Asolo AFX 530

Like many of the other reviews, after a few years of light hiking, the uppers and tread are in good shape but the section of the sole that connects to the boot is disintegrating. They have been stored in a conditioned closet and have less than 200 miles on them.

I have had countless hiking boots over the last 30 years and none have fallen apart in such a manner. My wife's pair have even fewer miles and are suffering the same fate. I would not buy another pair of Asolo boots.

An excellent boot at first blush, very comfortable and durable.

Unfortunately, my experience is similar to that reported by other reviewers: after light use over the past several years, the rubber binding that attaches the sole to the boot is crumbling into pieces and the sole is delaminating from the leather upper.

This is not due to normal wear and tear, but is definitely a material defect in the boot which should be addressed by Asolo as this has never happened to any of our boots from Vasque, Merrell, Fabiano, etc.

I bought this pair of boots as a backup to my regular boots several years ago. They have been stored in a climate controlled environment, and received very little use (10-20 miles of walking). I had previously been a big Asolo fan, as their fit for my feet was great. No More.

I took them out last weekend to do some hiking, and discovered the soles are completely disintegrating. I contacted Asolo, and the most they will do for me is a 20% off coupon for a new pair of Asolos. They are claiming the disintegration is normal in an old boot, whether I have used it or not. The strange thing is that I have several other boots stored exactly the same way I have kept the Asolo 530s. These boots, many of which are older, and some of which are other Asolo models, seem fine on inspection. No disintegration. No dry rot.

I think something bad happened in the manufacturing process of my particular batch. This would be no big deal to me if Asolo would stand firmly behind their product, but they have not. Therefore, I will never buy another product associated with Asolo, coupon or not. good luck to you, Asolo, in the current world wide recession. You've lost my business forever.

I've had my Asolo AFX 530s for several years and have used them lightly over that time. They have been stored in my closet when not in use.

They appeared like new before last week when I decided to hike part of the AT in North Georgia...alone except for my dog. When I was approximately 4 miles out I felt the sole of one boot catching as I walked. When I looked down I was shocked to find it had seperated from the toe to the ball of my foot. In less than a mile it had come completely off and the other was showing similar signs of blow-out. It too came off within a half mile. The shock absorbing rubber between the upper leather and bottom sole had crumbled. When I returned to my truck both had holes in the toes and gravel was entering through the first one that failed.

This is truly a situation others should be forewarned about. Had this have happened further out while carrying a backpack in bad weather...it would have been disastrous. I saved the boots and one sole for evidence in approaching Asolo. I have emailed them about the incident and have not even gotten back a reply. I'm considering a class action suit against the company due to negligence to forewarn of this potential life threating situation. This is truly a serious matter needing to be communicated and anyone including a Court Judge would have to agree that a product recall is in order.

I brought these boots a couple of years ago and they have seen very light usage. Since these were my first good pair of hikers I always took a wet towel to wipe them down and applied silicon from time to time. They have been stored inside the original box on the bottom of a dry closet. After my return from a recent trip in Massachusetts I noticed that the entire rubber sole section has separated in both the front and back.

It seems as if the material (rubber?) has disintegrated. I am going to send these boots back to Asolo within the next couple of days. Considering the fact that I’ve only wore them on a dozen light hikes, and only two rough ones (in New Mexico) I think they should be replaced with hopefully a better model. This seems to be a design flaw as I’ve read other posts about this problem. Don’t buy them!

I bought my pair of Asolo boots after I bought a pair of Vasque Clarions that leaked. I have been wearing the Asolos for about four and a half years. I did mostly hiking in them. But I also did some heavy backpacking in them and even some light mountaineering. I have to say they weren't made for mountaineering or backpacking. The sole doesn't have enough traction for snow and they don't have a stiff enough midsole.

They turned out to be extremely durable. The sole wore out after four years and the leather has become too soft to warrant a resole, but after the way I mistreated them I can't complain. If you're looking for a boot that you can be comfortable doing dayhikes and light backpacking they are great since they are very comfortable and have very little break-in time needed.

"Useless" -- That's how they are now, both mine and my wife's. The soles just rotted away. My wife's pair was never worn, and the soles rotted in the box!! The boot is cut too wide, so the foot slips all over the place inside the boot. Never had that problem with any others. I'll stick with my old Sherman-tank Yukons until Asolo can prove itself to me again with a new design that is built for true enthusiasts.

These boots looked great when I bought them...the uppers still do. But the soles have come unbonded from the leather uppers. After three years the bonding agent has crumbled to dust and the shoe shop can't reglue them because the midsole just disintegrates. I will buy a sewn on sole next time.

I like mine, but I did replace the crappy footbeds with much better ones. I've never had a blister and my feet feel fine after hiking with a full pack all day.