ASOLO Fugitive GTX Hiking Boot - Men's

Let me preface my review by saying I have been living, working, and playing in light hiking boots for nearly my whole life (56 years), starting with lowa and raichle boots in the ‘70s and ‘80s. I have worn and worn out many different brands. Today many boots last me only a few months or a few weeks before falling apart; the worst offenders of late are Salomon and Danner. Now, I have only had these Asolos for a couple of weeks but they are, right out of the box the most comfortable boots of this type I’ve ever worn. The fit is perfect ( 12, EE). The lacing system allows precise adjustment depending on the thickness of your socks. I’ve snowshoed in them for several miles with zero issues and wear them every day to work (I’m a carpenter and am on my feet most of the day). The styling is sharp, garnering compliments wherever I go. The build quality of this boot appears very good; much better than similarly priced boots. The tongue folds in nice and neat without bunching up or pinching like some other brands. No fancy lacing system here; just simple metal eyes and hooks and paracord laces. The gore tex booties do their job well, no leaks so far.The true test will be the test of time; more reviews to follow.Edit; glad to see that Asolo is still manufactured in Romania just like my old Asolo boots. Lots of companies are outsourcing to southeast Asia nowadays. I have never owned a boot made in southeast Asia that lasted more than 6 months. Buy your Nikes and Adidas from those folks; I’ll let the europeans build my boots.

Great boot. Fits and feels great right out of the box. I have a more narrow foot so they fit nice snug around my foot with great support on top. And room for a thick sock if needed. Just got them so hopefully they last the season. Time will tell. I'm a pool guy and walk alot each day. Foot stays dry so far. I usually wear a pair out each winter season. But will buy another pair next year. And they look great. Kinda the old school hiking boot.

This boot is a great bridge between an advance day hiker, and mountaineering boot. Besides the overall build quality, and rigidity of the boot, the biggest seller for me was the shape of the outer sole. From the heel, arch, ball, and toe roll(arch from the ball to the toe); this boot followed my natural step. All the other boots I tried similar to this (Salomon, Merrell, Keen) I found my self sitting back on my heels funny and fighting to get past the toe roll. Basically it felt awkward to walk in, and breaking them in would take forever. These however felt ready to go, out of the box. A good boot in the shoe store is fine and dandy, but out in the hills is where it counts.So far I have about 25+ miles on these, all in late fall early spring conditions (not too far bellow freezing, mud, snow, ice, water etc). Build quality is superb. Not a single fray, or imperfection. Warmth wise, they are okay. They have a large toe box which is good for giving the toes enough room for big socks and warm are, however the insulated tongue is fairly bulky if you really try to sinch the laces down (and you'll choke your foot). I wouldn't use these mid winter, or really at all much bellow 20f. When your moving it's fine, but they don't offer much for insulation (nor do they advertise that). They aren't rain boots, but I have yet to get swampy feet from sweat or slush. And when they do get wet, they seem to breath well, and dry out quickly. The lace locks at the heel joint take a bit to get right, they are pretty narrow and lacing is not quick, however they hold really well and I havent had the laces fall even when tied loose. The sole grip is great. We have a lot of boulder trail in New England and these did Washington up tucks and lion head, and didn't miss a beat. Descending in the snow, they were equal to my micro spike (obviously useless on ice like any rubber sole). No slipping on rocks unless they were dripping wet, and even then they had something to give.My one gripe (or I guess 2) is the toe box. Because it's so stiff, you can't lock your toes down well. Some other people I know with these have the same problem of hot spots/ blistering under their big toe. Under 5-7 miles you barely notice it. But on long hikes or steep descents, it can get pretty bad. Now if you haven't hiked upwards of 10+ miles in a day, you have to understand that ALL boots have pitfalls like this. Usually its a toss up. A boot that is flexible and cushy with not support your arch causing serious sore feet and shin splints, plus little foot protection. Or you get a rigid boot with great support and protection, but depending on how it matches your foot, get some blisters. Hiking is not a painless sport... Now, the toe box is definitely a compromise area that I am happy to work around, considering how perfect the boot is otherwise. Second piece to this I will say is get some superfeet. I have Blues and they take this boot to the next level. Do a decent job of reducing the toe burn, but there really isn't much that can be done if your toes/ foot are narrower.Id expect someone with rounder, plumper feet to find this boot great but more snug.

Great boots third pair. Warm and comfortable. First pair I wore for eight years.

True to size, comfortable and good quality.

I am 50 years old. My boots go to work (commercial electrician) and they go hunting in the NW Cascades - hiking ridges, not standing still.I was a Danner man into my late thirties (then they dropped/changed models), trued some Merrels and Keens to get by until I moved on to Salomon (Quest 4D2 GTX) for years -andthen they changed too much.Now I have these Fugitive something or others.They seem like a quality boot: good tread, metal eyes/hooks, and i like the uppers BUT they are the stiffest most uncomfortable insole I have ever worn.Never in my life have I needed inserts - 2 pairs of socks has always been my SOP but not these. I understand that sometimes boots need broken in and I didn't give these a fair shake, but I was only wearing them around camp to do just that - and I couldn't stand it.Spent all week in sandals or my last pair of Salomons :(Again, they seem to be fantastic otherwise - but that's a pretty significant issue for me.My only other minor complaint is that the metal hooks are kind of sharp. I forsee them scratching and gouging finished surfaces if/when I start wearing them to work and possibly damaging my laces over time.A little bit of rounding and something softer inside would go a long ways.I'm not trashing the product, just making my notes.