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Asolo Globaline Meridian

rated 3.0 of 5 stars

The Globaline Meridian has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best backpacking boots for 2024.

i bought a pair in january... did some day hikes in them untill my big trip to cannyonlands np this month, on the day hikes they were fine, but after the hard miles with a heavy (80lb for 7 days with climbing gear and 10 liters of h2o) pack i cant recomend them to anyone.

the thing is, i loved them untill my trip...but about 5 miles into the first day's hike (16mi total first day) i started feeling hot spots on the center of my heels. i had never had a blister in this spot, so i thought that rocks had worked their way into my boots. i called a boot stop, checked both boots, and found nothing but rowing hot spots on my heels. so i hiked on.

a few miles later, i had to stop again, this time i taped the hot spot, but i still didnt find the source of my pain. a few miles later, i stoped once more...same story, but this time i took both insoles out. the first thing i noticed was how thin they had gotten...i must have compressed them with all the weight that i was packing....(i doubt it, but it sounds good)...and then i found the elusive source of my pain. there is a small hole on the globalines that is directly in the center of the heel of the boots footbed. i assume this is where they do the injection molding, but dont know. anyway, this hole wasnt flat in the foot bed, one side was raised a bit on both boots, and the raised side was causing me quite a bit of pain. the insoles were almost worn through where they had rubbed on the small bump. i wound up with some serious blisters on my heels, but found a trail fix for the problem.

1. i yanked out as much of the offending plastic as i could with my trusty leatherman

2. i made a moleskin pad fit around the rest of the exposed plastic.

3. i used the moleskin on my heel as well. this seemed to work ok for the rest of the trip, but i promptly took the boots back to REI when i got back. much to REI's credit, they took the boots back and were very cool about the whole situation. they gave me store credit... I looked at new globalines to see if they had the offending hole, because if they didnt, i was going to get another pair, but alas, there it was staring up at me from under the insole.

overall, i had about 200 miles or so on the globalines, but most of it was just dayhikes. for the first 140 miles i thought that they were the best boots ever, but the 60 i spent on them in utah changed my mind i also had 3 other problems that you may want to consider in you boot choice

1. the rand that goes around the toe box was peeling back from the leather, not a major problem, could have been fixed with some shoe glue, but still not what you would expect from a $190 boot.

2. the sole seemed a bit soft...i know that i was hiking on a lot of slickrock in utah, but when the trip was over, the lugs were worn down considerably...this may be a major problem, because i am not sure you can even have these boots resoled. i should have asked that question before i bought them in the first place.

i relise that others have posted great results with these boots, that is why i have went into such depth. my case may be rare, and it also may not be so rare, not too many people who jump on a new thing are so ready to admit that they made a 200$ mistake, but then the converse is also true i may have just had a bad experience, but for my money, i wont make that mistake again..i will look much closer at the products that i buy in the future, and i doubt if i will ever buy another pair of asolo boots again.

3. they were not very water proof. the area at the bottom of the toung leaked pretty bad, every where else seemed ok, but the toung area is a design flaw that you could never waterproof, no matter how much sealent you used.

hope this information can be of some help.

Materials: leather
Use: rough trail/off trail with heavy pack
Break-in Period: not long
Price Paid: $190

Bought them going into the start of winter and was immediately impressed by the instant comfort and the nice support they offered. I used them all winter in what was mostly bad weather.

Problems: They offer nothing in the way of waterproofing. More like a sponge. Until I got in the habbit of applying water repelant goop every 2 days my feet were constantly wet. Also the pair I have had the original sole which is very, very slippery when wet. Once the bottom gets wet slippery rocks and narrow mountain passes become terrifying.

Both of these problems have supposedly been corrected in more currant releases. I even did a comparison between the ones offered now and the ones I have at my local outfitter.

The difference in wet traction was astounding. None of this would bother me as they can be re-soled but the new soles are not available yet from Asolo. Also this is the only company I know of where a top of the line product is not warranted against design flaws. They will only fix it if it unravells or the stiching breaks. They really made me mad with their "its not my problem" attitude.

They suggest I wait 3 to 6 months for the soles to arrive from Italy. I won't buy anything else of theirs now, but the products are probably fine as long as you wait for them to get all of the bugs out before you buy. Just my $.02

-CMC

Materials: Leather
Use: rough trail
Break-in Period: 1 day
Weight: ?
Price Paid: $190

I have put thousands of miles on in Asolo boots and will continue to use them in all conditions. I have several brands of mountaineering boots but seem to gravitate to my Asolos. I purchased these for winter backpacking and they serve me well in that case.

Pros

  • Well made, durable
  • Excellent insulation
  • Great traction in snow and scree
  • Easy to get on quickly

Cons

  • Ugly color

Shoe fits like a glove. I would like to change the inserts to something other than what they come with however. Kept my feet warm in very cold conditions on long days in the snow and ice. Keeps feet dry and provides excellent ankle support.

I have four pair of Asolo boots, each with specific uses for me. I love all of them. I would purchase Asolo boots as long as I am able and they are in business.

Source: bought it used
Price Paid: $16

I have bad feet and need excellent boots. I put these on in REI and thought I was in heaven. I hiked and backpacked in them and thought I was in heaven. They had hardly shown any wear when the toe split out because of a flaw. I was heart broken. I was even more upset with REI. REI no longer carries them. I wonder why? I made the mistake of throwing the reciept away and REI would only give me $24 to take them back. $24! "That was their close out price." Something smells fishy or like a rotten boot. REI acknowledged the flaw but I didn't have that dang receipt. I learned my lesson. I hate REI and I hate Asolo.

Materials: leather/rubber/plastic
Use: rough trail and heavy packing
Break-in Period: quick
Weight: fairly heavy
Price Paid: $180

I have read a lot of bad articles concerning the Asolo brand of boots, particularly the meridians. But I have nothing but good things to say about them. I have had my pair of Asolos for about 3 yrs and wear them every day wether to school or hiking the Tetons or Badlands or the Black hills. They have awesome support and are more comfortable than a pair of running shoes. The craftsmanship is also impecable. My only complaint is that the insole isn't as comfy as it was when they were new. Big frikin deal!

Materials: Leather
Use: week long trips
Break-in Period: 1-2 wks
Weight: 3 lbs?
Price Paid: $180

I have found this boots to be far to hot for me even in winter they make my feet hot. Last boots I had were danner lights and that is what I am going back to and will only use the aslo meridians in realy cold weather

Materials: plastic
Use: trail
Break-in Period: a week

used them on trip to Ecuador, "Cotopaxi" Volcano, also to Mount Ranier, So far excellent, still having trouble distinguising water proof from water repellant, they seem to of allowed some moisture in but it may have come in from the top.

Materials: leather & Plastic
Use: rough trail w heavy pack
Break-in Period: 2 days to do well
Price Paid: $190

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Price Reviewers Paid: $180.00-$190.00

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