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vibram soles
- Thread starter sasha
- Start date
lambertiana
Gold Member
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- Jul 7, 2000
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- 9,575
You can't really make a direct comparison of various Vibram soles. I have used a number of them, from the heavy duty lug soles in the 70s to recent Merrells.
My current pair of Merrells (Phaser Peak) have very grippy soles, so I was not expecting them to last a long time. I got them last spring, and have used them on some hikes in the Sierras - a half dozen two day hard rocky trips out of Mineral King, two trips over Mt Whitney (a 70-mile route from Horse Corral and a 45 mile trip out of Horseshoe Meadow), and an 82 mile loop in Kings Canyon NP, as well as a number of easier hikes. If you have much experience in the high Sierra, you know that it can get pretty rocky, especially when summiting (the summits I have done out of Mineral King have involved a lot of boulder hopping). These boots have been very comfortable, and I have been surprised at how well they are wearing - they have very little visible wear on the tread.
My current pair of Merrells (Phaser Peak) have very grippy soles, so I was not expecting them to last a long time. I got them last spring, and have used them on some hikes in the Sierras - a half dozen two day hard rocky trips out of Mineral King, two trips over Mt Whitney (a 70-mile route from Horse Corral and a 45 mile trip out of Horseshoe Meadow), and an 82 mile loop in Kings Canyon NP, as well as a number of easier hikes. If you have much experience in the high Sierra, you know that it can get pretty rocky, especially when summiting (the summits I have done out of Mineral King have involved a lot of boulder hopping). These boots have been very comfortable, and I have been surprised at how well they are wearing - they have very little visible wear on the tread.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
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- 12,294
Vibram is just the trade name and they use different rubber compositions depending on the particular requirements of the footwear.
I had some merrell trail running sneakers and the sole wore out real fast but that was the sacrifice for having great ' sticky ' grip.
If you buy hiking boots with vibram soles they will generally be a lot harder wearing as are mine on my Mendl Burma's due to being a harder composition, but you will find they slip a little more in certain conditions.
It's always a trade off but Vibram are about the best there is !!!
I had some merrell trail running sneakers and the sole wore out real fast but that was the sacrifice for having great ' sticky ' grip.
If you buy hiking boots with vibram soles they will generally be a lot harder wearing as are mine on my Mendl Burma's due to being a harder composition, but you will find they slip a little more in certain conditions.
It's always a trade off but Vibram are about the best there is !!!
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2005
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- 405
That's right. I have a few different styles of boots, each with Vibram soles. The design and material used in the Vibram soles are quite different, so it would help to clarify which style/material Vibram sole when evaluating them.
See the Vibram web site to download a catalog in PDF format.