TheNumberNine Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 I'm not sure that I'm 100% feeling the liners that came with my Koflach Arctic Expe boots.... They're a bit bulky/heavy and I wish I could custom mold them to my feet. For anyone who has experience with Intuition liners.. Are they less bulky/lighter/warmer/more comfy/ etc? Are they worth the money? Quote
DPS Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 Swaping out Intuion liners for my stock liners in my Invernos reduced the weight by nearly a pound for the pair and they are warmer. Mark Twight advocated buying plastic boots a half size small if you plan to use a heat molded liner. This now makes sense because while my boots are lighter and warmer, they feel a lot sloppier. If it were me, I would wait until the stock liners get packed out before replacing them if money is an issue. Quote
jfs1978 Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 Are they less bulky/lighter/warmer/more comfy/ etc? Are they worth the money? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. There is no real comparison with the standard liners on the Expe's. Quote
CaleHoopes Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 So, having gone through the boot two-step, let me throw out my opinion. I also have a pair of Arctis Expes. The liner rubber sole actually disintegrated on me after only 4 seasons of fairly heavy use DOH. And, they are supposed to "pack out" after a few seasons anyway. So, it's not a bad idea to get new liners. That being said, the Intuition Denali liners are pretty nice. Get them well fitted for your foot at Feathered Friends or Sturtevants (check with Sturtevants to see if they have the Denalis). A few irritations regarding the Denali's: They are kinda hard so front flex is not that great on the liners - which can turn into some nasty shin bang. Additionally, the liners don't have ANY lacing system - they rely on the lacing system of the boot. HOWEVER, they dry super well when removed from the boot overnight and they are more than warm enough for Denali type weather. They aren't that "comfortable". You're not going to find that they are cushy or comfy to put your feet in (the stock liners are probably more cushy) but they are effective. Currently, I've purchased the La Sportiva Baruntse boots which have a moldable liner made by Palau in France. The liners are spectacular and might fit well in the Arctis Expe. Apparently, you can order the replacement liners for $149 from La Sportiva or you can get the Palau liners from here: http://www.palau-boutique.com/thermo-liners,us,3,6.cfm I haven't put these liners in my Arctis Expes to see how they would do, but I think they would work fine - once again get a boot fitter to do the molding. The great thing about the actual La Sportiva version of the Palau liners is that they have a really nice velcro lacing system. Dane likes the Baruntse liner so much he actually put them in his Spantiks for savory goodness. After some time in heavy snow, I wholeheartedly agree with him. Awesome stuff! Finally, another option is the high altitude scarpa liners which will be very similar to the Koflach liners. Since you're "not feeling it" with the Koflach's however, these may not be better. The Baruntse liners are even lighter than the intuitions and easily as warm. Quote
Dane Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 I have used all four liners mentioned. (if you are a 11.5/12 I can make you a screaming deal on new liners My order of preference would be Palau or Factory and even that is a toss up if you have correctly fitting shells and a reasonable set of liners Last choice would be Intuition. The over lapping tongue on the Intuition is great for ski boots terrible imo in a climbing boot. Simply too stiff on forward ankle flex. Worth it for the Intuition? No imo. There are so many good dbl boots available now. The Koflachs have been around for 30 years basically unchanged. Still a good boot but when it comes time to upgrade you are generally looking at $200 plus for new liners and a fitting. Money better spent on newer boot designs imo. Twight's book is 12 years old. Today there are better/warmer/lighter boot technologies for cold weather than what Mark had available. Quote
jfs1978 Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 I'll defer to Dane's opinion on just about any boot question...but I will still say that my Intuition experience has been very good. BUT...I fit them myself, got the liners for cheap, and had a new pair of Expes just sitting around that I'd picked up for a ridiculously low price back when they were disappearing from the market. As a result (and I should have said this above) my experience may be slightly off kilter from the average. I expect I'll be picking up some Baruntses before too long. But for now, even a full price investment of $150 in Intuitions seems pretty reasonable for the performance I've gotten out of them. I have not had a problem with the stiffness of the overlapping cuff that Dane references. Ignorance is bliss apparently. Quote
TheNumberNine Posted May 17, 2011 Author Posted May 17, 2011 I have used all four liners mentioned. (if you are a 11.5/12 I can make you a screaming deal on new liners My Koflach Arctics are a size 12... What kinda deals chu got? Quote
CaleHoopes Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 With Dane's suggestion, I got the Baruntse boots and am looking forward to using them for a whole lot of experiences! Quote
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