Scarpa Delta

These boots come from Scarpa, the experts on mountain footwear. The Delta holds up to the Scarpa reputation and is a bomber boot with full one piece leather uppers (a rare find these days where everyone is trying to go high tech). I have had one pair for the last three years and recently bought another pair for an amazing $98!

Sad to say that this model was discontinued...they have the perfect balance of flex, support, and out of the box comfort. The break-in time is less (I would give them 15-20 miles...compare to my Makalus which took over 50 miles...granted they are a leather mountaineering boot) than most and they are pretty much comfortable to wear right out of the box.

The only thing keeping these great boots from 5 stars is the fact that Scarpa failed to put a Vibram sole on them. It's still a decent sole but it is a little soft for me. Plus I am married to the notion of buying boots that only have Vibram soles so this will attest to my high regard for the workmanship of the Delta.

In March of '99, I bought these boots after wrecking an old pair of Vasques. I was originally looking for something a little heavier than these, because my ankles are weak and have a tendency to turn on rough ground. I was so impressed by how supportive and comfortable they were that I decided to get them, over the stiffer SL model and much heavier La Sportiva Makalu.

The one piece leather uppers and combination of cemented and stitched construction makes them especially strong for their weight. Since then, I have taken them hiking and camping many times, and they performed flawlessly. The only problems are that the rubber used in the sole is a little too soft, and the smooth finish on the leather scuffs easily.

By the way, Oregon Mountain Community is one of the best places to find lightweight backpacking gear that I have come across, and anyone in the Portland area or southwest Washington owes it to themself to give it a look-see.

I bought these boots in 1998 when I was in the 7th grade. I used them for hiking many trips. They held up great on long hikes and short hikes. The thing that impresses me the most about these boots is that I wore them every day to school and everywhere else (off and on trail) for about 8 years and the sole shows very little wear.

The only reason I am still not wearing them everyday is I wanted to mix things up a bit and try another pair of boots. I still go back to these quite often and nothing fits as well or feels as comfortable as these boots.

I had these boots for 17!! (seventeen) years. Most of it for serious Alp walks with backpacking (14-18kg). But also on glaciers with semi-automatic crampons and a little climbing.

Spring, summer, autumn and winter it's all the same as long as you keep the leather in good shape.

Now I consider to replace the vibram sole because now I loose grip and the rubber becomes very hard. I didn't even know if they're still making these boots!