Last 5 years ive stuck with Danner and Salomon. Always wanted to try Asolo but just havent because Ive been pretty satisfied with the first. That said, I love me some good boots but Asolo makes it hard to choose. I was leaving toward Avalon based on the GTX factor. All the boots are about $30 apart in cost. (Fugatives, Avalon, Drifter) Which to choose? What do you recommend?

I have the Fugitives.  They are excellent boots.

Send your Danners back to be recrafted.

non recraftable Rivot models.

Tag-

I have many different pairs of danners, and a new pair of meindl which so far are working out really well.

I have been looking at a couple different pair of asolo lately but just haven't pulled the trigger.  Maybe because I don't know any one personally who runs them?

I have been eyeballing the asolo neutron Gore-Tex...  Though truth be told I will probably wait a year or two before I pull the trigger as I still have several sets of other boots new in box.  

I have a pair of the Fugitive GTX's for the last year.  They have been threw several training classes,  one 3 day patrolling class, 6 day elk hunt,& daily wear.   These have become my favorite pair of boots.  I wear them pretty much daily now

Any one care to share pics?

Anyone auffering seperated soles the Asolo fugitive line seems to be hit with in a lot of reviews?

I wore the 520's for years. I hike and hunt.

I distribute for another high end boot company now. Otherwise I would still be wearing the brand.


Great product IMO.


Just make sure the fit is right for you OP.


Salomon also fits me FWIW.

I have the 520's and the fugitives both for three years.  I haven't experienced any separation.  I have had some stitching issues on the fugitives and they leaked after 14 months.  I ended up having them re-sown through the gore material and soaked them down with snoseal to waterproof.  Both are very comfortable.

Huge soloman fan here.  I wear their speedracers for all my spring summer and fall backpacking.  60lb pack, offtrail in alaska.  Love them.  Light and fast.  Granted I have young strong ankles still.

For winter, its koflaches.  Because fuck alaskan winters....

Well nevermind me then carry on.  

I got the asolo fugitives. Glad they were free. Stiff as hell forever it seemed. If you found something that works for you, stick with what you know.

Everyone has different feet, some brands work better than others for one person, while another brand might be better for someone else.  Motorcycle helmets are similar in this regard.

I'm constantly in the outdoors. I've had many pairs of Asolo, multiple American made Danners, and several Salomon's.  I prefer certain pairs for certain activities.  I tend to go with Asolo for a heavy duty hiker/backpacking boot.  I wear leather US made Danners to work (business casual in field).  I wear 3 different pair of Salomon's as general purpose weekends shoes (light duty outdoor).  I recently discovered Alico hikers through the Sierra Trading Post; not to give you more to consider, but these Italian made boots have been outstanding for me.  

You probably won't go wrong with any of the boots mentioned in this thread.

Very true.  I saw Alico on STP while looking at Asolo but had never heard of them.

Ive had a pair of fugitives for about 2 years. Mine have a bunch of miles on them, hiking, backpacking, and running. Shot a match where we were doing timed rucks is where the running came from. They are great boots. Having said that I wouldn't buy again. My feet just don't agree with them. They are very stiff in the soles and I've found them to be slippery on wet, hard surfaces. I have several friends and love them. They are great quality, just make sure your feet like them when you try them on. In my experience they just didn't break in a whole lot. Ive had a pair of green and orange superfeet insoles in them and they are a worlds better. I'm going with Lowa or Salomon next.

I have had Asolos for forever for backpacking.   I can't remember the older model but switched to the Fugatives about 5 years ago.  Great boots.

The only complaint is the laces on my Fugatives come undone from rubbing on my pants for some reason.  It's annoying more than anything.

I love my Fugitives, they fit like they were made for my feet and have worn really well over the 18 months I've had them. I wore them on a Mt Washington hike last October, and neither mud nor wet or snowy rocks gave me any problems. The laces stayed tight, I didn't have any sock slippage, and no blisters or even a hot spot. I wear them snowshoeing in temps down to about 20F, the leather gets soaked but my feet stay dry. I wish they made other colors than just wool/black in wide sizes, but I may just buy myself 2 more pairs for later. I may look for some other Asolo boots built on the same last, too. I have a hell of a time finding boots that really fit me, so far it's pretty much the Fugitives, Sorel Conquests, and Keen Summit County III. Vasques don't fit (not wide enough across the toes), Keen Revel IIIs don't (also not wide enough in the toes), I just ordered a pair of Keen Koven Polar boots and we'll see how those fit.

The only problem I've had with them was one of the lace hooks popped off while I was lacing them. REI said they'd warranty them, but I didn't want a new pair that wasn't broken in. So I sent them off to Dave Page, cobbler, and for about $35 including shipping he repaired them. It was late summer so turnaround time was a little long, about 3 weeks.

I wish more people were like you and just paid anlittle to fox items vs taking them back to tje store for a full set of new ones.

I prefer Keen boots.

I like my Fugitives.

My flat feet and my prescription orthotics loves Asolo Fugitives.

Another big thumbs up for the asolo fugitives.  I got plantar fasciitis in both feet over summer 2013.  Went to foot doc,  he sold me inserts and told me to get "good stiff soled shoes".  I ran to REI and bot the asolos.

Had been wearing the lowa renegades for years before this.  Thought they were awesome.  In retrospect they are flimsy compared to the asolos  For me the asolos are a huge jump from the lowas.

I have two pair of the asolos.  The first I bought in 2013 and these (with inserts) fixed my foot problem within a few months.  Bought a second pair a year later for "dress",  the first pair were still good but needed some that were clean and not showing field use.

These two pair of shoes are all I've worn for 3 1/2 years.  The first pair need new inserts but are other wise still waterproof and comfy.  The second pair is in better shape and I wouldn't hesitate to grab them on my way out to face uncertain times.

Asolo sells these online lately direct for around 175$ with free shipping.  Haven't tried this yet but will soon.  

Downsides?  Walking in shorts has caused me to trip a bunch of times (my jeans cover lace hooks)  when in shorts the lace hooks grab the loops of the other shoe and cause me to trip.  I have learned to tie my shoes with knots and loops to the outside.

Asolos are quality boots. I had some of their all leathers. I ended up returning them, though. I don't like my boots quite that stiff, and I couldn't get a good fit (they have narrow toe boxes and I have duck feet).

I don't know when that was but Asolos currently come in wide sizes.

Yeah, I had wide. Just that toe box.

I just bought a pair of Keen Koven Polar boots, and they are fantastic. Wore them to work the day after getting them, then snowshoeing for a few miles after work. No break-in time necessary. Backcountry.com might still have them for $90. Go 1/2 size larger.