We take a look at Brasher's contemporary trail shoe with a generous fit.
Brasher Levanto XCR Tested
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Price:
£80.00
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Weight: 830 grammes (size
43)
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Features: Trail
shoe with multi-mesh panels on upper, Vibram 'Faster' sole
unit, moulded EVA mid-sole, Gore-Tex XCR waterproof /
breathable liner, protective toe and heel bumpers, also
available as Levanto XCR women's.
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What's It For?
Brasher says the Levanto is a lightweight trail shoe that's
equally at home around town and is waterproof and breathable, so
'lightweight walking shoe' just about sums it up for us. Simple
really.
The Techy Bits
There's nothing spectacularly different about the Levanto -
Gore-Tex liner: check. Vibram sole: check. Cushioned, multi-density,
EVA mid-sole unit: check. Toe / heel bumpers: check.
What is unusual for Brasher - in historical terms anyway - is the
contemporary styling and the incorporation of a plastic reinforcement
which runs over the top oif the forefoot in a Salomon X-Adventure 7
style.
In the past, we've found footwear using this sort of bracing
provides a really stable forefoot fit and helps keep the heel where's
it's supposed to be.
How It Performs
The Levanto XCR may be reasonably light, but it's also
reassuringly sturdy where it matters. Compared to the Salomon Elios
Mids we used it back to back with, there's a lot more stiffness both
laterally and longitudinally in the sole unit and there's a good,
stuff heel cup to keep things stable up back.
The EVA mid-sole gives good cushioning on harder surfaces as well
and while the shallow-treaded sole is at its best in drier
conditions, it's not too bad when things get a little softer
underfoot.
All that means that the Levanto isn't too much of a shock to the
system for anyone coming to a lightweight walking shoe from boots.
There's still a nice, stable feel to it.
That's aided by the glove-like fit of the upper with its
form-hugging laces and plastic external strips. The one drawback for
the OM test foot, which is a medium width, medium volume affair, was
that the Levanto is very, very roomy. That wasn't a major problem up
front, but the heel section is also very broad and we had issues with
our feet slipping around.
That's an individual fit issue however and if you do need a shoe
with a roomy heel then the Levanto could be spot on for you. Our
other issue with the Levanto is the near omni-present Gor-Tex liner.
It's increasingly hard to find trail shoes without a waterproof
inner, but in warm to hot conditions, we find them unpleasantly hot
and sweaty.
It's not the end of the world and the pay-off is puddle-proofed
performance the rest of the time, but it would be nice to have the
option of a more breathable, waterproof liner-free shoe.
Reassuringly sturdy but light walking shoe from Brasher that
ticks all the boxes that a boot convert to lighter footwear would
want. It's laterally stiff, gives good grip on dry ground and rock
and is well cushioned too.
The fit is much roomier than average, particularly at the heel, so
try carefully and watch out for heel-lift. The only way we could
minimise it was by lacing the forefoot so tightly it was almost
painful, but if you have chunky heels that shouldn't be a
problem.
We found the Gor-Tex liner sweaty in hot conditions, so if you're
heading off somewhere warm, you might want to give these a miss.
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Nicely made and styled with a reassuringly stable and
cushioned feel. Generous fit.
Gore-Tex liner sweaty, generous fit :-)
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Performance
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Value
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Know more or want to?
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