Scarpa ZG 40 GTX Boots
February 12, 2008
Sheesh, I hope I got the name right on these things. Whatever happened to one-word names? What’s with all these letters and numbers? What do they mean? Don’t look here for answers, I’ve no idea. But I do have an idea of how these boots perform, if you’ll just step this way, please.
It took me a long, long time to get these boots reviewed. Why? Because it took a long, long time to get these boots broken in. I struggled all last summer with these boots. I wanted them to be great, so I put up with months of blisters, hours of are-they-too-tight-or-are-they-too-loose contemplation, countless lace configurations, and several changes of insole, all because the superior construction, incredibly tough (practically unmarkable) sole, and supportive yet light upper made me really, really, really want to wear these boots. For weeks I was unable to wear them while I waited for the blisters to heal. I had all but given up when one day, I put them back on, headed down the hiking trail and realized, “Wait! These boots feel pretty good today! Can it be that they have finally, simply, broken in???”
And that seems to be the answer. Ever since then, I haven’t had any fit problems with the boots. What? It only took a full calendar year. What’s the problem?
The thing is, there really isn’t any problem. The dang things still look brand new. The soles don’t have a mark on them despite all the abuse I’ve put them through. They are completely waterproof, tough, light, and functional. The sole has that great Scarpa grip and even though they take crampons, the superior edging performance of these boots makes crampons necessary for only those boilerplate climbs. They are marketed as a three-season boot, but I can’t really figure out which three seasons they mean. They’re warm and waterproof in the winter, shrug off the spring and fall mud and slush, and are great for summer backpacking; so I guess if you only want to wear them during three seasons, just pick your seasons. Or live here in Alaska, when you really only have three seasons anyway: winter, more winter, and 24-hour daylight.
The only problem I have with these boots is that it’s hard to find gaiters that work with them due to that funky leather loop for the laces, down near the toe box. It’s hard to explain but there’s no real way to connect the front hook of gaiters onto the lowest part of the laces. If you try it, you’ll see what I mean. And if anyone can describe this better than I can, please, feel free.
The sublime ankle support means you can really load up the ol’ backpack if you can’t bear to camp without the finer things in life; but as always I recommend going fast and light and making your boyfriend carry the heavy stuff, like the magnum of cabernet, your copy of the complete works of Jane Austen, and all the water for the trip. Don’t look at me like that; men like to carry heavy things, it makes them feel manly and needed, and it will make your trip a lot more fun and your joints a lot happier. And your manly, needed boyfriend will be happier, too, so everybody wins.
Anyhow, I seriously cannot get over how tough these boots are. I guess that’s the trade off; a full year of break-in agony for boots that last and last. They can dish it out AND take it. So suffer through the getting-to-know-you period, it’s worth it.
