Gear 9: Scarpa ZG65 XCR

Well, no surprise when the reconnaissance visit turned into a purchase. By my inaccurate bathroom scales, the pair of size 45's weighs in at 1.6kg. Coy Starnes at BackpackGearTest weighed a size 45.5 pair at 1.45kg in 2005.

The US site has better pictures of the boot. The colour is the dark version, "Anthracite", they call it. Gore-tex XCR lined, with vibram soles.

The gent in the shop measured and checked my feet, listened to what I was going to trek with them, and came up with recommendations. By this stage, I'd been round 3 other shops in Aberdeen, and looked at what was on offer. The only other one that tempted me was the Brasher Supalite.

At home, I finally managed to fish out the superfeet from the old Scarpa SL's and install them in the ZG65's. A couple of podcasts later, I had finished an extended walk around the block in them. Nice and comfortable. I'll wear them on urban treks to get them worn in.