PAT COM REVIEW: First Look at the Patagonia Nomad Gore-Tex Boot
At the end of last winter, I found a nice little deal on the regularly priced $160 Patagonia Nomad Gore-Tex Boot. I finally got a chance to test them in inclement weather last week when the skies opened up and the rain came a-fallin' down.
They held up nicely and kept my feet warm and dry. The uppers are a great looking and great feeling leather and the contrast-color eyelets make for a snazzy design.
The back of the Patagonia Nomad Gore-Tex Boots have a rubber (or plastic?) piece that goes up the back a bit and gives rigidity to the heal.
Inside is a Gore-Tex membrane that keeps the wet stuff out. This is going to be a great hiking shoe and perfect for those days when I need to walk through some puddles and muck. It has a thickly padded collar and tongue that offers nice support to the ankles too.
And the sole offers some great nubby traction by the folks at Vibram. I hope to get these out to the snow this winter for some hiking and snowballing with the family and from what I've seen so far, they should hold up beautifully. From what I understand, Patagonia has partnered with Merrell to produce their shoe line and so far, the Patagonia Nomad Gore-Tex Boots are winners in my book. More to come once I really give them a test.
P.S. Feel free to check out my other PAT COM REVIEWS here.
Labels: Nomad Gore-Tex Boots, Pat Com Reviews, Patagonia Shoes
posted by Patagonia Community at
10/21/2009
2 Comments:
Very interesting comment about the partnership between Patagonia and Merrell! I recently chatted with a representative from Patagonia, and from the question I asked, he replied that Patagonia sizes the same as Merrell. I suspect that the rumor is true. Is there any suspicion as to what Merrell boot the Patagonia is modeled after, or is it a dedicated design only to the Patagonia name? What I am trying to get at is if there is another boot of exactly the same specs, but with the Merrell name and lower price.
BTW, how are these boots holding up?
Hi J,
Yes, Merrell and Patagonia have joined forces on the Patagonia footwear line. This article talks about that: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/patagonia_and_m.php
The boots have held up well. In fact I wore them yesterday for the first time in a while. We had some wet and cold weather out here in the west and they did great. I've not been up to the snow yet or really had to experience any severe weather so I can't say how they'd do in those conditions. But they are comfortable and they have that heavy-duty look to them.
After looking at the Merrell website, it looks like comparable shoes from Merrell are pretty similarly priced as those from Patagonia. It doesn't appear as though Merrell's prices are significantly lower than Patagonia's (again, for a comparable product). Also, from the Patagonia website, it sounds like more care has been taken to stay consistent with Patagonia's environmental ideals and commitment to making a "cleaner" or "greener" product. Perhaps that's worth choosing a Patagonia-branded product over a Merrell-branded product.
Thanks for the comment J.
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