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| FITWELL MODEL BIG WALL |
Today I was in the market for a new pair of light weight but super tough boots. Is that really possible???
This was my criteria:
Must be leather construction, yeah right!??
Must have a Vibram sole
Must be breathable
Must not have plastic parts (except maybe shanks)
Must not be gimmicky- ie just all functional design
Must not break the bank!
Must be very comfortable and fit snuggly.
Must look the part (just joking!).
Now the bonuses would be:
Possible to be resoled?
Possible for light weight crampons (eg Grivels etc)?
Not made in China-I did not have high hopes for this.
Possible to have Gortex or similar but not necessary.
Not too heavy- I have heavy mountaineering boots already. I wanted light weight walking boots but tough!
I went into my usual stores and was actually looking to replace my now totally hammered and in the bin, old Garmont boots of which I have had exceptional value from. I was wearing my Garmont Vetta MNTs and these approach shoes, whilst not Gortex (there is a current Gortex model) are still going strong after much use both on and off the mountain trails; in fact they have some years left I reckon. However, I need a boot really for safety in the mountain trails, as the old ankles do much better with a boot these days for some serious scrambling and hiking. This year's Garmont's light weight Summer boots are not much higher than their approach shoes and that annoyed me. I have no idea why they reduced the height here as they are simply just above the ankle and their current model approach shoes are very very good. But I don't need any more approach shoes.
So wandering to my next port of call, (A small but very, very cool shop, staffed by very friendly and just as importantly, knowledgeable staff)- Outsider Outdoor Store in Sofia Bulgaria! (BTW I totally recommend this store to any foreigner or local to consider shopping for their outdoor needs whilst in the capital city).
I came across the Italian brand, FITWELL. Well to be honest, it sounded like some cheap Chinese brand and they looked a bit like maybe a knock off of La Sportiva's but those foolish assumptions of mine were about to fly straight out the door I had just entered (and they were nothing like La Sportiva's stupid me!). WOW, WOW WOW! If you are not aware of this brand then get aware now! A staff member introduced to the brand and showed me FITWELL's manufacturing-all by skilled artisans, yes many processes and steps by human hands only and of course aided by modern technology. FITWELL boots and shoes are FULLY MADE IN ITALY!
Need I say more about the synonymous quality that is represented by those words "Made In Italy" when it comes to shoe manufacturing. My fist ever climbing shoes (actually boots were made in Italy) and many subsequent shoes-until I was resoling them myself LOL as a poor uni student LOL!
I tried on the the BIG WALL model, which BTW satisfied all of my above criteria plus more. Instantly comfortable, even with my custom made orthotic inner soles in place of the boots inner soles. I made the purchase!
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No flunky plastic fittings on this boot! The Big Wall by FITWELL, fully made in Italy!
The heel loops have also got reflective piping so you can be seen walking in the night by others behind you!
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The Big Wall model comes under their "Active Performance" line of footwear and is currently available in 2 different color variations; grey or yellow (both very cool IMHO).
Let me tell you more about this brand.
FITWELL, you may not have heard of but if you are an outdoors person and have climbed or trekked you must have come across the brand "ONEsport" yes,? ONEsport was run by Giuliano Grotto in 1979. In the 90's it was bought out by a French concern, however Giuliano Grotto formed a new company called, that's right, Fitwell, now an international name in the mountaineering, climbing and snowboarding fraternity and those others in the know of high quality footwear as a result of over 30 years of experience.
His motto is for every thing to be made in Italy and they are certainly proud of this. Only quality materials are used for manufacturing their products and this immediately shows when one holds their products in their paws and is confirmed when one puts them on their feet.
Specs at a glance
Vibram sole (ULTRAGRIP Mulaz sole EVO and EVA foam)
Sticky rubber rand
Split leather uppers 1.2-1.4mm suede with water repellency treatment.
Excellent (in fact the best I have ever seen) inner soles-very functional in design
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| Super cushioning and breathable inner soles as standard! |
Super tough laces
Eyelets on lacing stress points
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| Lacing eyelets enable a snug perfect ankle fit. Plus the bonus of using eyelets is there is no lug to get caught up on anything. We all know how annoying that can be when even scrambling let alone climbing. No lugs! |
EVENT WATERPROOF Membrane in 3 layers.
According to FITWELL the Big Wall model is "easy to resole"
What is the Big Wall model good for?
The Big Wall is suitable for approach and technical mountaineering. Mine will be just used for approach and Summer Autumn/Fall mountain hiking.
BTW there is a slightly lighter weight version with not as much leather and the use of a synthetic tough looking nylon.
You can read more about this Italian shoe company
I'll be testing them out in the mountains, so stick around for a video on BushCampingTools, coming soon!
Here it is the full video review of the Fitwell Big wall boots
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