Asolo Neutron GV

Lightweight, sturdy, long lasting, and comfortable right out of the box. Gore-Tex makes them waterproof and breathable.

The Asolo Neutron Gore-Tex boot has proven to be exactly the boot I‘ve needed for my backpacking requirements. When I first began shopping around for a boot in 2016, I was looking for a boot that would be waterproof and provide sufficient foot support and most importantly, comfort for my then upcoming backpacking trip on the North Country Trail in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

On my cross-country walk to the Grand Canyon from Wisconsin in 2006, my feet took a beating. Having the wrong footwear for this excursion resulted in plantar fasciitis and a stress fracture, along with chronic blisters which plagued me throughout the 2047-mile walk. Needless to say, nowadays having the correct footwear is of paramount importance to me.

Years ago, my older brother and I purchased Asolo Meridian boots and found them to be great companions until they wore out. So when I saw the Asolo Neutron Gore-Tex boots on sale at Sierra Trading Post, I was intrigued. Granted, brand name loyalty can be disappointing as companies often change ownership and loyalty to manufacturing processes and locations, but to my surprise—these boots were still made in Romania! 

So, I bit down and ordered a pair. Getting boots in the correct size is a crapshoot when ordering footwear online. So, I outlined my foot on a piece of cardboard and measured length and width and compared my dimensions with Sierra’s shoe sizing guide. I ended up ordering size 10.5 wide. Upon opening the box, I immediately noticed how light they were (compared to the leather Lowa, Danner, and Meridian boots of my past). Then I tried to bend the sole of the boot to test the rigidity of the last, and it was very strong indeed.

I put them on and they felt like they were made for my feet. They cinched up firmly and I knew that they would provide the support I needed for backpacking. I was so impressed with them that I immediately ordered a second pair for myself, as well as a pair for my son. I recommended them to my older brother, and he bought a pair for himself also.

In reading the reviews of the Asolo Neutron boots on the Sierra website, some were disappointed at the tread life of the Neutron for repeated use on concrete. Well, tread compound is a tricky subject: too firm makes for a slippery boot on ice, and too soft can lead to foot fatigue and sole cracking. For my purposes, I intended to use these boots for off-road use primarily, as well as snowshoeing and occasional winter walking in town here in Wisconsin. These boots are now four years old as of this writing, and the treads have held up very well. (Photo)

In ascending and descending soft terrain, the tread design has had excellent grip. On icy concrete, they do the job. On algae covered rocks in the streambed, well one should shy away from algae covered rocks with any boot.

When I finally did the North Country Trail, I was carrying an 80-liter backpack with roughly 40 lbs of kit. The trail encounters every conceivable terrain from rocky ledges to soft sand to stream crossing to gravel to muddy puddled track. And later on, snow covered leafy trail. The boot negotiated them all with authority. My feet only felt as though they might blister when I had to walk a gravel road for a few miles. The constant footfall on the same terrain at the same angle of impact brought this on. Thankfully, I was off the road before blisters materialized.

When walking through a long section of ankle deep puddles, the Gore-Tex kept my feet dry, and breathed wonderfully! Foot sweat was never an issue. I was amazed. The only miniscule ingress of water occurred at the eyelet rivets at the toe of the boot. It was so negligible as to be a non-issue.

After I finished to trip, I cleaned the boots with a garden hose and toothbrush to remove imbedded mud from the nylon outer. Over the years, this has resulted in a bit of fuzziness from brushing them (photo).

The only thing I can think to denegrate concerning the boot, is a material shortcoming. The hard nylon scuff guard on the outer toe of the boots started showing tiny fissures within the first year. I examined my second pair and it was evident there as well. I looked at my son’s boots and same thing. Now, this doesn’t affect the performance or waterproofness of the boots in any way, other than a minor cosmetic imperfection upon close inspection. It hasn’t gotten any worse over the past several years that I can see. I’ve subtracted a half star for this reason. (Photo)

All in all, I’ve developed a close relationship with these boots and still get compliments on them from outdoorsy stylistas.

Cheers!

Background

Long backpacking trips, occasional snowshoeing forays, and winter walking on city streets. Sometimes I use them for cold weather bicycling.

Great stability on steeper trails with load. Good for narrower feet. Bit on the heavier side. Great fit.

Have been using these hiking boots for a few weeks now and wear them daily to work apart from trails on the weekends. I wear a 10.5 for my street shoes and got the same in these. These run a bit narrower and suit my somewhat narrow feet well.

They did need a few days to break in. I haven't experienced any chafing. I did notice a sore point on my inner ankle bone on one hike, but this has since disappeared. GoreTex keeps it waterproof and I have tested it a bit by stepping in water a couple of inches deep. 

Have carried 20+ lbs on my hikes up fairly steep trails, and the stability of these boots is awesome, and makes for a very sure footing. The soles have very good grip and the ankle support is awesome. Have done a few shallow water crossings, across wet slippery rock and they were great.

The boot is built very solid, and there is not as much flex as other hiking boots I have used in the past. In hot Texas summer conditions with medium hiking socks on, they stayed comfortable. The lacing system works well and the boot fits snugly all around if tightened. There is ample space in the toe box and I did not experience any toe jams on steeper downhills. They boots are a bit on the heavier side, and this can take some getting used to.

Overall, great boot.       

Very reliable 3 and 1/2 season hiking boot.

These shoes run a tad large, so I felt great in one half size smaller. I've put these shoes through the ringer and they've held up extremely well even on winter hikes. They double as trail runners too!

Very impressed with the waterproofing on these. No problems with sweaty feet in the summer, however I primarily used these in spring, fall, and winter despite the fact that they are intended as three-season shoes. In the winter they kept my feet warm on days above ten degrees. Any colder than that, I'd go with a pair with more insulation.

I used these with gaiters in the snow and after two winter seasons, the velcro on the gaiters started to really pluck away the nylon fibers on the tops of the boots. Not Asolo's fault as they are not intended for winter use. GREAT BOOT.