I've spent the best part of the last two to three hours attempting to research the above mentioned boot, without much joy. They are currently £97.50 HERE and look like a lot of boot for the money, but I thought I'd restrain myself and see if there were any opinions knocking around before spending the dosh (hard for me to do as I have this horrible habbit of spending money!).
Any ideas?
I was also looking at these as a lower level boot, again, any thoughts?
Have you tried them on? My apologies if you have, but it doesn't sound like it...
When buying boots, the first thing is to go to a decent shop (or, preferably, shops) and try on as many pairs as possible. Advise from an experienced boot fitter is pretty important too. Only then, once you know which ones fit properly, should you start asking 'which boot' type questions. Buying a pair of boots without trying them on is sheer insanity
I once had a pair of Trezeta Fitzroys, FWIW they were reasonably priced and of reasonable quality, I wouldn't say they were a lot of boot for the money, just got what I paid for.
Apart from that ditto what Graeme & Parky said, it's not a good deal if the boot doesn't fit no matter how good the price is.
"Buying a pair of boots without trying them on is sheer insanity "
Absolutely. But buying them online isn't necessarily.... provided
1. you can judge properly for yourself whether they do fit
2. you're prepared to lose the return postage for sending them back if they don't.
Of course a shop may have several makes and models for you to try, and, if you're lucky, have a good boot fitter who can judge and tweak the fit, rather than just want to sell you something/anything. But you can potentially do that for yourself at home (ok, you might not own a range of footbeds, volume adjusters etc.) and you will have an extended and unpressured try-on period. Plus the postage gamble can often be less than petrol and parking to get to the shop.
So while I agree that fit is everything, I wouldn't completely rule out the chance of a bargain just because it's online only. I chanced it with a bargain pair of Kayland Apex Trek winter boots from Rock and Run a few weeks ago (£100 instead of £200) and they've turned out to be among the best fitting boots I've ever bought. Off the back of that three other friends also bought some, and so far everyone's happy with them.
As for those specific Trezeta boots, well it's hard to tell from the info just how rigid they're going to be - the blurb mentions aid climbing etc. but doesn't suggest what type of crampons would marry up best with them. I wonder if they're actually rather stiffer than would be comfortable for purely winter walking? Btw Darren, you haven't said what activity you want them for.
"Absolutely. But buying them online isn't necessarily.... provided
1. you can judge properly for yourself whether they do fit
2. you're prepared to lose the return postage for sending them back if they don't.
Of course a shop may have several makes and models for you to try, and, if you're lucky, have a good boot fitter who can judge and tweak the fit, rather than just want to sell you something/anything. But you can potentially do that for yourself at home (ok, you might not own a range of footbeds, volume adjusters etc.) and you will have an extended and unpressured try-on period. Plus the postage gamble can often be less than petrol and parking to get to the shop."
Matt's post highlights the point of my fact finding mission. The store in question has 1 pair of boots in my normal size, and no size above. At a 150 mile round trip, it's quite a way to travel to find out that A. You don't like them, or B. They don't fit. I am prepared to buy boots online for just this reason, they can, if they're not a good fit, be sent back. And indeed the postage would be cheaper than the drive, and in the comfort of my own home. Keeping in mind that this shop seems to be the only one in the country if not the whole world that stocks these boots, this makes trying before buying an expensive exercise in itself.
Whilst I appreciate this is certinly not true in all places, one must remember that the 'experienced boot fitter' spoken of is usually employed by the 'expensive boot shop' to make said shop money, and I am sure there are are numerous occasions where people will be sold boots beyond their needs in order to turn a profit, and for that reason I agree that a bargain should not be ruled out just because you cannot try them first.
With that in mind, I too had spotted the Kayland Apex at Rock & Run last night after having seen the Trezetas. This is a far easier to research boot and is very well received by all accounts. For the sake of an extra £2.50 I think I would rather drop my money on these and know what I'm getting. At a slightly better 130 mile round trip to Rock and Run however, I'll still be taking a punt and trying them at home.
In answer to what I want them for, I've been looking for a general all round winter boot, for walking and a bit of scrambling, suitable for occasional crampon use, but nothing too over the top. Having looked at the Apex these seem to fit the bill nicely.
A quick question though Matt, as an owner of these boots could you give me some advice? I'm also looking at replacing a pair of karrimor boots for use in better weather conditions, and had prepared myself to buy a second pair of boots for this purpose. However, do you think the Apex could be used as a year round boot, or would you confine it to the winter only?
Glad my post was useful. Regarding Rock and Run it can't be a 130 mile round trip anymore as they're a web-only business now. The premises in Ambleside that were Rock and Run were sold and became Lakes Runner / Lakes Climber 3 years ago - I think it was a staff buy out, and it's still a good shop, but Rock and Run is an entirely different trading entity.
As for the Apex Trek, this is personal but I certainly wouldn't use them outside winter, except perhaps if I was tackling something like the Cuillin ridge. But then my own preference outside of winter is for trail shoes or a very light 'mid' boot. Some folk prefer stiff boots like, say, the Scarpa SL or even the Manta year round, and if you're in that camp then you might be happy with the Apex Treks.
Before these, I had a pair of La Sportiva Trango S Evos as my winter and scrambling boots. Both those and the Apexs are rated as B1 but the Rock and Run video suggests the Apexs are approaching B2 and I'd confirm that - they're certainly a bit stiffer than the Trangos. But I have found them comfortable out in the last couple of months' winter conditions, and for me they're a slightly better fit than the Trangos - very snug around the heel but quite wide across the forefoot, so good room for toes to wiggle and for a thicker winter sock without squashing my foot and restricting the circulation.
I suspect it'll be two boots for two uses but I'll take a trip out in the Apexs first and make my mind up from there.
I'd noticed somewhere within the depths of the rock and run website, maybe in their blog but I can't quite recall, that they welcome people to their warehouse to try footwear, as long as you know what you want as there is no facility to browse.
your first port of call if can do it is try the brand on as most models in a brand will stick to consistent sizing. you can then choose a model with a fair amount of confidence that they'll fit.
