Bushwalk Australia

I bought my wife some Garmont boots less than a year ago, and tonight we discovered that the sole on the heel has worn through. Not even a year old. NOT HAPPY JAN! She is incredibly easy on boots too- she owned the same pair for 11 years.

And I just bought a new pair of Garmont shoe/boots for her!

I guess they go onto the "do not buy" list for us.....

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you say the sole wore out? don't Garmont specify Vibram on most models? Vibram soles (like YKK in zippers, and duraflex in SR buckles) are regarded as the best in class component in assembling the product...if it is a vibram sole then wouldn't this issue would occur whichever company from Asolo to Zamberlan designed the upper it is attached too? ..selecting another brand with a similar compound vibram sole should not differ in outcome..

Yeah, ditto to what blacksheep said. I like to hear confirmation on if it was a Vibram sole or not. Vibram are used by just about all good boot brands on most of their models.

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Sure - you can't say that all Vibram soles are bad just because one model is. But I'd like to know if it was a Vibram sole at all, as I would have expected ALL Vibram models to last more than a year of moderate use (in fact any sole from any brand ought to, but it's not expected from all brands).

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I totally agree.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I would not expect any Vibram sole to last less than a year, on somebody who is "incrediby easy on boots", no matter what use the sole was designed for. If indeed Vibram have a crappy cheap model of their soles that was EXPECTED to last less than a year on somebody who is "incredibly easy on boots", I'd be shocked.

If it was some other brand, I would not be shocked, but would still be surprised.

If it turns out it was a Vibram sole, I'm going to start having to be much more careful next time I buy boots. Currently I just assume that all Vibram bushwalking soles are good and durable. If they have a crappy sole that lasts less than a year with only light use, I'd have to be more cautious about all their soles.

If it turns out to not be a Vibram sole, then I'll keep relying on Vibram the way I always have.

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gee, you guys have explored the life universe and everything, every possible analogy and scenario will be pondered perhaps tcp should show that photo...

perhaps she got too close to the fire?

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Recent Garmont boot are manufactured in China could this be the problem ?? however one of many the pairs of runners I own were made in China and have had lots of miles on them with only normal wear on the whatever sole is made from.
Two pairs of Vibram soled Italian made Garmont boots "now retired" still have hundreds of miles on them( its the leather that wore/is wearing out),so did yours get too close to the fire.
If not back to the point of purchase and ask the questions.
c

Yes, the sole is Vibram. No fire exposure. They cost just shy of $300. Here's a few pics.

Anyone know a good bootmaker in Devonport?

That's ridiculous. I've never worn out the soles on a pair of boots - the uppers always disintegrate first. And I'm very rough on my gear.

I'd send those photos to the manufacturer, mate. See what they have to say about it.

What model?

They've never been worked in- only walked in. Actually, the wear on the soles in general is pretty bad.

hmm . unusual wear pattern...central heel strike? 99.9 % heel strike is on the posterior side, yet that looks unworn...either there is some more to this story (you sure she hasn't been braking with her heels in a billy cart?), or your original comment is spot on and perhaps garmont specced a wafer thin/low durometer rubber on this sole unit..(this is a custom sole unit I see now, not an open mould, so the vendor makes to buyers spec)

t_c_p,
Is that the wear on the heel area only did you get any wear on the sole or else where ?? and they look like runners not (real Boots to me)albeit boot style.
Those soles are not the real vibram BOOT soles but a laminate vibram on runner type eva main mid sole so you can expect this wear if worn on a very regular basis .
Real Boots are just that Boots ! not pretend and the heels on my Boots are the first to see wear for obvious reasons.
If I am wrong I stand corrected however with experience I suggest you go to a Rivers Clearance store to get a" similar boot " for a fraction of the price ( also made in China.)
Just my honest opinion
c

Blacksheep- she hasn'r billycarted since she was a kid, and that was back in the days of the dinosaurs. No rock-scrambling either.

The soles are very thin- I reckon they got caught being cheap with their shoes. I'm really agro about this, because just before we discovered this, we bought her a pair of Garmont shoe-boots. They aren't Vibram at all, but I guess they wouldn't be on shoe boots?

