GO HARD. THIS BOOT IS CHANGING EVERYTHING FOR ME. THEY ARE NOT TOO STIFF. I’M SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING GOING FULL DAMIAN SANDERS EVERY EFFING DAY. TOURING COMFORT IS UNMATCHED, AND THE RIDE QUALITY IS INSANITY. THEY ARE ACTUALLY SOFTER AND MORE FLEXIBLE IN THE UPPER THAN MY HARDBOOTS, BUT THE RESPONSE IS BETTER. ALLOWS YOU TO DRIVE WITH YOUR ANKLES, NOT YOUR SHINS. IF YOU’RE RIDING WITH YOUR SHINS YOU’RE NOT FEELING THE JOY OF SNOWBOARDING. HOPEFULLY MORE ON THIS LATER.
PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY MADE OUT OF DYNEEMA, WEBBING, AND BUCKLES. I’VE BEEN USING THIS PACK FOR MAYBE 2 YEARS NOW, SO I HAVE QUITE A BIT OF EXPERIENCE WITH IT. IT’S 40 LITERS AND HAS THE ABILITY TO EXPAND MUCH MORE THAN THAT. SOME CLAIM TO USE IT FOR MULTI-DAY TOURS, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE TOO SMALL. THAT’S A GOOD THING, THOUGH – IT MEANS IT CAN COMPRESS DOWN TO FEELING LIKE A ROOMY DAY PACK, OR BE ABLE TO TRANSFORM TO A GREAT TRUNK FOR LONGER JAUNTS.
IT’S ALMOST A PERFECT PACK, WITH A FEW MINOR ISSUES THAT I TAKE WITH IT. IF RAIDE WERE TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES, I THINK THEY MIGHT HAVE THE BEST ULTRALIGHT PACK AVAILABLE. WILL POST MORE PICS IF LATER, IF FEELING AMBITIOUS. IN THE MEANTIME, THESE ARE JUST PHOTOS FROM RAIDE. AFTER ALL, THIS ISN’T A REVIEW.
I’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED BOOTS ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF EQUIPMENT. ACTUALLY, I HAVE HELD A THEORY FOR A LONG TIME THAT THE MOST CRITICAL GEAR STARTS WITH WHATEVER IS CLOSEST TO YOUR PERSON. SO THIS WOULD MEAN YOU SHOULD START WITH PICKING THE RIGHT SOCKS, THEN THE RIGHT BOOTS, THEN THE RIGHT BINDINGS, AND THE BOARD IS THE LAST ON THE LIST. YOU MAY ARGUE WITH THIS APPROACH, BUT YOU CAN DO THAT ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE.
OVER THREE PLUS DECADES OF RIDING, I’VE REALIZED WHAT MAKES FOR THE BEST BOOT. I HAVE SOME SERIOUS QUALMS WITH BOOT COMPANIES WHO HAVE BEEN PUTTING OUT GARBAGE FOOTWEAR FOR SO LONG. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I WORE A PAIR OF BOOTS THAT DIDN’T HURT MY FEET. FOOT PAIN HAS ALWAYS JUST COME WITH THE TERRITORY, AND FOR THE FIRST 6 OR 7 YEARS OF MY RIDING CAREER, I WAS NO STRANGER TO PRESSURE POINTS, HOT SPOTS, AND FATIGUED FEET. UNTIL THE DAY I GOT A PAIR OF THIRTY TWO PETER LINE BOOTS IN THE LATE 1990S I THINK THEY WERE THE ONES WITH THAT WEIRD NEOPRENE-LIKE LINER. I WORE THOSE BOOTS FOR TWO YEARS AND I DON’T REMEMBER HAVING FOOT PAIN ONCE. THEY WERE A GAME-CHANGER.
SO, I BECAME A FAN OF THIRTY TWO. EVENTUALLY, I DISCOVERED THAT I HAD A RELATIVELY LOW INSTEP, AND BOOTS WITH BOX-TOE CONSTRUCTION ARE THE ABSOLUTE WORST. WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING A TALL, ROOMY TOE GARAGE AND THEN TRYING TO CRANK DOWN YOUR BINDINGS TOO TIGHT JUST TO SLAM THAT LOOSENESS TO THE GROUND. HIGH PROFILE BOOT EQUALS LOW RESPONSE. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BOOT FLEX. ENTER THE DERBY TOE DESIGN- AT LEAST I BELIEVE IT IS CALL A DERBY TOE. IT IS BASICALLY WHERE THE TOE BOX IS ONE SINGLE PIECE OF MATERIAL. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE LOW-PROFILE BOOT. ONCE AGAIN, THIRTY TWO CAME CORRECT AND PRODUCED A SERIES CALLED THE 304 AND THE 305 IN THE EARLY 2000S THAT WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE PETER LINES. PERFECT FLEX, LOW PROFILE TOE, AND A POWER STRAP. LONG DAYS IN THOSE BOOTS WERE NO PROBLEM AT ALL.
THAN ALL THE BOOT COMPANIES STARTED OVER-ENGINEERING THEIR BOOTS WITH ALL SORTS OF PANELS, DUMB HARNESSES, AND INSTEAD OF REFINING LASTS AND PAYING ATTENTION TO SPACE, THEY FOCUSED ON FEATURES.
UNTIL ROME STARTED MAKING THE LIBERTINE.
IT’S BASICALLY THE CLOSEST BOOT I HAVE FOUND TO THE THIRTY TWO 304/305. LOW PROFILE TOE, AMPLE LINER WITH PLENTY OF STRUCTURED SUPPORT BUT CUSHION, LACES, AND A REMOVABLE POWER STRAP.
I RIDE WITH A POWER STRAP IN THE FRONT FOOT AND NOT ONE IN THE BACK.
IN FACT, I ADD AN INTUITION STRAP TO MY FRONT BOOT, I KEEP THE BACK ONE PRETTY LOOSE. +/+ STANCE MEANS YOU WANT YOUR BACK KNEE TO STAY NICE AND LOW. I DON’T RIDE SWITCH, SO MY ISH ISN’T SYMMETRICAL. IT’S OPTIMIZED.
I’LL WRITE MORE ON THIS TOPIC LATER. AND WILL SHOW SOME IMAGES OF MY SOFT BOOT MODS.
THE WORSE I’VE GOTTEN AT SNOWBOARDING, THE PICKIER I HAVE BECOME ABOUT MY GEAR. I’VE MACHINED A FEW RANDOM PARTS FOR MY TOURING SETUP THAT I REALLY CHERISH. I WILL SHARE THOSE HERE SOON. I’LL ALSO TALK ABOUT MY HARDBOOT TOURING SETUP HERE, WHEN I GET A CHANCE. DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH, THO.