User Review: Montrail Lotus GTX

Montrail Lotus GTX
Above: The current Lotus GTX, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed October 8, 2004 by an anonymous hiker

Rating: rated 3 of 5 stars
Materials: Gore-Tex
Use: All
Break-in Period: Short
Weight: 2lbs per boot, about.
Price Paid: $220

The Gore-Tex liner was a complete failure despite negligible use, which is why the rating is low. In addition the rubber rand separated with less than 20 miles backpacking on smooth maintained trails.

The rating is higher than "1" or "2" because the boots perform reasonably well--as long as you ignore the fact that they leak like a sieve, don't mind paying extra for the Gore-Tex, and don't mind gluing the rand back where it separates.

Pros:

Light weight, good sole, good balance between weight, rigidity, and support. Carbon insole performs well, but not perfectly.

Probably good warranty and customer service.

Cons:
I purchased these boot specifically due to the Gore-Tex lining. The Gore-Tex failed miserably in the first use with wet conditions. To verify, I filled the dry boots with water and they leaked like a sieve. On the positive side, the Montrail warranty department appears to bending over backwards to deal with the boot, but the bigger issue is quality control--plus the hassle of breaking in yet another pair of boots while wondering if they too will fail.

The integral cleat was filed off because it hinders traction (slides on rock surfaces) and is noisy. If you aren't going to use the matching crampon, you won't want the cleat.

I'd prefer a little more support, but again, these provide an interesting combination of light weight with adequate support and good traction.

Where to Buy

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