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|  Average Rating: 4 out of 5 No. of Reviews: 26 RRP: £155 Year: 2006 Description: Scarpa have incorporated the ergonomic 360 degree ankle flex into the SL. This allows greater flexibility at the ankle of the boot whilst still maintaining excellent support.
The performance flex midsole and Vibram M3 sole unit together give substantial support to the foot exactly where needed, but combined with the full grain leather upper provide a comfortable fit, and a boot that will perform well in all but the most demanding conditions.
The Scarpa SL M3 will accept a crampon for occasional walking use.
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|  | | Posted: 12/09/08 | | 'PROVED TO BE RELIABLE' | | Strengths:
Good support above the heel. Ankle flex has worked really well when going up steep climbs. More comfortable than expected. Little breaking-in required (for me anyway). | | Weaknesses:
Sole is hard, and the hard ground pounding goes right into the feet. Overcame this to a large extent by replacing the insoles (which were rubbish - for me anyway). Sole is not as grippy as I would have liked. The extra ankle flex does make it less supportive, but is a trade off for the freedom of movement, especially uphill. | | Overall:
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of space my feet had inside(went for the wider fitting version), and also the lack of breaking in, no blisters at all. They have looked after my feet on 3 major treks/hols(coast-2-coast, Simien mts - Ethiopia, 2 weeks in the Lakes doing the 38 highest peaks), and I have to say that I have come to rely on them. They are on the heavy side, in comparison to others, but I have to say that when on my feet, I don't really notice. Shopping around can reduce the rrp price. |
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| | | | Performance | | 80% | | Reliability | | 100% | | Value | | 60% |
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| | | Posted: 19/11/07 | | 'REALLY STURDY BOOTS FOR TREKKING AND GOOD FOR WEEKENDS TOO!' | | Strengths:
Really tough soles and uppers are needed for Alpine/Pyrenees treks, other wise you get really tired feet from walking on rocky paths. These don't flex too much, so the uppers are unlikely to crack from walking on steep gradients, like in the Alps. Pretty comfortable for a relatively heavy boot, and properly waterproof. | | Weaknesses:
I had a couple of blisters breaking these in, but nothing too serious. Bit heavy, I suppose, but that's part of the deal with a tough boot. | | Overall:
I've had three pairs of these so far, and the latest version is the best so far. The flexibility of the ankle cuff makes breaking in a lot less painful than before. Took a new pair of these on the Tour of the Queyras with the Tour of Monte Viso thrown in, which is pretty rocky in parts and has steep gradients, where they performed brilliantly. I think I paid £130 for mine, which is pretty good for a boot that will last me 1000 miles (a year's walking at least) - my last pair had been well broken in in the UK, then did the GR11 in a single trip and were still usable at the end. Well tough! |
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| | | | Performance | | 100% | | Reliability | | 100% | | Value | | 80% |
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| | | Posted: 17/07/01 | | 'Perfect or overkill? Ask me in two years' | | Strengths:
Crampon compatability, water resistance | | Weaknesses:
Not sure just how good the leather is (read below) | | Overall:
I remember Jon Doran reviewing these and saying 'not for fast or light movement' or something like that. But to be honest, these things are a lot more flexible than you might think and I can run, jump and scramble with ease in these.
The sole grips well, as you might expect with Vibram. They are also very supportive. But I believe this contributed to my knee injury where as my ankles were taking less strain (I used to wear Brashers!) and my knees were having to take more strain to the point of failure (well, patellar dislocation, anyway).
Scarpas are said to have the best leather, being 2.8mm of just very good quality leather. But after some (admittedly hard) scrambling they are heavily scuffed. I might have taken them back as faulty if I hadn't lost the reciept! Although I doubt much can take on Tryfan and not loose. Mountaineering boots use reversed leather solely as it hides scuffs.
They certainly keep the water out well though, and are highly breathable lacking Gore-tex.
They ain't light, but it's something you get used to if you can use them a lot. I use them as summer boots with the handy ability to take on snow now and then. I only use 10-point flexible crampons, and they fit both my summer and winter boots, which is nice.
If you can live with the weight, these are pretty well made and more flexible than you might think. I think I still prefer them over other boots. The Deltas, for instance, use the same upper and outsole with just a different midsole (so they actually weigh the same), so if you are looking at the Deltas for three season boots, check out the SLs too.
There's a womens version too, so don't go to Cotswolds if you're a woman and want a pair. |
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| | | | Performance | | 60% | | Reliability | | 60% | | Value | | 60% |
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| | | Posted: 14/12/01 | | 'GREAT BOOTS THAT JUST NEED SOME BREAK-IN TO GET GOING' | | Strengths:
Ankle support, good rolling action, shock absorbsion, and look superb | | Weaknesses:
Need breaking in - no instant comfort here. | | Overall:
I haven't used these for a serious hike yet, as I'm still breaking them in. Kept a diary of the break-in:
Day 1 06/12/2001
Walked from Kings Cross (KX) to work - about a mile, walked around at lunch, walked back to KX.
Hard going very stiff. Left ankle aches a bit after wearing. Boots won first day of break in.
Day 2 07/12/2001
Couldn't face walk from KX this morning. Left ankle aching + right Superfeet uncomfortable - digging in to arch. Thinking of taking these back and putting Scarpa insoles back in along with volume reducers. Had to change into shoes for lunchtime walk. Took tube home as well. Spent all weekend recovering. Left knee in some discomfort.
Day 3 10/12/2001
Walked from KX in morning and OK. Loosened laces on left boot a bit to help on instep. Right boot feels comfotable now. Right Superfeet still digs in to inner side of arch a bit, but this tends to not be noticeable when walking; more so when standing still. Jury still out on these, and will give them another week before deciding whether to take back or not.
Walked around at lunch and main discomfort was right Superfeet. Walked back to KX, left boot good, big toe of right foot slight discomfort.
Day 4 11/12/2001
Walked from KX in morning and OK. Noticed boots were now a bit loose so tightened up laces which was a big improvemnt and no discomfort in walking. Walked back to KX - right boot bit uncomfortable.
Day 5 12/12/2001
Boots getting broken in now, also found a great incline close to work to walk about on. Decided to remove Superfeet and try stock insoles to see how they perform for walk back to KX.
Day 6 13/12/2001
Come back Superfeet, all is forgiven. With the stock insoles, I could feel hot spots starting in just 1 mile. Feet also got hotter overall and when I took boots off at home it was a relief. Superfeet back in now for tomorrow.
Day 7 14/12/2001
Boots feeling really comfortable now. Superfeet really are super. And it's only going to get better. Can't wait to try them out in the field (you know what I mean).
I don't expect any other problems, but I will continue wearing boots to work for a few weeks to get them broken in as much as possible. Hoping for some snow so I can tramp around in this.
Most boots these days have instant comfort in the shop and no break-in, which must appeal to many walkers. When you put a pair of new SLs on it's like putting your feet into a couple of wooden blocks. But if you can look beyond this to a time when you've broken them in, then you've got a superb pair of boots that are great in most situations. I went for them because I wanted as much ankle support as possible (left ankle was badly twisted years ago and twists easily now). Bit expensive, especially with Superfeet, but with any luck they'll last a long time. Top notch. Will post again when I've hit the trail... |
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| | | | Performance | | 80% | | Reliability | | 80% | | Value | | 60% |
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