Go Lite shoes website is up and running

Soft on the outside,rigid on the inside.

Probably will require an adjustment in walking
technique in order to avoid tripping over certain
trail obstacles.

Will keep an eye on these.
Hopefully available at REI.

They may be up, but they're not running. I went on the Golite footware website and called 8 of the stores listed in the San Francisco Bay area. The most frequently asked question I got was "Who makes those?" None of the footware folks had ever even heard of Golite. Except one guy who said he understood they made tents, not shoes. I called Golite in Colorado and they're going to call Golite Footware in New Hampshire and see if any have been shipped to dealers. I hope Golite actually has these in the stores. We'll see…

Having worked for some of the world's largest manufacturers I can attest to the fact that the task of bringing new stuff to market is daunting.

I think the biggest challenge outdoor equipment manufacturers are faced with is jumping in on all the pre-season PR, and knowing they have a seasonal window of opportunity, and making that match up with the realities of overseas production and transportation, etc. You have to submit copy/info. to the Outside and Backpackers of the world by Summer of 06 to get the write up in their Feb. 07 editions…and then you start to create demand (with a bunch of highly engaged consumers…look in the mirror…"I already phoned 8 outlets and it is March 1st!") before you know for certain that all of the logistics will play out and get the stuff where it needs to be in time.

I say RELAX! It is very interesting technology, and for folks like me who have bad knees…a technology that offers cushioning could be fantastic…but it will get here. I am not sure what the panic is.

Ah have looked in the mirror and ah have seen the enemy… It is me.

And my quivering, red hot, credit card.

RACE STARTS: 00:01:03:22:21:45

O.K., I don't get it.
The last segment, (on the right), is in seconds.
So to me this means Golite is going to start selling these shoes in:
1-year, 3-months, 22-days, 21-hours, and 45-seconds???

Anyone else know when they will be for sell?

I'm still waiting for word back from Golite. I've got my Golite guy's direct phone number and Just left him a voice mail. If he doesn't call me tomorrow by 8am my time, I will call him.

Open open open open!

The GoLite Footwear place has a 1-800 phone number.

1-800-310-1137

As an employee of a gear shop I got in on an early pro-deal on these shoes. They said orders for these would begin to process today (March 1st). This would lead me to believe that these shoes will be hitting stores this Spring.

On a side note, GoLite teamed up with Timberland to produce these shoes as they obviously aren't a large enough company to just suddenly acquire a footwear R&D team and production facility.

Bill,

That's the number I called first. Hopefully the guy I talked to will get me the names of the local stores that have ordered shoes.

By the way, regarding eVent cloth. What tarp uses the cloth?

Thanks,

Denis

Denis…you are hysterically funny! Thanks for the gear enthusiasm and my knee and I look forward to the Uber-early adopters evaluation of this new footwear. Please share buying info. as you aquire. By the way, I am a size 10 if you want to start an E Bay shop….

Denis,

I don't know the Tarp/eVent question. What I meant was that there might be enough eVent in a tarp to think about buying the tarp to use the eVent for other things.

Will this be good or just make
GoLite owners a lot of money?

For everyones sake I hope both. It would be great if this turns out to be a real breakthrough in hiking and running shoes. My old feet need all the help they can get. I want to get my hands on a pair ot the trail shoes and find out if they will take my orthodics.

About the only size they don't have in stock is the one I need.

Oh well, here is the only place sellling them right now

http://www.noc.com/store/item_19377.html?a=11

The womens Sun Dragon is also be sold at E.M.S.

here is an interesting sandle/hiker from timberland

http://www.timberland.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2561602&cp=1779753.1905061.2617151&parentPage=family

So, who's going to be the 1st to give a report?

If they had my size, I would order a pair, but I would like to like to know if the shoe is true to fit and if there is sufficient toe room before I do.

We all know that with lighter weight the durability can lessen. At my current rate of buying new shoes due to wear and tear, I doubt I would trust a pair of shoes this light for hiking. This is where my wallet just won't let me go yet!

What is up with Golites shoe site? These Timberland-shoes are already being sold, but the website says about 30-something more days to "race". I guess "race" means explain the shoes?
I know, Timberland knows shoes, but there is a reason outsoles are hard and not soft; they would wear out quickly. And big lugs like that will pick up and retain mud by the pound. Good for dry trails I suppose.
I hope mating with Timberland was not a mistake for Golite, because the packs and clothing really were cottage-good.

This morning I got a call from Golite Shoes in New Hampshire. The very nice woman took quite a bit of time looking through her data base for the name of any store in California that had ordered the new Golite Sun Dragon shoes. She found Adventure 16 at 4620 Alvarado Canyon Road in San Diego. There was also a place at Lake South Tahoe but, dummy me, I forgot to write it down.

You may try to phone Kylie at (866)784-6466. Me, I'm going to wait until later in the year when some local stores may have them in stock.

She did say they come with 3 insoles that will customize the footbed to fit from narrow to wide.

Picture my credit card going from quivering in anticipation to smoldering in frustration.

Running shoes are one of my major weaknesses. I have 9 pair in rotation right now, although 4 of those are going to be retired soon. Retired… guess I'll need to try these GoLite models, particularly the long distance model.

Thanks for pointing these out. Can't wait to read a review.

I'll be using the GoLite shoes on my upcoming hike, and I'll certainly let you know how they work for backpacking. I've been running with them for the last two weeks and they really are awesome — they feature the greatest toebox I've ever put my feet in, and their suspension allows you to run over terrain that you NEVER would run over (or not as aggressively) with a traditional pair of shoes, which makes them a real winner on the downhills.

It should be pointed out that GoLite Footwear is very focused on the trail running market right now, not backpacking. This is mostly due to the relative market size difference, as well as a belief that they need to get a good hold on one market before jumping into another. That said, they understand the potential applicability of this technology for backpacking and they are reviewing when/if they want to offer backpacking-minded shoes.

My pair of Men's GoLite Spike Tail size 11.5 shipped on 03/08/07 so they should be here this week. I'll give everyone a heads up. Let me know if you have specific questions.

I should have my 11.5 Sun Dragons this week as well. I will report my findings ASAP.

I have had my “Trail Fly” shoes since last Thursday. The size 11 -11.5 – no half sizes and weighs 15.48 ounces each shoe.

I have 6 miles on them walking 2 miles a night so far.
I will up-date my walking / hiking experences with them here.