Raichle Boots

I sent off my faithful Raichle Peak GTXs to be resoled. I got a message back that they can't be resoled because the soles are delaminating! duh?

So- why would the soles delaminate and why does this mean the boots cannot be resoled. Has this happened to anyone else?

The boots are 3 1/2 years old, but have only been really heavily used in the last 2 years, so what's out there on the hills that would do this to my boots?

my boots are six months old and only been used half a dozen times and 2 of the black bits of rubber on the heel are coming away.they were not cheap at £150.00 either.not sure what to do about it as field and trek in gloucester have closed down.the only other option is getting in touch with raichle i suppose.where did you try to get yours resoled?

I'll be mightily annoyed if that happens to my new Raichles, having almost tossed a coin between these and a pair of meindl that fit me equally well I'll not be happy if they start falling apart.

I've had mine about 3 years now Some MTN Peak GTX's and not a problem with them.

Flaff

"delaminating"?
What explanation does Raichle give ?

I think Harry's right, Flaff. Raichle should be able to explain what that term means in the context, and more importantly what causes it. If their suggestion is that it can be caused by wear & tear, then your argument would have to be they haven't been used enough for that to have happened - although I suppose boots can take a fair pounding if they're out on the hill a lot over 2 years!

If delaminating is a very unusual thing to occur, then that might suggest a manufacturing fault?

If it was a shop that were going to resole them (rather than Raichle) then maybe they'd do you a wee written report on the problem which you could show to the manufacturers if needs be?

Or just go shopping for nice new ones - you know it makes sense!

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"It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw."

I had to look up what this term means in the case of boots... found this:

"Delamination occurs when the boot upper and the outsole become separated. Modern glues are very durable under a wide range of environmental conditions, and are very rarely faulty. In many cases where boots have been returned for delamination, the cause has been traced to careless use around fires. If you have warmed your feet by a fire in a pair of boots and they begin to delaminate, please don't bring them back for warranty inspection.

Other common causes of delamination which are not warrantable are:
The boots have been left wet for too long in which case the glue perishes.
The boots have been untreated for too long, and the leather has completely dried out, losing all of its natural oils and shrinking away from the outsole."

Does any of this apply to your boots Flaff?
I've noticed my GTX Peak boots take a while to dry out fully and seeing as I bought them for using in winter conditions where they'll spend most the time on the hill under snow or getting wet, I'm kinda left wondering how durable they're gonna be in the long term...

First up thanks everyone for the input.

Ray- I sent my boots to Tiso's boot room in Edinburgh (from my local branch). Why not contact F&T head office and see if they'll help you out?

I spoke to the Raichle UK distributer this morning. He seems to think that PU soles do this occasionally. I don't totally buy this explanation, but the age of the boots is probably not on my side. He also mentioned that boots don't seem to be made to last, the way they were 10-15 years ago. Well, I'm not too sure about that, but PU is used more often these days, over rubbers (IIRC). The Guy was helpful and gave me some useful information about suitable replacements. OK it's in his interest to do that, but he took the time to talk to me and give me some kind of help, which is better than nowt.

Alex- thanks for your information. This is helpful.

On fires- no, I haven't been warming my booted feet by a fire, so that's out.

But- I suspect I may be guilty of not treating my boots often enough when I first got them- the first 18 months anyway, (I was a bit green back then), and I thought I could see a bit of shrinkage at the toe of one of them. So that could be a reason why this has happened. Over wetting? Umm- Scotland is wet, but I have almost always had the boots dry enough to wear next morning (apart from the times I had water over the tops of them, which is 5-6 times probably).

On your drying out problem- I remove the laces and insoles and then stuff the boots with newspaper and leave the boots in the airing cupboard and change the paper regularly. The drying time seemed to be a bit longer but I put that down to the extra goretex layer (daft I know). The airing cupboard is warm, but not hot. This may contribute to drying the leather, but my local shop reckoned that so long as I was conditioning the leather regularly and kept the boots in it for the minimum time (which I was), it shouldn't have been a problem.

I must point out I like these boots, no Love them! I have worn them on all kinds of terrain, year round. I have put a flexible crampon on them, I have scrambled in them on Skye. They have, until now,been bombproof. And they are so comfortable!!!

The good news is- I've got the receipt, it's legible (boots were purchased 12th september 2002!), so I can at least get a refund to the value of a resole. I think it'll be about £40. I'm probably going to buy a pair of Trail XTs...... yes, I'm keeping faith with the brand, well, the last actually, I will need to buy winter boots, but at least I'll be getting out.

So, folks don't get worried about your Raichle Boots just yet. My problem may be down to my own inexperience in the aftercare. if the same thing happens with the Trail XT's though, I will be mightily angered.

Thanks again for the info and comments, folks. At least I have some sort of an explanation.

Glad to be of assistance Flaff, wasn't able to treat my GTX Peaks in the first week of use (was busy out in the field testing them out), however I do take care of the boots once I'm back off the hills.

Mine are presently under the stairs stuffed with newspaper at this moment after getting soaked in the dales after a particularly foul weather walk on Thursday...

Have to express my love for these sturdy boots too (though doubt I'll be wearing them year round!).

Tiso confirmed a refund/ credit of £40. They have a pair of Trail XTs put aside for me to try (I'll also be trying a couple of others just to make a comparison). So I'll be of down after work to do the deed.

Alex- hope your boots dry out soon.

I will be treating the leather with due care and attention from the start this time (and keep the box with the receipt in it, again!).

Thanks again.

Phew thank you, glad you are giving the okay on them - just purchased a pair of Raichle Trail boots this morning!!!! - managed to pick them up for £68 in a sale so not the end of the world if they fall apart.

The reviews seem to be quite good on them at least although someone had a bit of bad luck with their pair but otherwise raving reviews.

thanks for info flaff.i have been in touch with f and t. cant find receipt but i have an order so hoping things will work out.i always look after my boots soon as i get back from a walk.as i said i have not used them much.

Certainly I've got nothing but praise for the various Raichle boots I've tried. As Flaff said (somewhere), if the last they use is right for your feet, they seem to be top quality stuff in general, & worth sticking with.

(That wasn't meant to be a delamination joke by the way!)

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"It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw."

The same thing happened to my wife's Raichle's. John Gaynor Sports in Ambleside were excellent in replacing them for a different brand albeit after 11 months of heavy use.

Neil- I was told if my boots had been less than a year old, and I had the receipt then I would have been able to get a new pair. Glad to hear your Wife got that deal.

My boots are a bit older, to say the least (3.5 years), but at least I had the receipt (it's long story involving keeping boxes and stuffing the receipt in them), so I was able to get a refund of the value of a resole- £40 is helpful. Alas there was an in store cock up- the boots put aside for me were men's not womens, and they didn't have my size in women's in. It was a genuine human error by the staff. A pair of my size (women's) should arrive sometime today!

Ray- good luck with f&t. Hope you get sorted out.

Osbie- Bargain! Hope you find them comfy. As Scott says, If the last suits you, they're great boots. Just look after the leather and dry them out properly and you should be trouble free. But- keep the receipt in a safe dark place.

Scott- LOL, will you be sticking to the day job? (I'll get me coat)