GoLite Footwear Competition and Fire Reviews

[Addie Bedford]

Companion forum thread to:

GoLite Footwear Competition and Fire Reviews

[David Chenault]

A shoe that can't get wet (without falling apart)? And that costs 130 dollars?

Back to the drawing board.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

It's too bad these shoes have gotten heavier, because otherwise they would be appealing. I could probably live with a less durable shoe if it was significantly lighter, grippier and more comfortable than other shoes on the market. At 13oz there isn't much of a weight advantage over the average hiking shoe.

[Mark McLauchlin]

Nice report,

The failure of the sole at such a rapid rate seems to be a common theme with GoLite shoes and really needs some attention.

I am a big Golite fan and have several of their products, but shoes are definately off the list.

Cheers

[Jonathan Ryan]

Read "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" and then try some Inov8's.

[Greg Mihalik]

I hope durability becomes an issue. GoLites might wear faster than others but not by much.

I went through a pair of Inov8 330's on the JMT.

I have about 200 miles on some Salomons that are now missing lugs, have much of the "color surface" on the sole worn off, and blow stitching around the toe caps.

I think $.50 a mile is a bit much for footwear.

[M G]

"I have about 200 miles on some Salomons that are now missing lugs, have much of the "color surface" on the sole worn off, and blow stitching around the toe caps."

In October I put 200 miles on a brand new pair of Comp 4's in the Sierra and brought them right back to REI after 10 days having worn right through the front upper part of the shoe where it flexes.

Where can I find fit, performance & durabiity.

Have two pairs of Inov8 that feel too narrrow for anything longer than a few hours.

[Thomas Burns]

"I hope durability becomes an issue. GoLites might wear faster than others but not by much.
I went through a pair of Inov8 330's on the JMT."

Both shoes illustrate the essential tradeoff that all trail shoes face. To get a good grip on wet rocks, they need small lugs and soft rubber soles. They won't last long. My Mudclaws from Inov8 are already pretty much worn out after 100 miles, despite their deep lugs.

To get durability, they need harder rubber and less aggressive lugs. My Hardrocks will last forever, but I can't use them on trips where I expect a lot of wet rocks.

Sigh. Where's modern technology when you really need it.

Stargazer

[Thomas Burns]

Trying hard to stay on topic, but drifting . . .

"Have two pairs of Inov8 that feel too narrrow for anything longer than a few hours."

Double dittos on that. Inov8s are good only if you have a narrow foot, especially in the toes. Mine are absolutely unwearable in winter because of the heavier socks. Sadly, my Mudclaws are a perfect fit everywhere but in the far-too-narrow toebox.

The attractive feature of the Golites is the ability to adjust the fit. I can life with a short life if I don't die on the wet rocks of southern Ohio and my feet survive the adventure without sore toes.

BTW, the best solution I've found for the wet-rock problem is the Neoprene version of Vibram Five Fingers. They weight about 6 oz. each, and their thin soles are essentially lugless, hard rubber. They appear to have been designed for scuba diving, so they grip like a sonofagun on most surfaces, especially wet rocks (and most other surfaces more than adequately). They also seem to be holding up really well.

If the thought of wearing toe shoes doesn't ring your bell, consider it the next step from those heavy trailrunners. :-)

The next step, is, of course, no shoes at all, but the Vibrams are the next best thing to barefoot, and the Neoprene keeps your feet SO warm, even when they are wet.

Stargazer

[Andrew Skurka]

I've gone through a few pairs of shoes in my day. Here are some observations…

– The inspiration for the GoLite shoes — the soft-against-the-ground approach — was realized in their first generation shoe. But their fit was sloppy (too wide all over), their ability to side-hill was very limited because the center-of-gravity was too high, and their durability was in the toilet. I solved the last problem by lathering Aqua Seal on the toebox and other failure points, and just dealt with the other problems: I'm not sure I could have hiked 6,875 miles on hard-packed, cobblestone-laden trails with any other shoe without severely bruising my forefeet.

– I destroyed a pair of Vasque Aether Tech's in 150 miles back in February while on the Hayduke Trail. The shoe lacks a skeleton — it's all mesh — and a small fray near the anchor system for the Boa laces developed into a 3-inch long rip that I had to glue and tape shut (or at least try). The shoe's toebox is also monstrous.

– I put about 350 hard miles on the Solomon Tech Amphibian back in March in the Grand Canyon. They were light, extremely breathable, and dried really quickly after getting wet; and after 350 miles the core parts were no worse for the wear (upper, midsole, sole). However, I had to stitch up the heel cup strap because otherwise the buckle would slip and my heel wouldn't stay locked in the shoe. The laces were starting to fall apart — they may have had a few more days until rendered completely useless. And, finally, the mesh paneling is just not a sturdy enough platform to keep one's foot over the midsole — there's some give to the material, so when side-hilling the edges of my feet (particularly around my heel) would slide over the edge of the shoe. Oh yeah, they also don't fair well when brushed up against cactus!

