Brasher Supalite II GTX Scoop

Just back from a secret squirrel trip to the north east of England for an exclusive look and try on of Brasher's interesting new Supalite II GTX, the revamp of the innovative Supalite GTX lightweight walking boot, which goes on sale in early 2010.


Proper user impressions will have to wait a couple of months, but we thought you might be interested in what's happened to one of the seminal lightweight walking boots out there. It's hard to believe, but the original Supalite GTX was lauched back in 2001 when, at a genuine 1010 grammes for a size 43, it was the lightest walking boot in the world. And remarkably, though the competition has hotted up, the boot is still going strong.

Cloistered in Brasher HQ with top Brasher product man and all-round nice guy, Phillipe - he's French - we were treated to a top secret expose of the boot's revamp. The gist of it is that the weight of the boot is fine, but the company was looking to improve both function and looks.

The Supalite is all about lightness combined with comfort in what's essentially a low-level hiking boot, though we've used it happily in the mountains. To do that, Brasher took a long hard look at the boot with a theme of 'evolution rather than revolution' at the heart of their thinking.

The result is three big changes. First the sole unit has been updated to work better. That means redesigned, shorter lugs on the outsole to give better grip amd durability. In addition, the EVA mid-sole is now injection moulded rather than stamped which makes it more consistent with even density across the unit.

Then the shape of the upper has changed so the boot looks and works better, in Phillipes words, it looks 'more balanced' - in our words, it looks 'less like a duck's foot and more like a boot'... Part of this is a repositioned locking hook which increases foot hold and stability by holding the heel more securely.

Finally the internal padding of the boot has been tweaked with foam positioned slightly differently to give maximum comfort. The leather, water-resistant 1.6-1.88mm full grain Pittards stuff remains the same, as does the soft, leather lining.


And then we went for a gentle coastal stroll in the new boots. What we can tell you now, is that the Supalites still feel instantly light and comfortable, but you'll have to wait for a fuller assessment for now. But what we can tell you is that first impressions are positive and our scales tell us that weight is pretty much unchanged.

More Brasher information at www.brasher.co.uk.