Zamberlan Civetta Boot
General hiking / backpacking boot from the veteran Italian cobblers
Posted: 13 January 2001
by Jon
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Zamberlan Civetta RR Boot
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Price: £130
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Weight: 1615g (size 43)
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Features Hydroblok Nabuk leather
(really), Alvertex / Cambrelle lining, Vibram Bifida
sole.
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Fit medium width, medium volume.
Snugger for a given size than most.
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Siffness (1-5 where 1 is floppy and 5
rigid) 3
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Crampon Grade: B0
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Good for: hill and mountain
walking below the snow line, general walking, backpacking
Okay for scrambling, rambling Not much cop for
technical climbing.
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Zambleran's Civetta is a good compromise between weight and
reasonable support. Out of the box it actually feels stiff enough to
manage a crampon, but with use the Biflex mid-sole softens up
considerably along its length, but without losing too much lateral
stability.
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The RR stands for 'rubber rand'
which protects
the toe area from abrasion by rock
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Zamberlan say it's aimed at 'backpacking and tough hiking' and we
reckon that's about right. Fine on mountain terrain below the snow
line and offering enough support from sole and uppers to cope with a
loaded pack. The contstruction is as good as you'd expect from a boot
maker of Zamberlan's stature with a robust but flexible and good
looking nubuck upper protected from abrasion at the toe by a section
of rubber rand - hence the RR tag in the name.
Comfort is good, helped by an Alvertex / Cambrelle liner which is
highly moisture absorbent and well defined padding. Finally the
Vibram Bifida sole gives as good grip we or dry as we've come to
expect from the house of the yellow block.
If you're concerned about water tightness, there's also a Civetta
GTX available, which is effectively the same boot but with a Gore-Tex
water-proof, breathable liner, which may be a good option if you walk
exclusively in the UK, but in hotter conditions, we've found that
even the best breathable linings still leave you with hot damp
feet.
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Verdict: Good, reasonably light
general walking and backpacking boot from Zamberlan that's
more flexible than it first appears. On our feet it felt
snug, but right straight away and it would work well for
either UK hill and mountain use below the snowline or as a
trekking boot. Fir UK use though, you might want to consider
the Gore-Tex lined version.
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Performance
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Value
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I get a bang from nubuck so drag me gently to the Zamberlan
web site
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Pushed for time:
Good, well-made general walking and backpacking boot
that becomes significantly more flexible than it seems in
the shop. Fine below the snow line, but not ideal for
crampon use, the relatively light weight make it a nice all
day boot and it would be a good choice for tough trekking.
There's a Gore-Tex lined, waterproof option for committed
bog trotters.
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