GoLite Footwear Competition and Fire Reviews

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I haul myself out of my packraft and onto the rocky shore, wet from the tops of my farmer johns down to the GoLite shoes on my feet. Grasping my paddle with one tired arm, I reach down with the other and grab the pack, strapped to the bow of my packraft, and pull both it and the raft out of the water and onto the rocks. Looking down the river at the souse hole I narrowly avoided (by arresting myself on the shore), I wonder if I'm up to rafting Bear Trap Canyon, which is running at 4000 cfs. Time for some portage.

Mounting the pack and packraft onto my back, I join the other Backpacking Light instructors moving downriver over wet stones and up steep banks. As I move along, I'm impressed by how well my soaked shoes grip the rocks and dirt - I feel very stable on my feet and am able to move securely down to the next put-in site.

ARTICLE OUTLINE

Introduction
Brief History of GoLite Footwear
The Testing
The Review
- First Impressions
- Footbeds
- Snowshoeing
- Backpacking and Trail Running
- Packrafting
- Wilderness Trekking Course
Conclusion
Specifications: Manufacturer:, Year/Model:, Materials: - Competition - Upper: Ballistic Mesh and TPU Cage; Outsole/Midsole: Rubber, TPU and PU, Last:, Size:, Weight:, Colour:, MSRP:
What's Good
What's Not So Good

# WORDS: 2640
# PHOTOS: 25
# TABLES: 1

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Nov 18, 2009 at 8:05 pm #1546286

David Chenault
BPL Member

@davec
Locale: Queen City, MT

I do feel bad about chucking a pair of trail shoes every 6 months or so. I'd certainly pay a bit more for ones that didn't wear out so fast. I do get better than a few hundred miles though, my vague guess would be more like 6-900 miles a pair.

I've certainly had fits finding ideal shoes. I've had plenty that were good enough, but always left something desired.

The ideal shoe should have:
-a sole height as close to the ground as possible
-tread beefy enough and with lugs well spaced enough to deal with mud (the Fireblades were horrible in this respect)
-a full sole plastic plate that is still quite flexible
-plastic grommets for all lacing
-full toe rand
-fast draining and drying
-skinny heal, width toe box

Still searching..

Nov 18, 2009 at 9:17 pm #1546305

Andrew Browne
BPL Member

@andrew_browne
Locale: Mornington Peninsula AUSTRALIA

Ever since GoLite/Timberland launched their shoes(3-4 years ago??) I have been critical of their quality and complained to no avail. They didn't even reply to my emails. However I like the wide toe box (only shoe I'm comfortable wearing all day even after my feet swell) and I like their soft ride ( even if the underside of the outer sole show signs of wear and tear)………..have worn my last pair after my visual use by date told me to get rid of them 12 months ago but still can't throw them out). I'll persist with my current Golites until they fall apart………hopefully not on the track. Then I'll probably buy the current version and as long as they are as comfortable as my current one's if they wear out after 100-200 miles I'll probably cope with that.
Innov 8 for me have toooooo narrow a toe box!!!!!!

Nov 19, 2009 at 12:35 am #1546332

joe newton
BPL Member

@holdfast
Locale: Bergen, Norway

Dave – we're looking for the same shoe! When we find it we have to let each other know!

Andrew – if you haven't tried the Inov8 310 and 330 then give them a go, they're the Inov8s that people with wider feet can wear.

Nov 19, 2009 at 5:09 am #1546351

David Chenault
BPL Member

@davec
Locale: Queen City, MT

Joe,

The Sportiva Imogene's I'm using hit quite a few of those criteria. They lack a toe rand and a full plate, and I'd prefer the toe box a bit wider.

They dry impressively fast, and their tread is brilliant.

I should also add:
-sufficient torsional rigidity to edge and kick steps in scree and soft snow (again, the Fireblade failed miserably here)

Nov 19, 2009 at 6:39 am #1546364

Richard D.
BPL Member

@legkohod
Locale: Eastern Europe / Caucasus

>>> "- 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."

Pretty much everyone I talked to on the PCT had "bruised feet" after a month on the trail. The balls of your feet become tender to step on for the first 5 minutes after you first stand on them in the morning. After they warm up they are fine again. This issue gradually goes away after you've been off the trail for 2 to 4 (!) months.

I'm intrigued by the idea that "bruised feet" can be avoided, because we all pretty much accepted this as a fact of trail life.

