Montrail Women's Namche

When the Montrail Namche—a lightweight, mid-cut hiker built on top of a trail running platform—was named Backpacker’s Best Fastpacking Boot for 2007 it caught my eye. While I have several trail runners and heavy-duty backpacking boots I like very much, I had yet to find the right, light but sturdy, trail shoe for moving fast. The Namche promised the feel of a trail runner, with the support of a day hiker, exactly what I’d been looking for.

This could be it, I thought.

So after nearly 70 miles of summer hiking and backpacking, on- and off-trail, did the Namche win my favor? Well, there are things I really like about the Namche and things I really <i>want</i> to like about it, but it’s not quite my perfect trail shoe, at least not yet. But it is closer than anything else I’ve tried.

The Shoe
Designed for light and fast hiking and backpacking, the Namche is a lightweight (women’s 13.4 oz per shoe, men’s 1 lb 0.2 oz), mid-cut shoe built on the same platform as Montrail’s popular Hardrock trail runner. The Namche features a full length, lightweight TPU (thermoplastic urethane) plate under the foot for support and protection on rough terrain and a dual density midsole for midfoot support and pronation control.

The Namche offers excellent ankle support, thanks to a stiff, injection molded TPU piece. The ankle collar is surprisingly stiff for such a lightweight hiker; in fact it can take some effort to wiggle your foot inside. But once you’re in your foot is secure and comfortable.

The synthetic nubuck and airmesh upper is light and breathable and designed for maximum ventilation in dry and warm environments. Due to the light upper materials, you need to be careful not to over tighten the laces and create pressure points. I learned to keep the toe box looser and increase tension around the ankles for the best fit. Due to the light, breathable uppers, there isn’t a lot of protection for the foot or toe. If you hit a rock you will feel it.

Thanks to its trail running base, the Namche strikes a good balance between rigidity and flexibility. The shoes provide adequate cushioning, though they are a bit stiff in the heel and Achilles area and those overly sensitive to sharp rocks underfoot should avoid them.

(For a custom footbed in any shoe, Montrail separately offers the thermo-moldable Enduro Sole, which you imprint with your foot shape. I often use them in my running and hiking footwear, but with the Namche I used the shoes as-is, straight out of the box.)

Since they’re designed for dry conditions, there’s not an ounce of water-resistance in these hikers. So don’t even think about taking the Namche on a wet, muddy trail, unless you enjoy hiking with wet feet. Water will leak inside immediately as soon as your foot finds a puddle.

For such highly breathable shoes, when mine did get wet (as they did repeatedly on one three-day backpack) they took a long while to dry out. In fact I spent the better part of two days backpacking trying to dry out the Namches during rest breaks. In 2008, Montrail will introduce a waterproof Hardrock Mid, putting a Gore-Tex upper atop the same platform as the Namche and Hardrock. In the meantime, don’t be tempted to use the Namche in wet conditions; it will be out of its element.

The Namche features Montrail’s Gryptonite Trail outsole. Traction was good for most dry terrain, but not a super-sticky standout, especially on slick rocks and roots. I felt some slippage on wet rocks at Acadia National Park and while descending a steep, rocky trail when it started to mist, though I never had any actual falls. The Namche worked on short, dry scrambles though and the outsole’s rugged lugs have held up well over rough terrain.

Concerns
I had two concerns about the Namche, which prevented me from loving it. First, Montrail says the Namche has a roomy toebox, but my big toes and their toenails disagree, especially on the downhills. I have a normal/medium arch and a medium to medium-wide volume foot and I tested a women’s size 7, my usual shoe size. However, I could have gone up a half size due solely to the pounding I suffered in the toebox while descending, but I worried that I’d then suffer some heel slippage (hence more pounding). Often I just wore a thinner sock to reduce the damage, but it wasn’t a great solution.

Durability was the other issue. After only 70 miles my Namches appear pretty well worn. The heel loop on the back of my left shoe broke off in my hand while pulling it on. And while the right heel loop is still attached, it looks like it’s about to pull out of its stitches. The seams at the toes are showing some fraying and the uppers are a permanently dirty brown color (thanks to a long, muddy trek).

To be fair, the Namches have gone up and down some steep, rocky trails, and through some rough bushwhacking with two days of on-and-off mud and puddles (this is where I found their limits). And the outsoles and most of the upper materials have held up, with no major signs of abrasion. But 70 miles isn’t terribly far for fastpacking boots, even with hard wear.

Conclusion
The Namche has the basis for an excellent fast-and-light hiker for dry, warm weather —a sturdy, but flexible trail running platform, lightweight uppers, outstanding ankle support. With the exception of the toebox, the fit was good.

They continue to tempt me, but a few tweaks and upgrades are in order first. If the fit of the toe box was improved a tad and the durability issue addressed I’d be quite happy with them. If the traction was super-sticky on both wet and dry terrain they could be everything I want in a fast-and-light trail shoe.