Sailors, Rappers, & Ultralight Backpackers: A Walk with the Timberland Cadion

[Stephanie Jordan]

Companion forum thread to:

Sailors, Rappers, & Ultralight Backpackers: A Walk with the Timberland Cadion

[Peter Albinger]

You are one generous reviewer. The soles of the boots are delaminating and you don't slam the makers for the quality of their product.

Unstated is how much the boots weigh and what the competition is offering that compares to this product.

BTW Thanks for adding info on the weight of the boots.

[Ken Thompson]

So is this a unisex offering? Or is this a review of a mens boot?

Bad sole. How many miles did you have on these before the problem?

[James Marco]

Good writing. But, I think I would have been a little harsher on the sole delamination. I have used Timberland hikers for years, trail runners just do not work for me. I never had a delamination issue. Also the hooks mentioned for the lacings appear to be cast. To me this is a big no-no. I have had shoes with cast lace keepers in the past, invariably, one will get broken. At least with sheet metal (brass is best due to the non-corosive nature) they simply bend.

As Ken asked, how many miles on the shoe?

[peter vacco]

nice work on the review. BPL's end of things is working fine !
if i turned out finished work the fell apart, however nominally, in casual service, my company would consider it to be a FAIL.
if this thing was a pre-production unit, or a Beta .. then well, ok .. sure, not a problem.
but as a product-for-sale to exhibit this under such short usage = not acceptable.
my Meindl's don't fail with such foolishness. even my notoriously poorly constructed Keen's don't fall apart like that.
sole failure is something we see in 11 dollar walmart shoes.
it's like reviewing a fake i-phone .. let us move on from timberland.

cheers,
v.

[Jerry Adams]

How many miles and were you backpacking or just day hiking?

[leonard garrambone]

I have used this boot during a six month period for about 5 day hikes and two backpacking trips (a 4 day and 10 day). The boots do feel light, comfortable with very good traction.
There are two major issues-delamination of the sole on the rear of both and stitching coming apart in the toe area. The lacing system may hold the laces in tight but you must get the lace perfectly flat for it to lock in and delacing them is a real pain-you're going to need some patience.
Due to the quality issues I had to send them back.

[Brad Groves]

Hi, all-

Regarding the partial sole delam:

The Cadions I tested were pre-production prototypes.

Further, I've had or seen worse sole delams from other major manufacturers, but when I did, I took it to be an exception- Asolos, Vasques, Salomons, Keens… and more… all with sole delams. I find it… perhaps unreasonable, to totally slam and "write off" a product based on a sample size of one, particularly when the rest of my experience with that product was largely favorable.

I would guess that I had somewhere between 100-150 combined miles of backpacking, dayhiking, and snowshoeing.

I have no concerns about the durability of the lace hooks. These are light to ultralight mid-tops, not logging boots. Regardless, the lace hooks of the Cadions hold laces in place better than any of the hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, or work boots I've owned. I am less concerned about the durability of the hooks than a simple hole punched through the fabric.

[James Marco]

Thanks, Brad!

[M B]

These must be darned good shoes.

I expect to hear plain english, positives and negatives in an unbiased review. No holds barred, no punches pulled, no leniency given.

[Raymond Estrella]

Nice job on the write up Brad,

I have just one question though. Since when do we write about pre-production prototypes? Unless it has not changed during beta-testing what is available to the consumer will most likely be different, correct? They should send you a retail version to review.

[Brad Groves]

Positives and negatives in an unbiased review? Delivered. I would consider a review biased if I only focused on one aspect of a product :-)

Ray, wasn't the first time for me. My understanding has been that such products are nearly in the production line, but might have a few tweaks left before a full roll-out. A pack I reviewed, for example, came with a pre-production foam backpanel. I did also receive the production foam panel before completing my review.

If the fact that my Cadions had a partial delam means, to an individual or group of readers, that the Cadions are junk, that's okay! I do strive for balanced, unbiased reviews… and a simple presentation of facts or experiences that allows people to draw their own conclusions. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, or isn't called for! But bottom line, if the delam=pure junk to you, cool. The review helped you… don't get 'em ;) If you like more information to draw some of your own conclusions, I tried to deliver that, too.

Shoot, if nothing else, what fun is a one-sentence review? "These sucked." Er, okay… why? What wasn't good about them? Were they completely junk, or were there any redeeming qualities? Is that seriously all you're going to write? Isn't there something more? No other observations after using and testing a product? Ya know it's true :p

I'm glad to have readers who care so much about our sport and its products!

[Stephen Rose]

About three years ago I bought a pair of Timberland Cadions, which I used and loved for their lightness, support, comfort and dryness. However, after about a month's use one of the lace hooks on the upper inside of the left foot caught on a rock and broke. At that time they were plastic. Without the hook, the upper would not lace properly. I sent the boots back, and Timberland promptly replaced them. The same thing happened with the second pair. I accepted their suggestion that they replace the second pair with a pair of their Mt.Washington hiking boots which have served me well, though they are heavier than the Cadion. I was happy to see that the test pair had a completely different lace hook. However, while a cast hook seems like it would be substantially stronger than the plastic hooks were, I still wonder about durability.

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