SCARPA Men's Kinesis Pro GTX Waterproof Gore-Tex Boots for Hiking & Backpacking

Originally purchased: June 2016. Review written (by husband/wearer): April 2019.I have worn these boots extensively during three years of summer/fall hiking trips, mainly on rocky terrain above tree line in Colorado. This included 16 peaks over 14,000 feet, and four peaks between 13,900 and 13,999 feet, as well as many other hikes at lower elevation, only some of which were on maintained trails.These boots have excellent ankle support, bulletproof construction, a protective full rubber rand, and firm shank (I am 6'2", and I usually carry a moderately heavy pack). The Vibram soles grip well, and combined with the stability of the boot I can use my toe or boot edge on smaller footholds when the going gets steep and difficult. Although not very flexible, the sole's rocker action functions well on the trail, even when walking quickly (and occasionally jogging) with a moderate pack. I cannot recall ever having had sore feet after a full day hiking in these boots, sometimes over 16 miles a day.The boots are very protective off trail, including from rough rocks, mud, rain, and snow. The waterproofing has held up after hundreds of miles of use, although I have not worn them in heavy rain lately. I do apply Nikwax Nubuck and Suede Proof before each trip. (I also applied Stitch Guard to the stitched seams on the heels before the first use, but the excellent design leads to no other obviously vulnerable stitching.) The boots breathe well considering their construction and waterproofing.The lacing system is excellent, with pulleys providing even, quick adjustment over the arch and forefoot; a firm lace lock just below the ankle; and the top can be opened wide quickly for easy on and off. Although the laces are not extremely strong, they have not broken on me yet…. (I carry an extra pair of similar laces, JUST make sure they fit through the pulleys.)I generally wear a size 12 M boot, and the EU 46 (equivalent to US size 12) fits my foot very well. The toe box is not too narrow for my slightly wide forefoot, my high-volume midfoot is comfortable, and my relatively narrow heel is gripped well by the boot. This fit is even with fairly thick wool blend Thorlo Trekking socks (no blisters even on the first hiking trip in these boots!), so I feel they run true to size. Of course, the excellent lacing system helps adjust the boot to one's foot. (The medium width is fine for me, while in Asolo boots I need a wide model.)Although not the lightest, the weight of these boots is reasonable considering their bulletproof, full leather construction and excellent support. The moderately high ankle also keeps rocks and shallow stream water out of the boot, while the flexible padded collar on the sides and back above the ankles allows full strides without discomfort.Although these boots are very durable, the Vibram soles are showing significant wear after the many miles of hard use described above, especially along the outside edge of the mid and forefoot (see 4th photo). The excellent, aggressive lug design of the sole and the fairly "sticky" rubber may contribute to this wear.Because of this, I am ordering another pair now, prompting this review. I also will have the older ones resoled, and if I get a new sole that grips well, I will have a good backup pair with lots of life left in them.Overall, the best hiking boots for rough going that I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

Husband writing:My favorite walking shoes are the classic New Balance shoes (like the 574) as they fit my size 14 (normal width) foot very well. Though I'm not a "wide" foot, my toe box is on the line, so I sometimes have issues with shoes feeling a little too narrow.When I first put these on, it felt like they might be little narrow in the toe-box, but just a few minutes of wearing them around the house and I didn't notice it. I have a pretty much exact 14 US foot length, and there was still good room in front of my toes for socks and warmth.I bought the copper colored SuperFeet insoles for these, which were too large and pressed my feel against the boot. The blue SuperFeet I already had fit fine, but the stock insole still felt best, so I took it out on my hike. After a three hour hike in uphills, snow, etc. and a 1hour hike through town, I had no issues, and my feet were dry, comfortable and warm.Besides be an excellent rugged (though heavy) boot, these are very good looking boots. The pully lace system up front works great for snugging them up quick, too.Overall, I'm very satisfied so far and expect to love these on much longer winter hikes.

I have put around 400km on these boots as of the time of this review.I purchased these about four weeks prior to a backpacking trip in Nepal, and I estimate I put on about 150km simply walking around town, doing about 5-10km in them at a time after work, hoping to break them in before I departed. By the time I left, the boots were still quite stiff.Despite having tried these boots on in person for sizing before purchase, and not noticing any pressure points at the time, my initial experience with these boots was quite painful. The narrowing of the boots near the toes generated significant pain as I was attempting to break them in, though I did not have any other problems at that time. This issue eventually alleviated once the boots were broken in.I would say the boots were mostly broken in by about four or five days into my trip - so a total of around 220+km of use to break them in.Over 16 days backpacking in Nepal, I developed some significant blisters on my heels as well as some other areas during climbs and descents. I expect to have problems in the same areas again in the future with these boots.The back heel area is very hard and does not perfectly match the shape of my foot. I suspect the shape of the heel could be designed better in general. For comparison, while not a boot, the Merrell Trail Glove shoes have (from my experience) a very unique heel which seems to cup my foot in just the right way - I have done multi-day backpacking with them and have never had even slight problems with heel rubbing or blisters. I have also read that The North Face has a new heel design for their boots that they are marketing proudly. I think there is room for improvement here.My feet stayed dry in several days of trekking in rain - very happy with the waterproof performance of full leather + goretex.The hard Vibram soles have large lugs that give good grip on mixed terrain, but the hard rubber has poor traction on smoother wet surfaces (like wet rock). This is a common problem for all Vibram-soled boots.After all is said and done, the boots are still in very good condition. The most notable damage is a little piece of rubber rand missing, a superficial cut to the leather in one spot, and some scraping on the leather. The boots still feel just as solid as when I bought them. I would be VERY surprised if they failed before 1000km, and would not be surprised if they could do 2000+.Overall, despite some issues, these seem worth the price for a top end backpacking boot and I am happy with my purchase.