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Price:
£55.00
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Weight: 1240 grammes
(43)
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Features:
Lightweight walking boot with carbon rubber outsole,
compression moulded EVA mid-sole, thermoplastic lasting
board, suede leather upper, waterproof liner, rubberised toe
cap, lightweight, rustproof lacing hardware, Ex-Skeletal
heel lock system.
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Light, cheap and comfortable underfoot.
A little soft plus lacing system is sticky.
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What's It For? The Sierra V-Lite Fastpack is part of Hi-Tec's
V-Lite range and it doesn't really take a genius to work out that
it's intended as a lightweight walking boot. At £55 it's also
very affordable, so what we're effectively looking at is an
entry-level lightweight walking boot.
The Techy Bits The Fastpack may be relatively cheap, but
Hi-Tec hasn't spared the technology which means you're getting an
external heel brace system - think a lightened up version of the old
Salomon feature - waterproof liner and more. Nothing super radical
but some nice touches at the price level.
How It Works First, don't panic over the colour scheme, there
are lots of alternatives to the 'stone/silver/mink' hues of our test
boot, see the Hi-Tec site for
options...
Some of them even look better.
The Fastpacks do have a nice light feel to them. They're
comfortable immediately, but we did find the padded uppers were a bit
'swimmy' on our medium volume feet. That's made worse by the sticky
lacing system, which makes it hard to adjust the forefoot tightness
without multiple tensioning sessions.
In the end we found them best with a fair amount of tension which
seemed to pull our heel down into the boot and kept movement to a
minimum. The sole too is very soft, that equates to good cushioning
underfoot from the EVA mid-sole, but a lot of lateral flex which made
them feel a little loose and imprecise on rough ground.
They'd be fine for grassy, flattish paths, but less suited to
rocky terrain. It's hard to describe but the sole seems too soft for
the uppers and overall the boot lacks precision - it's simply a bit
soft all round and a bit like a high-cut trainer underfoot.
For all that, the waterproof liner kept the water out just fine,
though may be too warm in hot weather, and the sole unit gave decent
all-round grip.
A good value entry level lowland walking boot, but a bit soft
and imprecise for use on rockier terrain. We also disliked the
non-slick lacing system, which made fit hard to adjust. They're
comfortable though and you're getting a lot of features at the price.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time Light and
affordable with a raft of features and comfortable too, but
we found the Fastpacks too soft and flexible underfoot for
rockier paths. Good entry-level lowland boot if it fits
you.
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Know more or want to?
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