Backpacker – August 2019

JULY/AUGUST 2019

56 BACKPACKER.COM

PHOTOS BY TRANG LE

Field Test
HEAD TO HEAD

6. WARMEST
   Asolo Freney Mid GV
   A plush interior makes this boot
   best for chilly ascents.

COMFORT 4.7The Freney Mid’s

cushy lining a nd footbed mea n its

break-in time—almost instant— was

the fastest in the test. “No rubbing,

no hot spots, no slippa ge, a nd a snug

heel fit,” one tester said after trek-

king 35 miles with a 40-pound pack

in New Zealand’s Arthur’s Pass

National Park. In rocky terrain, he

appreciated how a large wedge of PU

at t he back cushioned heel stri kes.

The Freney Mid ha s a G ore-Tex

Performance Comfort liner, and its

almost f leece-like interior padding

captured enough heat to keep one

tester warm into the teens on a

glacier in Greenland.

DURABILITY 2.7 After nearly a

full month of use on steep and rocky

terrain in New Zealand’s Southern

Alps, one tester noticed the Freney

Mid’s rand had begun to crack.

STAB I LIT Y 4.0 A carbon-fiber

la sting boa rd helps t he Freney Mid

remain stable on snow slopes while

paired with semi-automatic cram-

pons. Its Vibram Mulaz outsole

with its single, large lug that curves

around the toe area allowed our

tester to find footholds on small rock

ledges in Arthur’s Pass.

$395; 2 lbs. 9 oz. (m’s 8.5); m’s 8-13;

asolo-usa.com

7. BEST VALUE
   La Sportiva Trango Tech
   GTX
   The most aff ordable boot in the
   test is also durable.

COMFORT 3.9 A g usset-free

tongue (it isn’t attached to either

side of the upper) allows an ample

degree of movement around the

ankle, but debris frequently sneaks

inside. One tester found the boot’s

low-profile Vibram Cube outsole

to be f lexible enough to use the

Trango Tech as a standard hiker in

Montana’s Hyalite Canyon, but the

thinner-than-normal PU midsole is

best with loads under 40 pounds.

DURABILITY 4.0 Tha n ks to

minimal snagging points and a high,

wraparound rand on its ripstop

synthetic upper, the Trango Tech

shook off two months of scrambling

through scree and boulders across

the Northern Rockies.

STAB I LIT Y 3.1The PU mid-

sole’s rebound and the low-profile

outsole result in agility on techni-

cal approaches, but the Trango Tech

isn’t stiff enough for steeper terrain.

La Sportiva uses a Strobel last (a

more f lexible type of construction

t ha n t he la sting boa rd desig n used

in every other boot in the test), so it

feels more like a stiff backpacking

boot than a technical mountaineer-

ing option. “It’s great on snowfields

up to about 35 degrees, but feels a

little shaky on anything steeper,”

our Montana tester says.

$270; 2 lbs. 12 oz.; m’s 6-13.5,

w’s 5-10.5; sportiva.com

This liner, found in all but the SC ARPA Ribelle Tech O D, provides waterproofi ng

and light warmth. Per formance Comfor t is a four- layer laminate: lining on the

inside followed by light insulation , a membrane , and a protec tive knit. It work s

well for three -season mountaineering boots that don’t need the bulk of heavier

insulation , and we found that it keeps feet warm to roughly 20° F.

GORE-TEX PERFORMANCE COMFORT

MILES

542

TOTAL VERT

102,000 F T.

HIGHEST

ELEVATION

12,362 F T.

Flattop Mountain,

Colorado

COLDEST TEMP

-10°F

Rainbow Peak,

Alaska

TEST

DATA

OVERALL

3.7

OVERALL

3.9

6

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