BOOT REVIEW - Asolo Creek GMV - Natural Shape
General
Pitched as lightweight hiking and summer to winter walking boot the Asolo Creek with their ‘natural shape’ approach is indeed a lightweight, tactile boot. Comfort out of the box is excellent with a very positive foot-hugging shape. Heel cupping and support is excellent as is arch support. Underfoot comfort is good too. You can feel the terrain beneath you without discomfort and there is good impact protection for such a lightweight, slim boot.
Comfort and performance
Flexibility in forefoot and the tactile nature of the boot gives excellent feel for the terrain and for sure and confident foot placement, making for a safer and more comfortable walk. The light-weight also reduces muscle aches in the legs and the extra work-out the flexible forefoot gives the feet reduces repetitive strains as the whole forefoot gets an even workout. If you come to the Creek from heavy stiff walking boots it might take a little while for feet to adjust, but they will and in the meantime your legs will thank you.
The positive shaping of the boots, the ‘natural shape’, and the very positive heel cup meant that there was no heel-lift, no blistering or hot-spots and no rubbing. The soft upper fabric prevent pressure points and pinching and the foot-hugging fit makes up a lot for lack of stiffened forefoot support.
Terrain
On tracks and lanes the Creeks were very good, light and comfortable. On upland pastures and rough grazing they were at their best and, perhaps a little surprisingly, they performed well on small scree and reasonably stony ground, with the tactile nature of the boot allowing the foot to flex and grip and the feedback through the sole allowing for secure and comfortable foot placement. On very stony, cobbly ground and on boulder-fields they do struggle but such terrain takes the boots outside their intended niche. That said they do hold your feet well on a slope, there is no sliding within the boot and standing on such slopes you feel secure. It is the flex in forefoot that allows the physical stresses as either slope during foot placement or rocks can cause the forefoot to twist more than is comfortable. On muddy ground the broader treads do not give good grip, but again this may be asking too much of most boots.
Durability
I’ve now had these boots for nine months and they have been worn regularly, several days a week for everyday use. They have also been out on the hills something like once a month. The general wear levels aren’t bad at all. There is a very small seperation around the side of one boot where the rubber has lifted off the fabric. However this does not seem to have got any worse since it first appeared a few months ago. What is noticable is that the main treads on the sole are hollow. I’d guess this is a weight saving measure but it means that after moderate wear on the sole holes appear in the middle of the lugs. This doesn’t seem to affect grip or comfort though. I’d have thought that by dividing these longer lugs at the design and construction process Asolo could have maintained the weight saving and increased grip.
Summary
Overall the Asolo Creek is a good boot, very light, tactile and comfortable. The ‘natural shape’ does work and works well. The ability to feel the terrain beneath you without discomfort is a real bonus allowing your feet to work as nature intended, flexing and relaxing with the changing ground, reducing the chance of a build up of stress in any one point, although you will feel the pointiest of stones. The ability to feel your foot placement also makes for safer walking with the chance to react to uncertain ground whilst the Creek’s very light weight is a real bonus on any walk. In all but winter conditions and on all but very rocky and very muddy walks the Asolo Creek is an good boot.
The ‘natural shape’ ethos of these boots is something of a new approach for most of us but one that really does work. Had they managed to improve the lug bite of the sole and perhaps stiffened the forefoot laterally a little these would be excellent, rather than simply good.
Pitched as lightweight hiking and summer to winter walking boot the Asolo Creek with their ‘natural shape’ approach is indeed a lightweight, tactile boot. Comfort out of the box is excellent with a very positive foot-hugging shape. Heel cupping and support is excellent as is arch support. Underfoot comfort is good too. You can feel the terrain beneath you without discomfort and there is good impact protection for such a lightweight, slim boot.
Comfort and performance
Flexibility in forefoot and the tactile nature of the boot gives excellent feel for the terrain and for sure and confident foot placement, making for a safer and more comfortable walk. The light-weight also reduces muscle aches in the legs and the extra work-out the flexible forefoot gives the feet reduces repetitive strains as the whole forefoot gets an even workout. If you come to the Creek from heavy stiff walking boots it might take a little while for feet to adjust, but they will and in the meantime your legs will thank you.
The positive shaping of the boots, the ‘natural shape’, and the very positive heel cup meant that there was no heel-lift, no blistering or hot-spots and no rubbing. The soft upper fabric prevent pressure points and pinching and the foot-hugging fit makes up a lot for lack of stiffened forefoot support.
Terrain
On tracks and lanes the Creeks were very good, light and comfortable. On upland pastures and rough grazing they were at their best and, perhaps a little surprisingly, they performed well on small scree and reasonably stony ground, with the tactile nature of the boot allowing the foot to flex and grip and the feedback through the sole allowing for secure and comfortable foot placement. On very stony, cobbly ground and on boulder-fields they do struggle but such terrain takes the boots outside their intended niche. That said they do hold your feet well on a slope, there is no sliding within the boot and standing on such slopes you feel secure. It is the flex in forefoot that allows the physical stresses as either slope during foot placement or rocks can cause the forefoot to twist more than is comfortable. On muddy ground the broader treads do not give good grip, but again this may be asking too much of most boots.
Durability
I’ve now had these boots for nine months and they have been worn regularly, several days a week for everyday use. They have also been out on the hills something like once a month. The general wear levels aren’t bad at all. There is a very small seperation around the side of one boot where the rubber has lifted off the fabric. However this does not seem to have got any worse since it first appeared a few months ago. What is noticable is that the main treads on the sole are hollow. I’d guess this is a weight saving measure but it means that after moderate wear on the sole holes appear in the middle of the lugs. This doesn’t seem to affect grip or comfort though. I’d have thought that by dividing these longer lugs at the design and construction process Asolo could have maintained the weight saving and increased grip.
Summary
Overall the Asolo Creek is a good boot, very light, tactile and comfortable. The ‘natural shape’ does work and works well. The ability to feel the terrain beneath you without discomfort is a real bonus allowing your feet to work as nature intended, flexing and relaxing with the changing ground, reducing the chance of a build up of stress in any one point, although you will feel the pointiest of stones. The ability to feel your foot placement also makes for safer walking with the chance to react to uncertain ground whilst the Creek’s very light weight is a real bonus on any walk. In all but winter conditions and on all but very rocky and very muddy walks the Asolo Creek is an good boot.
The ‘natural shape’ ethos of these boots is something of a new approach for most of us but one that really does work. Had they managed to improve the lug bite of the sole and perhaps stiffened the forefoot laterally a little these would be excellent, rather than simply good.