Monday 17 November 2014

Review: Scarpa Mojito GTX Shoes

- Product provided for the purpose of review, thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk - 



Manaufacturer's description: "The new Mojito GTX features the same Spyder sole unit, suede upper and rubber toe rand which has made the Mojito so popular and adds a Gore-Tex membrane for those times when the weather turns British"

From the web: 

A striking design; different to most of the outdoor style shoes on offer in the UK. Laces all the way down to the toe box allow for a perfect fit, according to Scarpa at least. Gore Tex lining allows this shoe to be worn in all  the weather Britain has to offer and a solid brand reputation means this shoe could be really handy during winter when most outdoor shoes get a little bit wet and cold. 


First impressions: 

These shoes feel really stiff, there's not much give in them at all, great if you're looking for a hardwearing and tough shoe but not great when you've broken them in and sizing changes. A good design, I'm not sure how sold I am on the lace all the way down look, a bit odd and impractical for my liking. The Spyder sole feels really grippy, the standard with Vibram of course, this is their new style though and it feels great on rock and wet surfaces, very trustworthy. Overall the shoes look good I think, a refreshingly different look that won't suit everyone's tastes but when do a pair of shoes ever do that?






Out and about: 


After an initial break in period I quickly became disappointed with Mojito GTX shoes. I love the firmness but the cost of this is a very unforgiving shoe, after a few hours my knees were definitely feeling uncomfortable and cramp had kicked in. I have other pairs of Scarpa shoes in this size and they don't make my feet feel like this so why should the Mojito GTX? For the hefty price tag (£135!) I expected a shoe I could happily wear around town, up a hill and on the approach but this shoe didn't quite excel in any of these categories for me. Stiff enough to go up hills but lacking the ankle support, too unforgiving to wear all day and too expensive to treat like rubbish on the approach to a climb. 



A really grippy Vibram sole.


The very long lace didn't help with getting the shoes tight, the problem with such a lace is that nothing happens at the bottom when you tighten the top. I tried working my way up but it was difficult to maintain a taught lace with the suede upper and by the time I got to the top the bottom has become loose again. A great idea in theory but in practice it was disappointing. 

I couldn't find fault with the level of waterproofness the shoe provides, I wore them out in some stinking weather and they did brilliantly - keeping my feet warm, letting them breathe and keeping the water out. 

Don't get me wrong, these are a good pair of shoes but the precision of fit has to be spot on and you need a wallet which can handle the high cost.

For the price tag I expected a more comfortable shoe, especially one which has 5/5 on the Scarpa website for city walking, 4/5 for approach and trail walking and is aimed at the high end market for outdoor shoes. 

After wearing them for some time, I'm now beginning to think I judged the shoes a little too quickly. They become more comfortable as time goes on as the fabric stretches, these shoes take some serious breaking in! 

Overall, the shoes are good. I think for the price tag I expect a comfortable shoe from the minute the box opens, there shouldn't be a need to wear them for a month before they become comfortable or even bearable. If you get the sizing spot on then I think the shoe is great, and if you like the style!


Positive points:


  • Great build quality and materials
  • High level of waterproofness for a shoe
  • Grippy Vibram sole
  • The design is bold and refreshing (even if I didn't love it)
Not-so-positive points:
  • A tough shoe, takes a while to break them in.
  • They hurt my knees after a day of walking in them, I think the sole changed my step slightly and caused the pain in my knee.



Thanks for reading, if you're after a pair of Scarpa Mojito GTX shoes then try outdoorkit.co.uk, the shoes currently have 15% off the RRP.

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