User Review: Salomon Alp 7 GTX

Salomon Alp 7 GTX
Above: The current Alp 7 GTX, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 11, 2007 by izogi

Rating: rated 2 of 5 stars
Use: daywalks, multi-day tramping, heavy pack carrying, river crossing
Price Paid: NZ$350

Be cautious before buying these boots. I purchased them because I'd heard good things about them, and they fitted nicely in the shop, but in hindsight I should have left them alone.

There's a vertical seam in the rubber section along the left and right side of each boot. In my case, all four of these seams seem prone to coming un-stuck at the top end, causing the rubber to start peeling off. Once even slightly un-stuck, the seams on the inside of the boots in particular can quickly get caught on the inside lace hooks during a walk, making the problem even worse. This has particularly been a problem when I've not been wearing gaiters, and the hooks have been exposed.

I've owned these boots for about 10 weeks and have been trying to use them intensively for the last 6, and I'm *very* slowly getting them worn in. This is a frustrating process, because they've already spent several weeks of those 6 back in the repair shop, meaning I've had to keep returning to my old boots. If I'd wanted to keep wearing my old boots, I wouldn't have bought new ones.

I typically go hiking overnight in New Zealand's back-country, which involves significant amounts of mud, as well as river crossings, and good solid boots are essential. Any other boot that I've owned in the same market has been able to stand up to this, though. Really, protecting your feet in dangerous places is what they're supposed to be *for*.

On the positive side they are otherwise solid and quite comfortable to wear with good socks, once walked in. They stay reasonably dry inside if they haven't been completely submerged. If I had the opportunity though, I wouldn't buy them again unless something is done to reliably fix the seam issue. The problems with repeatedly getting them repaired, and not being able to use them for up to two weeks at a time as I have to wait for them to dry out before they get shipped all over the place, just aren't worth it.

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