– I'm current sponsored by La Sportiva and have been wearing their shoes for the last year. My favorite shoe for backpacking is the Fireblade: the upper is absurdly durable (I put 500 miles on one pair and not even a seam had blown out), the sole is really grippy, and they're low to the ground and therefore great for side-hilling. They're also very light. The problem with the La Sportiva shoes is that they still use a EVA-based midsole, which over time collapses and doesn't come back, especially if you're doing lots of miles day-after-day. This was not an issue in Alaska because I was off-trail ~75 percent of the time and the ground was generally very soft; but this would become a problem if used mostly in an on-trail environment. I'm trying to convince La Sportiva to make a Fireblade-type shoe with a plastic plate in the midsole but haven't had too much success with that pitch — yet!

[Andrew Skurka]

In the last post I gave a brief history of my footwear experiences. Here are a few general tips about footwear durability:

– Coat the seams and the known blow-out points with Aqua Seal before you take a step. If more blow-out points emerge, treat them too — and then, with your next pair, treat them preemptively. Don't use SilNet — it won't stick to fabrics other than silicone. And Seam Grip isn't as good.

– Give your shoes a day off if you can. On a backpacking trip this is impossible, unless you want to carry 2 pairs of shoes — I've done that before and don't recommend it — it's not worth the weight investment. But if you're just day-hiking or trail running, have at least two pairs of shoes and rotate them.

– If you are going to be on hard surfaces day-in-day-out, then I'd recommend either a GoLite shoe (note the associated problems above) or a lightweight trail runner or "day hiker" with a forefoot plate. Basically, your goal is to stay away from an EVA mid-sole, which is collapse-prone and after that your "cushioning" is gone. A growing number of people seem to be fans of minimalist shoes with no cushion, but I think this is impractical for hard-packed, cobblestone-laden trails while wearing a backpack — your feet get eaten and eventually bruised. It might work for trails with soft surfaces, but at least in the Rockies you won't find many of those (or in the Northeast, or in the Southwest). Even so, I'm not sure it'd work day-after-day. The problem with "light hikers" is that they tend to want to control everything about your stride, which is where I have some agreement with theses barefoot advocates — that will only lead to problems.

[Brad Groves]

Awesome feedback and insight on shoes. Since you mentioned Sportiva and wanting a "shoe with a plastic plate in the midsole," have you tried out their Wildcat? It has a nylon shank. One of the most supportive shoes I've seen, but really easy gait, and light. Ordering a pair next check, though, so no field use…

[Andrew Skurka]

I don't mean to get too far off topic here, since this forum is about the GoLite shoes (which, however, naturally raise the issue of footwear durability), but re the La Sportiva Wildcat. I've run in this model quite a bit — 500 miles or so. The durability of the upper is very good and the sole is sticky; snow performance is limited by the lack of knobs on the sole — it's pretty smooth. It's a roomy shoe and there's a bit more side-to-side movement than I'd prefer (though I tend to have a narrow and small-volume foot, so this might not be a problem for someone with a wider and/or larger-volume foot). As far as forefoot protection, it does a better job than the Fireblade but ultimately it's EVA midsole shines through and the cushioning will disappear in the forefoot.

[Brad Groves]

Bummer, sort of. Sorry, folks. Back on topic! (Although I guess we could say that it looks like most trail runners have some issues, and less EVA in them would be great.)

[Gabe Joyes]

Does anyone know some trail running shoes or really light hikers that do have a forefoot plate? I've experienced the same problem with EVA mid-soles: they feel great at first and then poof, its gone. Golite might be on to something, but I wasn't a big fan of the orginal Golite Sun Dragons. For what it is worth to others, I tore through a pair of Montrail Hardrocks and Vasque Velocity VST's just this past summer. Durability seems to suck on all trail running shoes these days.

[ben wood]

i can attest to the EVA problem as i was backpacking in some trail runners with no plate and EVA midsoles. the midsole completely gave out uner the ball of my left foot. i still had about 10 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain to go. by the time i got back to the car, i had a blister under my left foot bigger than a quarter.

[Lucas Boyer]

I'm not sure why no one has mentioned the Mountain Masochist from Montrail here. It's marketed as a runner, has the aforementioned plate, and fits the light designation. I just returned from a 225 mile hike in mine. Packed rail bed (i.e. HARD surface). No foot issues on the bottoms of my feet. Unfortunately, my Superfeet's deep heel cups rubbed on the outside edge of my heel. I might give up on Superfeet from this experience. I don't wear insoles in my running shoes. Not sure why I think I need them in hiking shoes. The forefoot is a tad narrow for my foot in the Mt. Masochists. Rubbed my pinky toes, swelling occurred, downhill progression to very sore toes. Shoes are still looking pretty good. They already had 100 trail miles on them, along w/ some weekend errands.

