So there has been a lot of interest in these boots since I posted how awesome they performed. You would think that when designing flats boots, weight would be the #1 factor. And grip. So it still baffles me that the usual offerings are heavy as hell, with about as much grip as the bottom of your foot. They’re also so hard they eventually crack, if the sole doesn’t separate first.
Maybe its a legacy thing, that they were built for the old school boys being poled around who only need to jump off the flats boat when those perms get too finicky. The new school flats fisher covers ground. A lot of it. In 40deg heat. Ive modified every bit of my kit for less chaff and weight. Do a few 30km hikes and you’ll see why.
Theo checked out my Inov Roclites before Oman and figured, how much of a difference could it make? Right? He’s fitter and stronger than I am. Well, what a difference it did make. They were probably at least a kilo lighter when wet than his, which meant that I just never had any leg fatigue. Not the leg fatigue Im used to in my old flats boots.
Like Ive said before, these guys have inadvertently built the best flats boot ever… almost. The one issue, and I’m guessing weight saving came into play here is the internal lining, which is Goretex stitched (an not glued in). The result was that on day 10/11 I started finding sand between the lining and the boot outer. It didn’t bother too much but I wanted that to change. The tongue is stitched in, so you don’t really have to bother about sand.
The other big plus is that they dry every night, because they don’t really retain any water. Also, its not a mission taking them off, because those legs of yours aren’t as tired as they used to be.
Armand dropped me a whatsapp asking about them, and I mentioned the lining issue. He wanted to see if they came out clean before committing. Last night I took it out, it came out pretty easy, with one gentle cut along the inside toe, where the rubber toe cap stops you from cutting the outer. They’re even lighter now. And I’ve got one hell of a hike this weekend, so we’ll see how they fair. I no longer dread putting my flats boots on.
A comment from Armand just about sums them up.
“they’re light hey?”
“yip, about as light as my slops”