Nov 19, 2009 at 7:43 am #1546383

Lucas Boyer
BPL Member

@jhawkwx
Locale: 38.97˚N, 95.26˚W

I think the bruised feet is highly subjective like the rest of the shoe discussion. However, spending a lot of time on your feet running, walking, and hiking can mitigate the problems when you hit the trail. Unfortunately, I think that weeks/months of walking daily will have its toll on any person's feet, especially if the shoes completely disintegrate. This is the first discussion that I've seen on BPL that unites those of us w/ narrow heel/wide toebox requests. Manufacturers are you listening? Someone needs to come up w/ some sort of variable lacing system that addresses the toebox volume more acutely. Perhaps a sandal like webbing across the toebox w/ the traditional lacing beginning higher up the foot? Too bad the MYOG movement hasn't transferred over to shoes.

Back to the topic of rotating shoes. Different shoes support different parts of the feet. As a distance runner who has dealt w/ repetitive motion injuries before, I say the more variety in your foot's movement/support, the better. I'm still hung up on bounce boxing a variety of shoes during a long hike. Perhaps this should expand to including a Chaco or similar all terrain sandal, which would allow the feet a week(s) of breathing and support from a Vibram sole to aid in healing up from the softer running shoe hikers.

Nov 19, 2009 at 9:50 am #1546434

Gabe Joyes
Member

@gabe_joyes
Locale: Lander, WY

No one has mentioned The North Face trail shoes yet. Most of those include, including the Rucky Chucky and Ultra 104 and 105, have a forefoot plate. I haven't used them, but I tried a pair of Rucky Chucky's on once and they felt very supportive. I didn't get them because I has just bought a different pair of shoes. Say what you want about The North Face but the Rucky Chucky's seemed like a solid shoe to me and a friend of mine loves them.

Nov 19, 2009 at 4:28 pm #1546547

S. Steele
Spectator

@sbsteele
Locale: North Central New Jersey

EVA midsole memory failure is a historical problem. Polyurethane midsoles last due to their excellent memory but are heavier. Combining the two has been done, but my research shows that performance – foot rotational speed is reduced due to the different material densities. My 18 years of research in biomechanics supports polyurethane over EVA for performance and midsole durability. Mid-sole, out sole, fit, comfort, performance, etc. – good luck in finding the ideal trail shoe.
I'm surprised at Andrew's comment about not sealing seams with Seam Grip which I've used for over a decade with good results to protect stitching, frays and delaminations as well as protecting and waterproofing the "fabric" from the sole to about 1" high. I then use Seam Sealer 3 for the balance of the "fabric". Aqua Seal is a silicone and oil combination for a water resistant/waterproof coating. Perhaps Andrew can comment with further detail about his conclusion.

Nov 20, 2009 at 12:02 pm #1546770

Andrew Skurka
BPL Member

@askurka

My knowledge of the McNett glues comes mostly from Erin & Hig, who repaired their gear extensively during their expedition in 2007-08. Hig says Seam Grip is simply a watered down version of Aqua Seal, and prefers the latter for everything, including seams.

Nov 20, 2009 at 8:52 pm #1546879

S. Steele
Spectator

@sbsteele
Locale: North Central New Jersey

I'll give it a try. Thanks for the response.

Nov 21, 2009 at 5:23 am #1546936

Emmett Lyman
BPL Member

@ejl10
Locale: Northeast US

I wore a pair of Sun Dragon 2's for my Long Trail thru hike, and after 300 miles the shoes are officially dead. However, what's interesting is that the soles are still in good shape… it's the neoprene mesh uppers that really deteriorated all around the footbed. And the 2009 Long Trail wasn't exactly dry, either… it was one of the rainier seasons on record for a trail that's known for its mud!

I just finished a circuit hike of Torres del Paine and some short hikes around Mt. Fitz Roy in a pair of Garmont Eclipse III shoes and I longed for my GoLites the whole time, except for when I was in the deep snow, of course!

I'm very interested to see what the team can do to solve the sole delamination problems, but in the meantime I'll probably keep using their shoes, despite the difficulties.

Nov 21, 2009 at 8:19 am #1546970

Chris Townsend
BPL Member

@christownsend
Locale: Cairngorms National Park

Excellent reviews and interesting comments. My experiences with the first GoLite shoes seem typical – comfortable but lacking durability. I haven't tried the latest versions. Finding a light trail shoe that lasts is asking for the impossible at present I think. That said, I have worn the same pair of Terroc 330s on the last three TGO Challenges, with other trips as well they've done around 650 miles in 50 days of walking over mostly rough terrain. On the last Challenge I did recoat all the seams to keep the shoes going beforehand. I reckon there's some life in the shoes yet, though not much. Given the weight I'm quite impressed though as I've worn out lightweight boots weighing far more with less use.
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