Kayland Vertigo High Review

So I have to laugh... Within minutes of posting my previous post, I noticed I had a hit for someone looking for a review on the boots I bought. I figured why hold out for anyone looking. I'll go take a picture of my boots and start my review.

Note this is an initial review, and not totally exhaustive since I have only had them for a few weeks.

First, I suppose I should explain a little about myself and background, so you know what angle this review is coming from.

Age: 29
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 145 lbs
Shoe size: 10.5 US

Backpacking Background:
I've spent most of my life playing outdoors, in various sports activities, namely cross-country running and track and field throughout high school. As a child I would go and spend vacations with my Dad up in the Adirondacks in New York state, where we would climb mountains and just have fun. In college, I was a member of the outdoors club and went on various hikes with that group, and began going on more difficult hikes into the high peaks region of the Adirondacks. I've done numerous hikes along the Appalachian trail in Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as a trip to the everglades, and swamps of Georgia. I consider myself a midweight backpacker. When I go backpacking my pack usually weighs between 30 and 40 pounds for hikes up to about a week in length. When with the right group, or by myself, I hike at a moderate pace of 2-4 mph, depending on terrain.

Product Info:
Manufacturer: Kayland
Model: Passage Vertigo High
Year of manufacture: 2008
Shoe Size: 10.5 USA
Color: Havana
URL: www.kayland.com
Listed Weight: 710 grams ea. (1.5 lbs.)
Weight as delivered: 3.2 pounds for the pair
MSRP: Not listed on web site

Product Description (from website):
This versatile boot delivers outstanding comfort, traction, and stability, scrambling off-trail, or traipsing through mud and snow. Of 110 different models tested, the Vertigo High was awarded the Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award for 2007.

• Enhanced Rocker
• Extended Lacing (laces go all the way to the toe)
• Integrated Absorbing Drive System (IADS) pro
  
• Level of rigidity: 5 (out of what?)
• Sole: Vibram® Tsavo.

Initial Report:
These were the first pair of boots I tried on during my quest to find new hiking boots. My previous pair were EMS brand boots that were gore-tex lined, with a solid full leather upper. After years of wear, the soles had separated from the shoe and were just breaking down. I tried on about 8 different pairs of shoes at 2 different stores, and I came back to these ones. I could tell right away when I put these on, that I'd probably come back to them. Most boots I try on, I tend to find the toe box constricting, and the heel often feels to loose. I find such a fit tends to yield blisters on my heel and big toes. Once I put the Kayland on, my heels felt well supported and adequately confined in such a way that the boot would stay with my heel and little rubbing would occur. The shape seems to be designed around the shape of my foot. I was able to get a good snug fit with the lacing system without feeling like I was cutting off the circulation to my toes. I still had plenty of bend / wiggle room for my toes as well without feeling overly roomy. With a quick walk around the stores, the boot seemed a bit stiffer than what I was used to in a boot, even being brand new. This is actually what I was looking for though. Having just moved to Colorado, I wanted something to provide a little more support for the varied terrain I would be encountering during my attempts to begin summiting the 14ers.

The footbeds that come with the boot seem to be thicker, and potentially more durable than I've seen in other boots as well. The heel section has a black waffle type material on them, topped with a white felt/foam material thats maybe 1/8 inch thick, and the final interface on top being what seems to be an orange leather/suede type material.



Instead of Gore-tex, the Vertigo High's use Event technology to provide water proofing beyond the treated leather. Since its still mostly winter, I can't say how well this stuff lets sweat out of the boot, and keeps water from getting in. My feet do sweat a fair amount when hiking, and no matter what, my feet are usually just slightly damp when removing shoes, despite the activity. Results are no different with these boots thus far. I've hiked through shallow mud and water with them and have no complaints with the water repellency. The tongue is gusseted to the sides of the boot up to the top of the laces where the metal eyes are.

The toe of boot has a rubberized fabric that seems to be glued to the upper. It seems durable and should provide good protection against abrasion around the areas that typically get the most abuse.

As I mentioned previously, the lacing system extends down to the toe and allows me to get even tension across the whole of my foot. When tightening the laces, they don't relax much when you let go of the laces, this is nice as you don't have to keep constant tension on them when tying things up. The lace hooks seem to be well designed are are made of metal. My previous boots hooks stuck out a bit, and I would sometime catch the loops of my laces on the opposite foot when walking, these seem to be designed in a way that this shouldn't happen.

On their first few hikes outdoors, they've seen conditions from dry, loose dirt, to hard packed dirt. Rocks, and grass. Fresh fallen Snow all the way to hard packed snow and ice. The vibram sole seems to grip well when climbing largish rocks, even wet. The are doing well in all the terrain. I'm enjoying the stiffness of these soles, and the uppers are breaking in nice. No blisters, or even hot spots to date. I've done a few 4-6 miles hikes with them.

Overall, my general impressions of this boot is that it is extremely well made, with strong stitching and sturdy construction. I feel like the designers really took into consideration the structure of the foot (at least those similar to mine) when engineering this boot. Its truly a joy to hike in them. I feel like they return a good portion of the energy of my stride and help propel me forward. I look forward to many years of adventure with this boot. I recommend that anyone looking for a serious boot to get them where they need to go, consider this one.

Should you have any questions about these, just post a comment, and I'll do my best to reply in a timely manner.