Hey everyone!

I live in the wet Pacific Northwest and work out in the bush most of the time and generally spend a lot of time in the bush. My old boots are leaking like crazy and now its time to upgrade! I'm looking between a pair of Asolo Fugitive GTX's and the Salomon Quest 4D 2 GTX. What do you think?

Thanks!

What kind of work in what kind of terrain?

Saloman's

Im a biology field technician so I do a lot of  tracking/data collection work in clearcuts with tons of logs/coarse woody debris, up hills/mountains, and in thick bush (rain forest). I want something that is tough and durable and waterproof for as long as possible (sometimes I work when it rains 25-40 mm a day).

Thanks!

Fugitives all the way. To be fair, I've never worn Salomons, but my Fugitives are so damn comfortable they feel like they were custom made for my feet. Plus they're available in wide widths, which I haven't seen in Salomons. They're absolutely waterproof, have great traction on wet or snowy rocks, and are simply a joy to have on my feet. I recently wore them on a 6 mile hike on Mt Washington NH, and they handled the brutal trail with no problems at all. No blisters, no hot spots, no laces loosening up. And I gotta give props to Darn Tough socks, too, they didn't shift or bunch the whole time.

Thanks for the replies guys! I'm still on the fence, for the fugitives I have to order them (there's a palce in town taht has flames but not fugitives so I can try them on as a fit guide) for $280/shipped (might be extra taxes and duties on top of that) or I can get the Quests in town for $223 after tax.

Also the sale for the Salomon ends tomorrow so I have to make a quick decision

I have the  Salomons and HATED my Asolos. FWIW

I haven't owned either of those so I can't comment on those choices.

I'll throw another into the mix though.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042AN2LI?colid=M1FNSFUEYPA7&coliid=I1JN61IIMUBG0Z&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

In southeast Alaska I wore xtra toughs all over. As long as you're not doing mountains their great. Usually get a season out of them.

I would recommend Danner or Meindl...

Much like Chevy vs Ford or 9 vs 45 you will get many suggestions, but when it comes to boots, one size does not fit all.  

Here are a few archived threads on footwear selection for those who are interested:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_18/681808_Boots.html

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_1/682317_If_you_had_to_pick_one_pair_of_shoes_boots_to_hike_in____.html

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/682040_Which_Hiking_Boots_.html

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/678144_If_you_only_had_one_pair_of_boots_what_would_they_be_.html

Whichever you end up getting, you really need to be able to try them on in the store and walk around for a while. I bought my first pair of Fugitives at an Eastern Mountain Sports and after just walking around the store for a while they let me fill up a pack (about 25lb, I'm not a backpacker and that's about heaviest day pack I carry) and I walked around the area around the store for an hour or so. They felt good so I took them home, but after a month or so I returned them because the regular width was just a bit tight across the toes at the end of the day. EMS didn't stock wide widths but REI did, so I got them and have had happy feet since.

I'd also get a pair of aftermarket footbeds, such as Sole or SuperFeet, the ones that come with boots are junk and provide next to no support. Don't buy them by your shoe size, you have to buy the size that fits your foot most comfortably and trim the excess. My fallen arch feet feel best with SuperFeet Carbons size "F" (in my Fugitives, at least; the heel volume of my Vasques requires green SuperFeet to eliminate heel lift), which is 1 size range higher than my size 11 boots.

I tried many boots including the fugitives and my feet hated them so I recommend buying 1 of each off amazon and returning the pair you don't like.  They usually have free returns on shoes and even pay the return shipping.

For a light pack wearing boot in wet weather I went with the Salomon Quest 4D GTX.  After 2+ years of on and off trail hiking, keeping them clean and treating them they are still 80% GTG.

For heavier pack loads in wet and or winter weather I went with the Asolo TPS 520 GV.  Stiffer sole, more insulation with lots of support.  Same thing on reliability as the Salomons.   I did change the insoles to the green ones to eliminate a tiny bit of heel lift not to mention that the insoles they come with will never last as long as the boots.

I lived in the PNW and spent weekends on the Olympic peninsula on the coast and in the rain forrest and would no doubt recommend these boots for those conditions.

I have the asolo ones and love them.  I've found the salmons a bit too l I got in construction for me..but a light hiker might like them better.

I've done this before with boots and other items, though I prefer buying from EMS, REI, etc, because they'll give you a year to return the boots for the full price paid, no questions asked. I also have an EMS barely 20 minutes away and an REI 2 hours away, so actually trying them on and walking around for a while isn't difficult.

I like my Danners a lot, just keep them greased up and dry them out as needed.

Danner 8" Rainforest.  They were designed for what you're doing.

My boot of choice is the Salomon Quest 4D. They are well worth the money. I had my first pair for about 3-4 years, using them strictly for year round hiking and backpacking I put 350 miles on them before one of the eyelets tore out. I had been planning on retiring them after that trip and using them for work while buying a new pair for my trips. I bought the new pair and sent the old ones in to be fixed. Instead of fixing them they sent me a brand new pair. Now I have two new pairs of Quest 4Ds which is pretty awesome.

The new ones seem to be a bit stiffer right off the bat then I remember my old ones being when they were new. They are still comfortable enough that I use them for everything from quick 6 mile day hikes up to week long trips in subfreezing temps. I used to only wear Danner's but the comfort and minimal break in period for the Salomons is so much better.

I picked up a pair of thses for $71 shipped a couple of months ago. Best boot I've ever owned.

Lowa Men's Zephyr GTX Mid TF Hiking Boot

Did the mfg send you a new pair or where you bought them?  I hadn't heard of Salomon warranty being that good?