Fabiano Trionic

Best boots I've ever owned.

Got my Fabianos mail-ordered to me on the A.T. from Campmor during my thru-hike in '89. No break in. Put them on at the base of Mt. Moosilauke and no blisters. Still have them, as does my wife.

Got another pair off eBay for my son who loves them as well. Just got finished Sno-Sealing all three pairs. 

Absolutely the best boots I've ever owned. No break in required. The most comfortable shoes including slippers and sneakers that I've ever owned. After I snow sealed and polished them they were also the nicest looking shoes I've ever owned. Went up and down Mt. Washington many times in them and wore them all winter as shoes. Very protective.

The problem is that the soles wear out and cannot be easily replaced. I had someone resole them for $50 and they look great, but are not as comfortable hiking.

They no longer manufacture them, and I've never found any boot as good. They were perfect, and I am heartbroken that I will never be able to buy another pair.

This looks suspiciously like the Scarpa Trionic SL circa 1984, even down to the laces. If so, I've got a pair that were usable for about 25 years of hard wear, but not beyond that. Excellent boot, but nothing similar made today.

If this is the same boot and it looks very much like it, I wore a pair for 25 years of Scottish hill and Continental alpine use. They were very good all round and comfortable on easier terrain, as well as mountain use. If they were still made, I'd buy a pair tomorrow. Oh for a boot without excessive padding and lining!

Background

English and Scottish hills, French and Swiss alps, Polish Tatras. Comfortable, protective and durable throughout. Just the right amount of flex.

Twenty plus years, still comfortable, still working well.

I bought a pair of these boots over twenty years ago for a semester long NOLS course. By the end of the course, I was the only student that didn't, at one point or another, end up with blisters or other foot problems. They served through snow, over some terrible broken terrain in New Mexico, in the Chihuahuan Desert.

 Twenty plus years later, I still own them and they are the most comfortable boot I've even owned.

I must agree with Mark!

I have had my Fabianos for about 20 years and they can't be killed. I have backpacked all over the Northeast including the Adirondack High Peak region, the White Mountains and Maine. I then took them through the Narrows in Zion as well as Bryce and down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

They held up through it all without so much a whimper from my feet. A classic great boot. I can see that they can last another 20 years at least!

I have beaten the hell out of my Trionics for over twenty years (they were only about $110 back then). They've endured everything from razor edge volcanic glass to Arizona hardpan and cactus to northeastern mud and granite boulders. Took me to the top of most of the Adirondack High Peaks. Resoled twice, but the boots, religiously treated with Sno Seal, are dry, warm, and fit like a glove. I don't ever want to wear another boot.

I have to echo the first two reviewers. I, too, have had my Trionics for over twenty years, also paid $110 back then, also can't kill 'em. First trip was up in the Winds in WY and they saved my life, have been fantastic ever since. I told my skiing/paddling buddy if this place ever burns down I'll be standing outside clutching those boots!