Anyone want to take odds that they aren't fixable?

corvus wrote:t_c_p,
Is that the wear on the heel area only did you get any wear on the sole or else where ?? and they look like runners not (real Boots to me)albeit boot style.
Those soles are not the real vibram BOOT soles but a laminate vibram on runner type eva main mid sole so you can expect this wear if worn on a very regular basis .
Real Boots are just that Boots ! not pretend and the heels on my Boots are the first to see wear for obvious reasons.
If I am wrong I stand corrected however with experience I suggest you go to a Rivers Clearance store to get a" similar boot " for a fraction of the price also made in China.
Just my honest opinion
c

The worst wear is on the heel, but none of the sole is that crash hot. When compared to a pair of Rivers boots of the same age, a pair of Merrill cheapies that are six years old, and my 5y.o. LL Bean cheapies (and I am murder on footwear), the wear on the Garmonts is far more significant. These shoes have been worn for the same duties as you'd wear a pair of Nikes, and have done a few light bushwalks, nothing more than a mid-length day walk with a 12-15kg pack.

I was a bit concerned with buying Garmonts when we got them- I either buy cheap boots, or expensive boots, but I stay away from the middle. My boots cost $89 US, and last for 5-6 years with my buffalo bum working them hard. If I buy expensive, I prefer Vasque (too narrow for my feet), Asolos, or similar brands. BUT, the lovely chap at the unmentioned outfitters in Launceston swore up and down that these were great boots, blah blah blah. ALWAYS TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS.

the_camera_poser wrote:Blacksheep- she hasn'r billycarted since she was a kid, and that was back in the days of the dinosaurs. No rock-scrambling either.

The soles are very thin- I reckon they got caught being cheap with their shoes. I'm really agro about this, because just before we discovered this, we bought her a pair of Garmont shoe-boots. They aren't Vibram at all, but I guess they wouldn't be on shoe boots?

Anyone want to take odds that they aren't fixable?

t_c_p ,
You just said you wife was old!! hope she does not read this and go figure for repair
c

She's an old bat- in looking for her receipt she's come across her old school reports, and they are written on clay tablets with reed pens! Apparently she kept turning sticks into snakes in Maths, and turning the pool into *&%$#! during HPE. Not to mention the locust plagues.....

t_c_p,
Sorry you got caught in the boot /shoe hype since being burned I now realise your intent research on other gear
c

Not only boots Corvus- having been a resident of SE Queensland for 5 years, one gets super-paranoid about rip-offs and shoddy-quality items. We are a one-income family, and we really can't afford to waste $300 on boots. That's more money than I've spent on clothes for myself in the last three years

One income family now also ,self funded retiree with no income so thanks to my wife with her 25 hours pw we can survive
c

I am shocked (to see that from Vibram soles). It will make me assume less about the Vibram name than I did previously. Blacksheep's comments about a custom Vibram sole make me feel a tad better about it though.

TCP - Seriously, you should talk to the manufacturers about this. You may get no joy out of it, but sometimes manufacturers are very keen to sort out problems like this.

Eg, the first thing I ever heard about Zamberlans was when my brother got his first pair (15 years ago?). They fell apart completely on his first walk! He took them back, and the shop talked to the supplier. The suppliers were very confused about what to do because they'd never had to think about this kind of situation before. Once they came back to their senses, they replaced the boots instantly with no questions asked. He's had no problems with those boots ever since and is very happy with them (I think he may still have them). This goes to show that even companies with great reputations can have quality issues occasionally. But the best companies have these issues very infrequently, and they do what they can to address such issues.

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I emailled Garmont last night with the pics, and I'll give the retailer a call too. While the Vibram is thin on the sole, I've worn less off of my boots over the last however many years, and I weight almost twice as much as Helen.

Was in Allgoods Devonport today buying Wilderness Wear Merino Socks on sale $3.00 off
Checked out the Garmont Runners and Boots they were all made in China and they looked about as good as the Rivers Runners I was wearing Jeez big price gap
c