From spring '09 Haglöfs footwear will come with a high spec, mouldable insole as standard.
Not many people know this, but Scandinavian outdoor clothing and
equipment brand Haglofs also makes footwear and you can
even buy it in the UK right now. As of next spring you can expect to
see a lot more of it as the company becomes the first outdoor brand
to spec a high level adaptive insole as standard.
The entire range of Haglofs boots and shoes will come with the
insole, produced by Canadian company SOLE.
We've seen the insoles - above - in the flesh and they're a lot more
substantial than the cheap footbeds which normally come with outdoor
footwear.
There's a deep, defined heel cup for stability and serious arch
support, but the really clever bit is that the EVA portion of the
soul is heat mouldable to adapt to the exact shape of your foot and
give optimum support all round. Interestingly, SOLE even makes an Ed Viesturs signature edition for mountaineering use.
The soles can either be moulded to suit in the shop or using your
own domestic oven at home, or even without heat, in three or
four days, the insole will mould to the shape of your foot with use.
They also differ from standard SOLE insoles in having perforated
undersides for ventilation, a silver treated top surface and being
sized exactly to fit the Haglofs last shape.
We reckon it's a great idea - the insoles aren't corrective, in
the way that Superfeet Green are, but they should offer much better
support than normal foam insoles and distribute loading across the
whole sole of the foot more effectively.
More soon...
We've also had a sneak preview of some of the new Haglofs kit due
out next spring, 2009, some of which we'll show you soon, but we
thought you might like a quick look at one of the boots currently in
the Haglofs range.
Called the Solid Lite, it's a lightweight trekking boot
using nubuck leather and a Gore-Tex liner together with a dual EVA
and PU midsole to give a combination of weight, cushioning a
durability.
Other touches include triple stitching with Kevlar threads on
stress points, and interestingly a Vibram Four-Seaon outsole. We say
interestingly because the rubber compound was developed particularly
for Haglofs for optimum grip on slippery, wet, green, moss-covered
rocks... We reckon that should make them good for our own slippery
wet rocks and also, possibly, a good choice for scrambling too.
Finally, fit is based on a Norwegian last, which is apparently
narrower in the heel area than a traditional UK fit, but still has a
broad, deep forefoot.
More Haglofs details to follow, full information on current range
at www.haglofs.se
