so they would lay flat in the boot.
Now it's onto the real fun - TESTING! Field Conditions/Completed Test Results <back to top>
Trails we took were between 6 to 8 mi (10 to 13 km) round trip and were semi-packed from previous hikers. The terrain was moderately hilly, actually, we were almost always headed uphill for the first half of the trail and then downhill for the latter. I carried a full pack filled with extra clothes for layering when we'd stop to eat or after the sun started to set, as well as my headlight, extra socks, food, water, camera and miscellaneous personal items weighing about 11 lb (5 kg). On my feet, inside the Kahtoola FLIGHTboot, I wore a silk liner sock, my Teko Eco Merino Wool Socks and a pair of Nike sneakers. Packing the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem for my plane trip to Colorado posed a real challenge. The teeth on both the FLIGHTboot and the FLIGHTdeck would surely destroy my luggage (with the help of the baggage handlers), I thought. So I wrapped each FLIGHTboot individually with a sheet of thin semi-rigid foam material and secured them with multiple rubber bands. I was able to utilize the FLIGHTboots' interiors by packing my sneakers and socks inside of the FLIGHTboot. The FLIGHTdeck, unlike other snowshoes I have, lay flat against each other so as to form a very compact bundle which I also wrapped with the same material and secured with rubber bands. Happily, both the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem and my luggage came through the trip damage-free! Once in Colorado, my first opportunity to use the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem came in a way that I had not planned. Denver got hit with a major snowstorm 5 days before Christmas. The city streets were a mess and the sidewalks were even more so. Since my husband and I were staying in a hotel two blocks away from my son and his wife's apartment, we had to traverse a distance of .5 mi (.8 km) a couple times a day. It was no time for my cute suede fringed boots. Serious footwear was definitely called for and the Kahtoola FLIGHTboot answered the call nicely. I was able to tromp through the snow, over the piles of snow and across icy sidewalks like a mountain goat. The aggressive teeth on the FLIGHTboot never once slipped on the ice. Walking on clear patches - few and far between - I felt uncomfortable though, like I was grinding the FLIGHTboot down. However, so far, I see no signs of any damage. When I arrived at my destination, I was able to quickly remove the FLIGHTboots, leaving my sneakers on my feet, and proceed into the building. No walking around in stocking feet needed!
The FLIGHTsystem felt very light on my feet and my legs did not ever feel fatigued. The FLIGHTboots were surprisingly warm which was a big concern of mine - I was worried beforehand about giving up my winter boots for sneakers. However, I never experienced undue sweating from the FLIGHTboots which I sometimes do with winter boots when using other snowshoes. The FLIGHTboots also gave me more ankle support than I was expecting which was another worry of mine. I never felt like my ankles were wobbly and wanting the security of my more rigid winter boots. And an added bonus was the Kahtoola FLIGHTboots' ability to keep my feet snow-free! No snow found its way onto my socks or dripped into my sneakers. The snugness of the FLIGHTboots kept the snow at bay.
Walking off trail, I found the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem to be very good at keeping me afloat. In the 4+ ft (1.2 m) of powder, I only sank down about 8 in (20 cm) which was not bad at all! I was able to determine the depth of the off-trail powder by plunging my hiking pole into the snow. The pole right sank into the snow right up to the top of the pole. (Above right picture) I did have an almost bad experience with the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem on the return portion of one of my trips in Rocky Mountain National Park. With only about 5 mi (8 km) left to go to the trailhead, I was starting to get tired and was stumbling along. My right leg was feeling really stressed and I knew something was wrong. Looking down, I was totally dismayed to see that I had lost one FLIGHTdeck and was just tromping along the now-packed trail with my right foot only in the FLIGHTboot. It was getting dark and my husband was not at all happy about accompanying me while I retraced my steps to find the missing FLIGHTdeck. Fortunately, it wasn't very far. I can't say exactly how the FLIGHTdeck became separated from the FLIGHTboot, but I suspect I probably banged the FLIGHTdeck on something when turning around on the trail. It was most likely my own fault and goodness knows, I'd have to blame our wine toasts mid-hike (it was Christmas Day, after all) for my obliviousness to my lack of one snowshoe! I did not experience this problem on any other sequent hike. Using the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem was really kind of neat, but it took a bit of getting used to having sneakers on my feet while driving to and from our