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La Sportiva Trango Review

La Sportiva Trango Review

Specifically, these are the Tango TRX GTX and they are the cheapest of the Trango series,  but that doesn't mean they are in any way lacking as far as I'm concerned.

Well just as a starting point with these boots, they were some of the most comfortable I've ever put on out of the box. They are a combination of materials, including good ol' Gore-Tex, and are available in several colours, although the majority of stockists sell them only in yellow or red. They feature things such as 'TPU Thermo Tech Application' and 'Vibram Mulaz outsole with a technical edging platform' which I have no idea what mean but, all add up to make a really comfortable and all-round practical boot.

 

I do have some expensive gear for when I'm out but I always spend the most on a good pair of boots. I've gone through Karrimor and Berghaus boots, along with others I can't remember, and usually I just wear them until even 3 washes in a row cant make my family stop complaining about the smell but, with what I to do while I'm out and about in the wilderness, these are probably the most ideal boots I've come across. I do a bit of climbing up rock faces and some trekking through forests and over mountains and these boots seem to be a really good jack of all trades.
As with the above mentioned technical features, they do have something I could at least figure out which is the '3D Flex' insert. This goes all the way around the bottom of the boot and effectively 'cups' your whole foot in a slightly stiffer material for support. When I first put my foot in I noticed a stiffer heel support and eventually realised it extended around the base of my whole foot. My first thought was I would always 'feel' it while walking, which if you were me would be the worst feeling ever. I am the type who feels a tiny thread come loose in the boot and obsesses over it until I either remove my foot or remove half of the stitching and ultimately compromising the overall integrity of my footwear. With these it was a reassuring feel on the few occasions that I did notice it, but generally I couldn't tell it was there.

 

For a start there is a small patch near the toes of tread that is designed around climbing. Its called the 'climbing zone' and it has no flex in it which gives you an excellent surface to get your toes into crevices, while climbing, that is as solid as the rock you will be stood on. I don't do anything extreme these days, like free climbing, but for my general scaling of smaller cliffs I would be more than happy wearing these.

There is one thing that I find the most useful out of all of its features for my ventures. These are Gore-Tex and waterproof. I didn't intentionally test this feature out however, while getting some photos for some waterproof backpacks on a river, I did slip and go in more than ankle deep. I have a pair of full leather Magnums (advertised as waterproof) that go much higher up my leg and they have soaked my feet in less so I was expecting there to be a very wet foot at the end of my leg, but it was completely dry. I know it sounds strange to say that I was shocked that a waterproof boot was waterproof, but with every pair I've ever owned what happened that day would never have resulted in a dry foot, and I am really pleased I have something I can rely on there.

Well I couldn't say I usually test items as extensively as I have with these boots but, with footwear, it has to deal with whatever you come across for every second you are out in the world. So it can be anything from a small puddle or a fallen tree, to a raging river or land slide. These have encountered pretty much all of that (the landslide wasn't happening at the time but I did make my way over a recent slide) and at no point was I aware that I was testing a pair of new boots. I've worn these over 80 miles of Welsh mountains with, at times, a very heavy pack and they just felt like some boots I'd had for years and knew inside out. This may be the first 'real' pair of hiking boots I've ever owned and I certainly wont be looking at any others for a long time. There are some things I would alter on this shoe if I was making it for myself, but really I would probably just make them worse. These were the TRK GTX version of the Trango although there are other versions (more expensive) that are available with slightly different styling or materials, but they are all basically the same boot. I couldn't recommend these boots more highly, they are absolutely superb and worth every penny you spend on them.

[taq_review]

La Sportiva Trango Review

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Mechanix M-PACT 3 Review

Mechanix M-Pact 3 Review

We got our hands on (well in) some great tactical gloves by Mechanix Wear and we loved them. I do a lot of outdoor activities, so I wanted some gloves that would cover most of my tasks and save me having to swap out or carry multiple pairs when I'm out and about. So when I discovered the Mechanix Wear range, I was eager to get some and find out if they were up to the task. I browsed their many departments and options to get an idea of what they had in stock and then I wrote a list of activities I usually undertake to give myself some idea of what might work out best. I do some hiking and climbing (when I have to), some bushcraft and chopping wood and generally I have two pairs at any one time, one pair are for warmth and one pair are just some general construction gloves for when I'm swinging an axe or carrying logs. I came across these ones and thought, as all rounders, they are probably best I've seen in a long time. I did like a few of their other gloves more for my tasks, but these had the least amount of parts on the pads of the hands and I figured the less seams there are, then the less points of failure there are. So these should be more durable and probably more comfortable for general use, but lets find out.

Since I mentioned comfort I must point out that they aren't bad, but there's one thin that I dislike and that's the seams of the fingers. You can really feel them although, in these at least, they aren't uncomfortable and I don't notice them when I'm wearing them and swinging an axe. It is a shame though because, as far as I'm concerned, this is the only real flaw in these gloves. The only other minor thing I would change is the knuckle padding. I would like it to be a bit thinner as it's quite bulky and I don't think it's necessary for what I generally need.

As for warmth, they aren't thick, but the materials used definitely keep the wind out. They aren't going to go with you to arctic environments, but on chilly days throughout most of the year these are more than adequate. The grip on these things, when I held on to a few different wood and composite handled axes, was superb. I grabbed a few of my knives and felt more secure with these on than any other pair of gloves I've tried before (granted these happened to fit more securely on my hands which is a benefit there). There's a sort of suede used for the palms of the hand and a few strategically placed rubber strips that aid in grip which, together, perform very well.

I'll talk to you a little bit about the gloves and I'll go through some of the tasks I've put them through to give you an idea of how they worked out for me. I've already talked about chopping wood and handling knives and axes with these (which were all passes in my book), but I also done some climbing of rocks, ropes and trees, and also just general wear while walking.
So climbing was ok, although I really do wish I had chosen the fingerless gloves for these tasks as any material between you and a lifeline can be dire. These weren't bad though, and for climbing rope, or pulling on it(if you were belaying somebody while climbing) was very nice. Trees weren't a problem really, but the padding on the knuckles did get in the way at times.
While chopping with an axe (which again performed very well) I did smack my hands a few times (intentionally, so not as hard as I might do it if I accidentally missed a swing) and the padding really did protect my knuckles rather well. There's also a little bit of padding on the lower knuckles of the fingers which you don't see in pictures.
For general wear, they were comfortable enough and kept the wind off, but you can always feel the knuckle padding. This is fine if you want to walk around feeling like your about to punch somebody in the face, but obviously a pointless feature otherwise for this task.

Overall, these are pretty decent gloves. I would prefer it if the main knuckle padding wasn't as bulky, but I guess these weren't designed around bushcraft/survival but are very good for a pair of combat gloves. They do work well for most of the tasks you would be doing on a day-to-day basis out of combat, but really Mechanix probably has something a bit more suitable for us 'civvies'. That being said though, I can use these over the usual gloves I carry and they will perform the task of the usual 2 pairs I require. I will be looking at some other Mechanix gloves more closely when I get a chance, but for now I'm quite happy with these.

[taq_review]

Mechanix M-PACT 3 Review

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