Idaho – -(Ammoland.com)- It was great getting back to the SHOT Show this year and seeing everyone and all of the new gear. While visiting with my buddy, Heather Pleskach at Otis Technology she was showing me all of their new offerings and said let’s start with what we came out in 2021, and then we’ll move into the 2022 items. Then she said something that I hadn’t thought of.
She said really, I’ve got two years of new products to show you since we didn’t get to meet last year. Wow, I guess she was right. This statement was true for all of the booths. So expect to see a lot of reviews over the next few months on items I saw at SHOT.
And speaking of, an item that really caught my eye was the Garmont Vetta Tech boots. Ethan Peck contacted me about setting up a meeting at the Garmont Boot booth. I’ve dealt with Ethan for years while he was at another company but now, he markets for Garmont Boots. I wasn’t familiar with Garmont but was interested in meeting for two reasons:
- I’m always looking for a better boot.
- Italy is legendary for producing great mountain/hiking boots. A buddy of mine has a pair of Italian boots that he swears by.
So, when Ethan called I said sure and we scheduled a meeting. He showed me what they offered and it looked like the Garmont Vetta Tech Model boots would fit in my world the best. They’re designed for hiking in the mountains which will fit fine in my world. I live in Idaho so I’m always hiking, backpacking, or hunting in the mountains. I soon had a pair and was testing them out.
Garmont Vetta Tech GTX Boot
The Garmont Vetta Tech GTX Boot sole hit me as unique because it is made out of the same material that Michelin tires are made out of. So, I can only assume that they will last forever (or a good while anyway). I haven’t weighed them and didn’t see the weight in the specs but they are super light for such a well-built pair of boots. I’ve had some lightweight hiking boots over the last 20 years but most of them aren’t constructed too stoutly and don’t last too long. These are so light that I have to keep looking down to make sure that I don’t have on a pair of tennis shoes. They are that lightweight!
Most of my hiking boots are a drab color. These are fairly colorful compared to what I normally wear. Not that I don’t like the color, in fact, I’ve had quite a few compliments on how nice they look. If you can look nice, why not?
So, right when I strapped them on, I loved them. They’re lightweight, they look nice and they are super comfortable to wear. I ALWAYS recommend breaking in a new pair of boots but these are so comfortable that I’m not sure that I even needed to break them in.
Garmont recommends buying a ½ size large, which I’ve started doing the last 10 years anyway. Here’s why. If you’re sliding down mountains you don’t want your toe crammed into the toe of your boots or you aren’t going to be able to walk much after a couple of days.
And the second reason I advise wearing your boots a hair big is that when hiking, backpacking and hunting you ought to be wearing a good pair of hiking socks. And they will be a little thicker and hence, you will need a little larger pair of boots so your feet aren’t crammed into them.
They’re also waterproof as they have a layer of Gore-Tex in them. I think upon trying them on you’ll be impressed with their lightweight and yet they provide a strong feeling of support.
The only small complaint I would have (and I’d still buy them anyway) is that I have a high instep and the Garmont Vetta Tech’s have a tight throat so I have to wiggle my foot a little too get it in.
The MSRP on the Garmont Vetta Tech GTX Boot is $220.00 and as is usual, we will close with the company comments.
These versatile and lightweight boots are ideal for alpine trekking on mixed terrain, rock, or scree. The mid-cut suede leather upper features a GORE-TEX® membrane for durable waterproof protection. The Michelin® outsole delivers excellent traction underfoot and also on uneven terrain.
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
