User Review: Asolo Men's Fugitive GTX

Summary

Decent boots with a few flaws that prevent me from recommending them for multi-day backpacking trips. Recommended for early Spring/ late Fall use, or short mileage trips.

You'll notice I used the word "relatively" frequently in my "pros" list. That is because compared to full grain leather boots, the Asolo Fugitive GTX's are light, breathable, and comfortable.

In the beginning  I wore these on multiple trips, covering multiple days and distances, and was well satisfied. Initially the only gripe I had was the traction. I had to be extra careful with foot placement as I found myself slipping more than normal. But I was happy with the comfort and breathability. I didn't suffer from sweaty feet or foot fatigue as bad as my hiking partners did with their heavier full grain leather boots. The Asolo Fugitives were initially waterproof as well, running the gauntlet on the Olympic Coast in 4 days of pouring rain, and passing with flying colors.

On a weekend trip in northern Idaho everything changed. Trying to beat the sunset on a 15 mile day, my feet  began hurting, and hurting, and hurting. The pain in my feet rocketed as the miles passed, and my hike became an exercise in pain and misery. It only happened once, but it was enough. I never took these boots on a backpacking trip again. 

I decided to only wear them day hiking in late winter and early Spring, where I might encounter snow, mud, and generally sloppy conditions on the trail, and that worked okay. Keeping under 10 miles I didn't have the foot pain as before, but I did notice that water now leaked into the boots. I coated the boots with a waterproofing wax, but it did no good. I guessed the water must be leaking in from a seam or hole in the stitching. Either way, I finally took them back, and have now given up boots all together.

 The Asolo Fugitive GTX boots lasted me 2 years of moderate-to-heavy use before they quit performing the way they were supposed to, and for the price I paid, that wasn't nearly long enough.  In the beginning they were great, but as my activity levels increased, the performance of the boot decreased. I would not buy these again, or recommend someone else buy them either.