Andy, thanks for the hearty endorsement for the La Sportiva's. Unfortunately, they only go up to 13's I believe. Leaves us bigfeet out of the market. Golite does this too, IIRC. I understand being in the minority. Finding long enough sleeves, inseams, and shoes is a regular issue for those of us that are tall. However, a lot of people are 13's and when you consider feet swelling and the need for a size larger shoe….what happens then?

Why not go the Ray Way? Get some New Balance or Nike runners and replace every few weeks or bounce box alternating pairs down the line until you kill them.

[ben wood]

i've heard really good things about the masochist, but never tried them. right now i am wearing some salomon XA3's (i think they are called), and so far they have been great. from what i understand they have a nylon flex control plate, and they do a good job at keeping those rocks from causing any pain.

just my 2cents

[Adrian B]

Some really useful posts here.

>Have two pairs of Inov8 that feel too narrrow for anything longer than a few hours.

The 330, 310 and 295 are all fairly wide models.

I just ordered a pair of the new New Balance NB100, which have have some forefoot protection, and are *light*. I hope they aren't too narrow though. And I doubt the upper will last long. I've really been liking the NB MT840s because it comes in a 2E, but of course it's now been discontinued (sigh).

The La Sportiva's sound good. The uppers on my shoe always wear out far before the soles ever do (soft/muddy overgrown trails here) even with seam grip on the stitching.

The Inov8's in particular have an annoying habit of the lace loops getting frayed/torn very early on. You can melt a new lace hole in the shoe with a tent peg or similar when it happens though – just be careful not to melt the laces at the same time ;)

Anyone know what the difference between the Montrail Masochist and the Streak is? I've been a bit put off either because they look too bulky/built up.

[Lucas Boyer]

Can't speak for the streak. But the Masochist is no way what I would call a bulky shoe. They are a no frills trail runner. Lots of breathability, gusseted tongue, light wrap on the toe of a reinforced material. No toe cap though. I have not had trouble with stubbing toes or the like with them. Weight-wise, they would fall in the heavier class when compared with a traditional running shoe, mainly because of the reinforcement plate on the sole. I really like them and want to stick with them, but I'm afraid swelling feet are going to continue to treat me like your Inov8's treat you. I can't go wide though, because of my narrow heel. I'm left finding the roomiest toebox I can. Good discussion here.

[James Lantz]

Something that was not made clear in the review is that there are 2 types of Comps. Both of the black color Comps are said to be waterproof & my friend has a pair of these. I suspect the material on the upper is eVent as it is comparable to my Keen Shellrocks.
I have a pair of Rifle Green Comps which are as described in the review with open mesh. Another difference is that the waterproof Comp does NOT use the forefoot stabilizer bands described in the review & hence had a slightly different lacing system.
GoLite is aware of the durability issues & my new Comps were actually a free replacement for a destroyed pair of Versa Force shoes after only 80 trail miles. My Comps are going on their first trip this weekend but my initial impressions are that they seem to be more stout than the shoes they replaced. This remains to be seen.
I have been impressed with New England Footwear's customer service & sense that they are trying to resolve issues with their shoes. Please know that I have no affiliation with New England Footwear.

[joe newton]

Interesting discussion, I thought I'd add my observations:

Firstly I've come to realise that we can't expect these very light shoes we wear to last anywhere near what we got out of hiking boots. The mileage, the terrain and the minimal padding and protection means we're going to wear these shoes out fairly quickly. We just have to deal with that. The environmental impact of this needs assessing though, that does concern me slightly, but if we want good grip, lightweight and good breathability/drainage then we have to expect to replace these shoes every few hundred miles.

I still haven't found the perfect shoe. Some people seem to find one that suits them and then buy multiple pairs. I've had three pairs of Inov8s, Salomons, Montrail and Nikes. All of them have been good but every pair has also had a problem. The Inov8 310s came closest but then split across the sole after a four day trip.

I agree with Andy's idea about rotating a couple or a few pairs of shoes. I've managed to keep a pair of Inov8 315s and some Salomon Comps going for over a year by doing this.

On fit I found the Mountain Masochists a little narrow in the forefoot and 'fussy' in the shape of the footbed. They felt light and durable though so I was dissapointed they didn't fit me. Inov8s fit me better, especially the 310 and 330 which are wider for long days hiking but I'd still like the heel cup to be a wee bit deeper.

The search continues…

[Adrian B]

>but if we want good grip, lightweight and good breathability/drainage then we have to expect to replace these shoes every few hundred miles.

Practically this might be the case with the current shoes on the market, but fundamentally I don't see why light shoes can't be durable (eg sandals can be). It just doesn't seem like it's been a priority for designers.

[joe newton]

Adrian – I think the uppers can be made light and durable (like some sandals out there as you rightly point out) but the softer, grippier soles will always wear faster I think, like racing car tyres.

[Joe Clement]

The first pair of GoLites I bought for my son wore out in a 9 mile hike up Guadelupe Peak. The last few pairs I've bought (of the older models) have lasted pretty well.

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