Berghaus Zero G Boot - First Look

Berghaus Zero G GTX - First Look

Price: £90.00

Weight: 1,030 grammes (men's 43 - pair)

Features: WP Nubuck leather, Gore-Tec XCR lining, lightweight Vibram outsole with phylon mid-sole, rubber toe protector.

Very light. Sole lugs quite shallow.

The Concept From the footwear end of the Extrem Light range, the Zero G is a very lightweight 'walking and travel' boot. It's waterproof because of the Gore-Tex liner and Berghaus has specified a lightweight Vibram sole to keep weight to the minimum. To put it in context a single size 43 Zero G weighs in at 515 grammes on the OM scales. A salomon X-Adventure 7, which used to be considered light, weighs 850 grammes, the new Nike Air Tallac Zoom boot is almost exactly the same at 513 grammes and a typical fell shoe weighs just 315 grammes. From which you can see that the Berghaus boot is pretty light. The lighter your footwear, the more energy you should save over the course of a day, but the problem is always achieving lightness without losing support and stability.

Features The boot gets a full Nubuck upper backed up with a breathable and waterproof Gore-Tex XCR liner. This is intended to be more suitable for hot conditions use than the standard Gore-Tex boot liner because there's no insulating layer incorporated The out-sole is a special lightweight Vibram unit with full tread, though it's a little shallow and stiffness is aided by a phylon mid-sole. The tongue by the way is fabric. You also get a rubber toe bumper to protect the front section of the boot.

In Action First impressions are of softness and lightness. The softness from the supple Nubuck leather upper, the lightness from the feathery build of the boot. In action they translate to instant comfort, though the boot did rub our right ankle bone, and a quick, light, nimble feel on the foot. A bit like wearing running shoes. We wore them on mixed rock and soft ground and found pros and cons to the boots. They are, as we said, light and supple. There's not a lot of torsional rigidity to them, however, and that means you have to be precise with your foot placements - you can't just stand on a rock with your fore-foot because the sole will simply bend, twist and give way, so if you're lazy with your footwork you'll be better off with something with a stiffer sole unit, particularly over the course of a day. Interestingly the Nike Tallacs, which weigh exactly the same, are much stiffer both torsionally and along their length, so it'll be interesting to see if they offer the same lightness underfoot with better support as they promise to. The Vibram sole worked reasonably well in the soft given its fairly shallow tread pattern and gripped on rock with traditional Vibram tenacity, which was nice. Fit is narrower than, say, Scarpas, but seems to have more room for the toes than earlier Berghaus lasts offered. Finally, the XCR liner has been waterproof so far, but previous experience means that we're a little wary of hot weather claims. When it's really warm, all membrane-lined boots we've tried, including XCR, have proved too hot for our sweaty little feet.

Verdict The Zero G boots are certainly light and the soft, uppers are comfortable out of the box, the sole too works pretty well giving good grip. We're convinced of the advantages of light weight footwear up to a point. If you're the sort of person who's happy wearing trainers in the hills and has the nimble footwork and balance needed to make the most of them then the Zero Gs could be a sturdier, more supportive option. If, on the other hand, you expect and need more torsional rigidity underfoot, but still want lightness, you may need to look elsewhere. The new Nike ACG Air Tallac Zoom - test soon - is one possible, stiffer alternative, or Scarpa's 2004 trekking range which is slightly heavier, another. Finally, it's too early to tell, but the softness of the Nubuck uppers left us wondering how they'd cope with sustained use in more abrasive, rocky conditions. They'd make ace travel boots though, giving you a mix of all round comfort and the capability to tackle the odd trek along the way. Interesting, but sacrifice support for lightness.

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