User Review: Scarpa ZG 65 XCR

Scarpa ZG 65 XCR
Above: The current ZG 65 XCR, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed March 20, 2008 by Ross Rodgers

Rating:
Materials: mixed outers with gore-tex linings
Use: very long backpacks and treks
Break-in Period: none
Price Paid: $169

Excellent fit for me -- my foot is a tiny bit narrower than a typical 11D, and I find the Scarpa last perfect for my foot -- and very comfortable from the get-go, with no break-in period required.

As is usual for Gore-tex linings (in my experience, and as many bootfitters/sellers have told me), they worked very well when the boot was new but gradually lost their ability to keep out water as the boots aged (apparently because of dirt, since Gore-tex loses its efficiency as it gets dirty and it's hard to clean a boot lining completely).

My reason for giving this boot only three stars is that the leather lace loops came un-stitched in two places so that I could no longer lace tightly and then, eventually, I couldn't lace them properly at all. I typically tighten laces before a very long downhill stretch, then loosen back to normal for the next long uphill stretch, the downhill change being to keep me from sliding into the toebox. Note that Scarpa no longer uses the leather lace loops you see on the ZG65, which might be because of this problem.

I wore these boots for about 600 miles -- first about 150 miles of backpacking in Montana and then another 450 miles of trekking in Nepal -- and the tread and support features still had a bit of life in them, but I had to throw the boots away because of the lace loops problem.

Where to Buy

Buy Online We found the ZG 65 XCR at 4 online stores:

Store

Product Description

Price

Campmor 2 purchase options:	ZG 65 GTX Lightweight Hiking Boots (For Men)	$139.99	Buy Now
Campmor 2 purchase options:	ZG 65 GTX Lightweight Hiking Boots (For Women)	$139.99	Buy Now

Moosejaw 2 purchase options:	Men's ZG 65 XCR Boot (Fall 2008)	$149.00	Buy Now
Moosejaw 2 purchase options:	Women's ZG 65 XCR Boot (Fall 2008)	$149.00	Buy Now