Scarpa  Zodiac Plus GTX Hiking Boots - Men's

I personally think the Scarpa Zodiac Plus boots deserve a higher score than given here on REI when this review was written. Review scores can be misleading until there are enough reviewers giving their feedback. To say I am over the moon with these boots would be a massive understatement. There really isn't any other boot out there built the way these are. They are streamlined, lightweight, precise, comfortable, sturdy, well made, grippy, and even look really classy when worn. I think for anyone who has strong and healthy feet, they really can't be matched for the purpose of long hikes, backpacking/trekking, scrambling, light-duty mountaineering, and even driving a vehicle. For people with weak feet and ankles, or inhibited by injuries, they might be a bit overkill compared to something softer and more relaxed. Comfort For a boot that doesn't have thick padding, it sure is remarkably comfortable along the whole upper part of the foot. As long as your foot shape isn't too far off from the last (foot mold) they use, it's going to fit great after a couple of miles of breaking them in. Mine came in the mail and were a little cold from sitting outside. When I initially put them on, they felt very tight around the ball of my foot. But once they warmed up and I walked around my house for a few minutes, they formed into a snug fit. Not too loose and not too tight. Perfecto. Compared to the Scarpa shoes I have tried before, the Zodiac has a narrower heel and wider forefoot. I have slightly narrow heels and slightly wider at the ball, so their shoes were always torture on the front half of my feet, while my heels swam around like fish in a large bowl. For people who don't have strong feet with good padding underfoot, the Zodiac might seem a little on the hard side in terms of cushioning. This is in part due to the poor insole, which should be replaced. It's not particularly well padded and the heel does not cup much at all, which will cause the center of your heel to take the brunt of the impacts instead of spreading it out over the whole heel. I have extra insoles from my other boots and they provided a much better heel wrap even though they are thinner with less padding at the very center of the heel. For those of us who have strong foot pads, the Zodiac's sole stiffness is plenty fine. And when hauling along over jagged rocks, the stiffness provides a near perfect barrier against feeling like your feet are being speared on sharp points. This is crucial for going fast through rough gullies and talus. The lacing system also does a great job of distributing the pressure when they are tied down for technical footwork. It take s a bit of practice, but once you figure it out the lacing can be pulled really tight all the way down to the toes. I also like to pull the ankle locking eyelet tight on all of my boots and find the Zodiac doesn't give me the feeling of my foot being in a poor set of snowboard boots and tight bindings like other boots out there. I also find that the Zodiac has a nicer toe box. It's just wide enough, as has plenty of vertical space to not crush the tops of the toes. Stability Once again, if you have strong feet and ankles, then the Zodiac is plenty stable on flatter trails. It has just enough lateral control over the boot for the ankles to be steady when traversing a hillside, but at the same time they don't limit the range of motion. There is still enough ankle freedom to get your body into some technical scrambling positions. As far as the midsole is concerned, the Zodiac has vastly superior stability and resistance to twisting and bending compared to other mid-height leather boots of similar weight. Considering how light the boots are, this is a remarkable achievement by the Scarpa designers. For standing on small footholds, the Zodiac is a total champ. Traction Even though the rubber doesn't seem to be as soft as other thenical boots, I was impressed how grippy the Zodiac is over a wide range of terrain. They grip consistently on loose dirt, rock, roots, and mud. It also fits in well with a boot that should be used for anything you could possibly want to do on a long trek. Bushwhack through mud and slick logs? Check. Detour to bag a steep peak? Check. A true do-it-all boot for sure. The rubber has a sort of solid but gritty texture like found on most rock climbing shoes. Weight While there are lighter boots out there, there literally isn't anything that comes close to the Zodiac in terms of burliness to weight ratio. In order to get into a boot that matches the Zodiac, you'll have to go up a half pound or more in weight to achieve it. The thing I love to do with these boots is increase my pace over boulders and tricky terrain. The reduced weight really allows my tall, skinny legs to move my feet around quick enough to allow the fast precision necessary for delicate footwork. Water Resistance I was a little worried when I first ordered the Zodiacs. It did not appear that the gore-tex lining covered the tongue of the boot. The color of the fabric changes from the sides of the boot to the top, which threw me off because most boots use the light gray lining where the gore-tex is placed. The Zodiacs have a black lining under the tongue, but upon closer inspection, there is indeed gore-tex lined under the tongue. Even after some use, the initial DWR coating on the boots is very effective in shedding off water, so that the gore-tex doen't have to act like a first line of defense as it does in most other boots. Now, the most impressive part of the waterproofing, is the fact that the flood height goes very far up the tongue and isn't cut low like other boots. I can dunk them pretty deep and not worry about water coming in even though the water is still not close to the top of the ankles. The only downside to this is that the instep of the boot is much tighter. So if you have a massive instep, getting in and out of the Zodiac might be a chore compared to other brands and models. Durability These sure are pretty boots, but they don't stay pretty for long. The uppers scuff up easily when scrambling or bushwhacking. I will have to put a couple hundred miles on them before I feel confident giving any feedback to their durability overall. I have a good sense that they should hold up well considering the weight of their construction.

I'm an avid hiker, scrambler, and alpinist in the Seattle area. I bought these boots at the end of last summer after wearing through a pair of Asolo Fugitive GTX's in the course of two years. I hadn't actually worn my new Zodiac's much until about two months ago because I spending most of my time in mountaineering boots over the winter and in the early season. When I finally put some miles on the Zodiac's, I found myself extremely disappointed with their lack of durability. After a few scrambles that I would consider "normal use" for anyone who spends a bunch of time in the alpine around Seattle, I found major damage to the soles. As shown in the photos, this damage includes cracks in the sole and lugs breaking off entirely. My Fugitive GTX's were bomber in comparison; I put those boots through 10x as much torture and they are practically in better shape. I strongly recommend against buying these boots.