User Review: Alico Summit

Alico Summit
Above: The current Summit, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed March 24, 2005 by Ron G.

Rating:
Materials: 2.8mm leather uppers, Vibram Montagna outsoles
Use: rough trails, light mountain-climbing, some bushwhacking
Break-in Period: a couple of weeks of hiking and walking around
Weight: 4 pounds for the pair
Price Paid: $130

This is a follow-up to my previous review. I've been on several winter day hikes in mountainous areas in the three weeks since then, and now have a better idea of how these boots perform.

- I made a mistake about the thickness of the leather used for the boots' uppers. It is between 2.6 and 2.8 mm, not 3.0 mm as I erroneously stated. That makes these boots more of a "midweight," but heavy for that class at 4 lbs. a pair. They are a bit heavy for long hikes on rolling trails, but not overly so. They are heavy and stiff enough for good support while climbing the many rock ledges in the Catskills.

- The shape of the boot has changed as they've broken in. My wide feet have stretched out the ball area, maybe a little too much. Also, the length seems to have shrunk a little, which has caused my toes to touch the front ends of the boots on steep downhills, especially when the boots have been wet for a while. Nothing serious, but a little worrisome. I'll have to return them if it gets any worse...

- The heel area of this boot seems too large. In order to keep my heels firmly seated in the boots, I've had to crank down hard on the laces. This has caused some slightly painful pressure spots on my rather high insteps and at the front of my ankles, as there isn't much padding on the back of the tongues to protect them from the pressure of the laces. A thicker tongue would help.

- I was hoping that this heavy of a boot would provide lots of ankle support, but I find that it's only adequate, not great. But I can't complain, as the leather is soft enough to be quite comfortable.

The Alico Summits have done very well for me on steep, rocky trails in the Catskills and with snowshoes in deep snow. I've only had the slightest hint of water seeping in (these boots are leather-only, no Gore-Tex in them) and my feet have stayed nice and warm at all times.

All in all, I'd be very satisfied with these boots if they fit me a bit better. But I have truly strange feet (bony, with a combination of smallish heels, high insteps and EE-width balls), but those of you with fairly high-volume feet should find these boots to be a great fit.

I hope this has been helpful to somebody out there...