This is a review of my Scarpa Ranger GTX boots which I bought three years ago in my early days of hiking and getting into the outdoors. I was gullible then. The reason I say that will become apparent later in the review.
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| Sgor Gaoith, the Scarpas marched me up to the top of my first munro …. |
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| and they marched me back again…. |
I would say the Scarpa Ranger GTX were the first pair of ‘proper’ hill walking boots I bought back in 2010 when my key criteria were grip, waterproofness (?) and good ankle support. They are classic three season leather hill walking boots rated B0 so not suitable for use with crampons.
Since I bought them they have done many miles, probably around 300 (that’s many by my standards, cheeky!) in all sorts of upland terrain including a three day trip to the Cairngorms and numerous mountain bog days in Wales. Sometimes when I know the mud will be up to my ankles I wear them for local dog walks too and have just cleaned them after they’re outing in the snow yesterday.
The boots are made of Crosat HS12 leather with a goretex liner which is highly effective whilst being breathable. Leather will retain a good amount of water resistance if it is kept clean so I wipe mud and detritus off the boots after every walk and try to treat them with a little respect.
To keep the leather supple I wax them, brush and buff them and then apply either Nikwax or Granger’s universal waterproofer. To date I haven’t had a single problem with water ingress and from that perspective the boots seem to be pretty bomb proof. Speaking of bomb proof, a sturdy rubber rand goes around the boot protecting the toes and heels from knocks and scrapes when negotiating rocky paths or scrambling.
The goretex liner performs incredibly well for my money. I tend to get hot feet and even after a full day in summer (you may recall that time of the year when the sun allegedly shines and the temperature is high?) my feet don’t turn into overheated prunes thus indicating that whilst it does a great job keeping water out it is also quite breathable.
The boots also have a softer full grain leather cuff which means that whilst my ankles are kept stable the cuff is comfortable and doesn’t cause any friction or pain.
A high flex midsole gives me great support as I have become quite the flat footed duck and the torsional stiffness helps keep me on the straight and narrow when I’m tired towards the end of the day.
The lacing system is straightforward and easy allowing me to tie them quite tight around my foot to keep my heel in place.
The vibram soles are superbly grippy on all the surfaces I have walked on, performing especially well on rock. Some rock obviously gets more slippery than others in wet conditions but I’ve barely had any slips or mishaps. I feel safe walking in these boots. Possibly a false sense of security but so far they haven’t let me down.
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| Full grain leather cuff |
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| Easy lacing system |
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| The leather has remained supple and thanks to regular cleaning the goretex liner works superbly |
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| Super grippy Vibram sole which seems to be really hard wearing, the lugs are still in great condition |
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| The only damage is a scratch on the front of the boot on the left which I scratched on a very sharp piece of slate |
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| Sturdy rubber rand protects especially the toe and heel of the boot |
The good, the bad and the ugly
These are quality boots, of that I have no doubt. The leather is in fantastic condition, I have no problems with water ingress and the goretex liner is doing the job in terms of keeping water out whilst being breathable. I have been caught out some really heavy rainfalls and had to cross streams that had swollen to raging torrents. The only time my feet got wet is when the boots were submerged above the cuff. Now that is purgatory as the goretex liner works both ways keeping water in. Once that’s happened you’ve just got to live with however many miles of squelching! And yet… no blisters! Ever! Not so much as a hint of one!
The high flex midsole makes my feet feel very secure in these boots but what I probably love about them the most is the vibram sole. If I have any doubts about my ability to cope with terrain on a walk I will wear these boots as I know they will grip on wet grass, mud and rock, even scree feels less precarious. On the odd scramble I’ve done the soles and rands have allowed me perch on quite small footholds whilst feeling I have a solid platform underfoot. The leather is rigid enough to keep my ankle secure and consequently I have fewer aches and pains in my lower legs at the end of a long day.
Scarpa have a reputation for making quite narrow boots but these have a broader last which is ideal for me as my feet are so flat now and were always a little on the broad side. My toes usually hurt after long descents because they get slightly pinched and my foot slips towards the front of the boot. This does happen in these boots but that is because I bought the wrong size, they are at least a half size if not a full size too big.
How did that happen? Gullibility! I tried on my size (8) at the shopping emporium called Blacks and they fit like a glove. With a nice, thick pair of hiking socks. Somewhat clueless as I was back in the day I allowed the well intentioned assistant to talk me into buying a size bigger as she explained that my feet would get hot and swell on longer walks resulting in the boots pinching and rubbing. I might even get blisters…
She is of course right and had they been even on the vaguely tight side I would have suffered but they weren’t. I have rued the day I decided to follow her advice ever since. My feet feel and look HUGE in size nines. After a while my walking gets quite clompy which is partially due to them being too big but they are also very heavy. On average depending on size these boots weigh 1250g and I feel every gram by the end of the day. Walking on tarmac or hard trails can be quite tiring although I’ll grant you this could be negated by improved fitness. Over the last couple of years I’ve started to wear trail shoes and lighter cloth boots so I really notice the weight on my feet.
So there we have it, on the whole I really like these boots but they’re too big and chunky (my fault) and too heavy which is down to personal preference. In terms of quality, construction, comfort and versatility I can’t find fault with these boots.
smirnieoutdoors 