SCARPAMen's Zodiac Tech GTX Waterproof Gore-Tex Boots for Hiking and Mountaineering

I was looking for a single boot to get me from the parking lot to the summit of Mt Williamson, California. It's a little over 14,000 feet and just a few miles north of Mt Whitney. We just went in June so we knew there would be snow and we would need crampons. After many hours of research I actually went with the Scarpa Charmoz, however, the boot was far too stiff to use on the approach. (I bought the Charmoz from Scarpa directly, and they have excellent customer service and the full return/refund was easy). So then I bought the Scarpa Zodiac Tech from Amazon (they had the right size and faster shipping). You definitely have to size up. I normally wear a size 10.5 for running, 11 for everyday walking, and got a 45.5 EU size which fit perfectly. So being June, the boot was warm on the approach but never felt too hot and my feet didn't sweat. In the snow my feet were warm. The crampons fit nicely and I had great support. I thought they were fairly lightweight for a boot as well. I think it's a great do-it-all boot when you think you're going to encounter snow. Great craftsmanship. Great grip and stability. I really like the looks too. I only had them wear them a few times outside to break them in.On a different note- we had four stream crossings in the beginning so we all took our boots off and hiked about a full mile in our flip flops as we did the stream crossings. That got me thinking- could I hike mountains in flip flops? Probably not, but maybe water shoes? running shoes? trail running shoes?? Of course there are plenty of articles about this, but in the future, if I'm not anticipating snow, I'm going to get the La Sportiva Akasha trail running shoe. I really like the Scarpa Spin Ultra and the Neutron 2, but the Akasha is about $45 cheaper right now so...... If Scarpa wants to send me some trail running shoes I'm sure that would be amazing :o) But in the meantime I'll try the Akasha and see how that goes. But again, the Zodiac Tech is a serious boot for a reasonable price and I expect it to last a long time. Great buy. Highly recommended manly boots.

These are my first pair of ‘approach’ boots, as I normally wear Asolo’s all year round. They are half the weight of my winter boots and my feet thank me for it.Build quality is good. Seams are tight and well sewn/finished. The rand is very welcome and has certainly earnt its place in my heart, when my feet are tired after a long haul. I was skeptical of the sock-fit style, but frankly, it works and works very well. Toe box, arch (I have high arches) and sole stiffness are perfect. The Vibram sole has good purchase when dry and gives confidence when walking over wet boulders, too.I would not consider these to be 4 season boots but they are, light, robust, well designed and, as one person wrote,”The only boots you could wear to a rave. “ many people have made note of the color. Yes, it’s bright when you first get them but it’ll settle down to a decent ‘glow’ as you use them & if color is your primary concern, then go elsewhere. But you will always have a conversation-starter with them.Waterproofing: the upper is water resistant but adding some Nik Wax, or similar is always a good idea.Tenure: I’ve worn these boots for over 7 months, on day hikes and with a 75L rucsac. I’ve been hiking the Catskills & Adirondacks, NY.

Great fit right from the box, super comfortable. One trip in and I am quite happy.I bought these after a fantastic experience with Scarpa ski boots, thought I would give these a try.Great ankle stiffness, sole and rand. I cant attest to the durability yet, but comfort and functionality are top shelf. Toe box is perfect for me for what that is worth.Used for mountain hiking in the Western US.You get what you pay for with footwear, in my experience.

SCARPA, as I feared, bending to market pressure from Asian made boots.This boot replaced the Triolet at a lower price, and is not a good replacement for the Trioletbecause of the very poor ankle support and vastly inferior lacing system.This is a technical mountaineering boot and is not a very good one for a SCARPA product.Trying these only convinced me to buy two more pairs of Triolets while I still could.I prefer stiffer support around the ankle, for ascents and descents.Strictly speaking, a boot in this market position should place more precisely and be more dependable.Undercutting from Asian made competitors with bright colors is generally dragging down thequality of all these boots overall and making the technical market more mass market.Zodiac is a solid Semi Auto crampon sole.These fit like SCARPA perfection and will edge well.Great sole and materials.Much better crafted than the Asian made boots from competitors and much better than theSalomons MTN or Salewa's.This boot competes directly with the Charmoz and Trango and Cevedale.These will be better boots and performers than boots most people will buy.However, this is a poor effort from SCARPA.The upper support and fit around the ankle is really poor for a SCARPA, andrequires more break in than the Plus version.Just get the Plus version if this is your budget level and you need a semi cramponsole or look at the Charmoz.If you can afford them, get the Triolet...the best semi platform ever made.If you just need a hiking boot, look at the SL Active or Kinesis over the Zodiac.The lacing system and uppers are the lowest quality that SCARPA makes andjust not what I expect from a SCARPA.Still, SCARPA beats any shoe I have ever tried, and I have tried them all.

This is a fantastic hiking boot, very light weight, and stiff enough for those tough climbs. All my family love them.