destination and then popping on the FLIGHTboot. There was no jumping out of the car to run into the local gas 'n go for a pit stop without getting snow in my shoes, unlike wearing my usual hiking boots. I just had to remember to pull on the FLIGHTboots (which was no big deal, really). Once the FLIGHTboots were on and my sneakers safely covered, I would then have to remember to walk gingerly inside the store so as to not slip and end up on my derriere. I made a bit of noise on the tile floors, but in the ski towns of Colorado, they are quite used to ski boots and such clacking around. Now, on to the next trip! Summary Report <back to top> Unfortunately, it was a very mild winter in the lower peninsula of Michigan with little snow to play in. Two of my planned snowshoe trips were cancelled due to the lack of snow with Beaver Island totally devoid of the fluffy white stuff. I did, however, get in several day hikes though to supplement my awesome experiences in Rocky Mountain National Park in December. Weather temperatures were in the 25 F to 35 F (14 C to 19 C) range under generally cloudy, humid skies. I was able to get in one beautiful night-snowshoe where the temps were slightly cooler and a light snow fall added to the fun. Sadly, the terrain had very little snow depth to the packed trails. I'd estimate the snow wasn't more than 5 packed inches (13 cm). For the most part, terrain was rolling hills with some as steep as a 35% grade. Elevation gain was negligible, though. Using the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem in Michigan was a bit different from my experiences in Colorado. The biggest difference was, no doubt, due to the wet humid nature of Michigan snow. In Michigan, I noticed a tendency for the FLIGHTdeck to become "stuck" to the FLIGHTboots after several hours of hiking through Michigan's sticky snow. Because the snow was so wet, it would get packed into the retractable release mechanism and jam the release. No amount of tugging on the release bar would allow the FLIGHTboots to budge or separate from the FLIGHTdeck. Fortunately, having sneakers inside the FLIGHTboots would allow me to remove the whole FLIGHTsystem at the trailhead and I'd just toss the whole thing into the car where the heat from the car would thaw the ice by the time I got home. There I would then separate the boot from the deck. This was not a problem for me on my Colorado hikes. Leg fatigue also was an issue on my Michigan hikes due to the minimal snow cushion and (my fault) my not-supportive-enough sneakers. I noticed that my sneakers were really not adequate to the task on my longer hikes with soreness in my arches, heels and back of my calves. Since there is no padding at all in the FLIGHTboots, I really need to spring for real trail runners to comfortably use the FLIGHTsystem on packed or merely icy trails. On the trail, the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem continued to perform in a stellar manner giving me steady traction on the packed trails I encountered, even on hills. I found the "teeth" of the FLIGHT boot to be perfect in the less-than-perfect spotty snow/ice. At no time did I feel like I couldn't make it up a hill. During my four months' of testing the Kahtoola products, I have taken no special care of them except for an occasional quick "rinse and dry" to remove ice and dirt. The FLIGHTsystem continues to look almost brand-new except for normal wear on the teeth. I've had no problems with the zippers sticking and the Velcro-closure remains secure. Despite being banged around on rocks and poked by errant dead branches, the FLIGHTboot material has sustained no damage. I originally had concerns about the durability of the release mechanism but it has held up nicely, even after repeated yankings. Things I Like Wow, where do I start? 1.) The whole concept of a snowshoe system with boot and deck is just perfect to ensure a smooth, effortless fit and a superior hiking experience. 2.) The warm but not sweaty FLIGHTboots keep my feet snug and dry. 3.) Good traction on icy trails. 4.) Ability to switch to just "boots" when snow conditions are insufficient for snowshoes. Things I Dislike I really don't dislike anything! My only complaint was related to my own sneakers - not a fault of the FLIGHTsystem at all. Though, I guess the ice building up could be considered an issue to be addressed in future models of the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem, but it caused minimal distress for me I can't wait until next winter to get out there in the snow again with my Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem. This concludes my Test Series Report on the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem. Thank you to Kahtoola, Inc. and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this neat product. Kathy Waters Read more reviews of Kahtoola gear Read more gear reviews by Kathleen Waters Reviews > Snow Gear > Snowshoes > Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem > Kathy Waters > Test Report by Kathleen Waters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
