Trango S EVO Waterproof Test

[EJohnson]

So after a third trip with new Trango boots and wet feet. I’m starting to get a little pissed about paying $250 for Gore-tex boots that don’t keep my feet dry. I decided to do a home test of waterproofness of the boots. I placed the boots in sink with water level right below the second lace loop. After 30 min, the lining is wet and I have a puddle on the foot bed.

I’m thinking about writing to La Sportiva about the problem. What do you guys think? I’m asking for to much? Suggestions please?

 

Erick

[Bill_Simpkins]

I think you should get a full refund. It sounds reasonable.

Write them that letter and give them a piece of your mind.

My Lowe hiking boots are fully waterproof. You think that a high end mountaineering boot with a GTX liner would be also. Bad design or poor manufacturing. Is it possible you just got a bad pair?

I was thinking about getting a pair of these but I didn't. I'm glad now. Thanks for the gear report!

[jmace]

do you have a picture, I may have the same boots and I pretty much thrashed them in three outings, and they leak

[EJohnson]

Water Test

 

The fabric on the tongue is starting to unravel too

[dberdinka]

The Goretex liner in a boot is relatively fragile. Eventually it's going to break down and the boot is going to leak some. I've got a pair of hightop Gtx Nikes that were truely waterproof for the the first three months but alas no longer.

 

The durability (or lack there of) of those boots has been brought up before. But really, what do you expect from a pair of crampon compatible boots that weigh 2.5 lbs. A good example of where light might be right but not neccesarily durable.

 

Good luck.

[Bill_Simpkins]

You could fill it up with water to see if its leaking from specific spots.

[jordop]

So after a third trip with new Trango boots and wet feet. I’m starting to get a little pissed about paying $250 for Gore-tex boots that don’t keep my feet dry. I decided to do a home test of waterproofness of the boots. I placed the boots in sink with water level right below the second lace loop. After 30 min, the lining is wet and I have a puddle on the foot bed.

I’m thinking about writing to La Sportiva about the problem. What do you guys think? I’m asking for to much? Suggestions please?

 

Erick

 

Just wait until they fall apart in about three months; the synthetic panels are SUPER ABRASION RESISTANT

Good luck with warranty and Soprtiva All the stories I hear involve some typical Euro customer service

[cj001f]

All the stories I hear involve some typical Euro customer service

La Sportiva NA is in Boulder.

 

FWIW my Towers are still in working kit

[slothrop]

PMS replaced my Trango S (not EVO) with a new pair when some stitching on the side blew out after their first 10 miles of hiking. That's good service. Dunno what he had to go through with La Sportiva, though.

[Dustin_B]

So after a third trip with new Trango boots and wet feet. I’m starting to get a little pissed about paying $250 for Gore-tex boots that don’t keep my feet dry. I decided to do a home test of waterproofness of the boots. I placed the boots in sink with water level right below the second lace loop. After 30 min, the lining is wet and I have a puddle on the foot bed.

I’m thinking about writing to La Sportiva about the problem. What do you guys think? I’m asking for to much? Suggestions please?

 

Erick

 

No you are not asking too much. I would definitely write them. I have a pair of Kayland Multitractions that are suppose to be water proof. I'm starting my second season in them and last weekend I had standing water in my boots after (actually only one boot) 4 hours of hiking in the rain. I was thinking about trading them in for a pair of the Trango S EVOs... not now!

 

PS - I have a pair of LS Nepal Extremes and they are totally and completely waterproof even after 3+ seasons (granted I've never done this kind of test on them though!)

[Fairweather]

I bought a pair of LS Trango S EVO's this spring. I used then on a climb up Observation Rock on Memorial Day weekend. The trip was mostly over snow. My feet were soaked after about two hours of wet snow. (I wore gaiters, of course.) It seems to me that these boots will be great hiking/off trail boots, so I'm not taking them back at this point. But the advertising is absolutely NOT accurate.

 

Additionally, I LOVE my Nepal Extremes! They are the driest, best summer mountaineering boots I have ever worn! But again, La Sportiva's advertising claims these boots are for "High Altitude" climbing. I wore them on a winter climb up Leuthold a couple years ago and lost sensation in two toes for over a month!

 

LaSportiva. Great boots! Bold claims.

[Ade]

Fairweather - Maybe you had your LS Extremes laced too tight or have poor circulation in your feet. I've used mine for most of last winter in the Cascades and only had warmth issues when over lacing them. FYI: LS's web site no longer advertisies them as high altitude boots.

 

Like dberdinka said the quoted weight for the Extreme is 4lbs 13oz, for the Trango S GTX it's 2lbs 10oz. Sportiva may be good but they're not magicians. TWO POUNDS didn't just disappear without effecting performance in some way.

 

I've never believed that GTX boots would work well but I've never found any published data on how well they do work or how durable they are. I believe that the membrane is too fragile and if the outer gets sodden then the membrane isn't going to breath that well anyway. As it is the GTX jacket relies on putting very little fabric around the membrane to maximise its breathability, with a boot you've added a lot more.

 

Because the boot's design typically relies on the GTX for waterproofing the outer has more stitching making it inherently less waterproof, especially after the membrane states to degrade. Compare the number of stitches on the outside of the Nepal Extreme with that on the Trango S GTX, that's a lot of additional potential "holes" for water to work its way in through.

 

GTX has its place but it's not a cure for all ills. Someone should tell LS's marketing department that too. Not that we should swallow the hype in the first place. If something seems too good to be true it probably is.

 

As for EJohnson's test I'm not sure it is reasonable. I suspect that you could do this with a pair of Nepal Extremes and they'd eventually wet out and start to leak too. If you want a boot that you can stand in several inches of water for long periods then I'd suggest plastics or even wellingtons.

 

Should they take his boots back? Yes, because they advertised them as something they're not. Should you be surprised that they fall apart and leak - no.

[miller]

I have found the exact same thing with my new Evo's. They get soaked. I still love them - they climb well and are super light - but I have to admit I am a bit disappointed.

 

Also, I understand that lightweight boots like these won't last forever, but I still think the Evo's fall a little short. I had a very similar pair of boots made by Millet that were made of basically the same materials (synthetic, gore-tex liner, even the same ugly red color...) and these were far more durable and they kept my feet totally dry even after 2 years of thorough beatings.

 

I'll still use my Evo's for day trips and longer trips where the forecast is decent and I think I'll be able to dry them out. But for those looking for a truly waterproof boot, this isnt it.