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Two questions:
1. Has anyone found the soles on their Hanwag Sky GTXs wearing out abnormally fast? For Vibram-soled boots, I am surprised at how fast my soles are wearing down. I've used them for about 10 hikes/jumps in Moab, perhaps 50 jumps/hikes in Twin, and the rest have been soft, muddy farm fields in the midwest. The tread is disappearing quickly. And I'm a lightweight dude: 165 lbs.

2. Has anyone had theirs resoled? If so, where? I found some places in the UK and Canada that offer resole of Hanwag brand boots, but none say anything about the Sky GTX or Super Fly GTX specifically. And I'm sure there has to be some place in 'Merica that'll do it. The uppers are in perfect condition yet, so I'd hate to throw them away.

Cheers,

Chris

I'm on my second pair of these. They are absolutely the most comfortable and supportive boots ever but I have had the same problems with the soles. Recently got my second pair just prior to a trip to Norway. 40 jumps/hikes later the tread is all but bald whilst the uppers are still flawless. I'm unimpressed. A couple of my buddies have had similar experiences. I think Vibram make different compound soles. The harder ones as used on their more mountain climbing heavy duty and military oriented boots can be resoled however I am yet to find a place that will resole the more flexible rubber of the GTX. I am searching now and if I get any results, I'll post here. Let me know if you turn anything up too.
Mac

Talk to a cobbler. I have had a pair of Red-Wing boots resoled and they have similar soles. A cobbler should be able to get Vibram soles, or something similar, and glue them on. Please post if you have any luck getting them re-soled.

Try Rock and Resole in Boulder Colorado

I visited a couple cobblers in the Milwaukee area and got an unequivocal, "No, we can't resole them." A few explained that the type of sole on the SkyGTX is attached by a rather expensive piece of machinery. I was encouraged to contact HanWag directly.

But one cobbler recommended a large-scale boot resole company called Resole America, in Virginia. I sent them some questions today and included a link to HanWag's product page for the SkyGTX. I'll post when I hear more from them.

On a slight tangent, HanWag's website shows the SkyGTX is available in a dark blue color. Why the hell is everyone only selling the hey-police-here-i-am-orange ones?

~ Chris

I've jumped the same pair for 6years with no abnormal wear.. they're filthy, but that's all

Directly from the Hanwag website


All HANWAG models can be resoled – without exception. If a boot or shoe is in a reasonable condition but the sole is worn it may benefit from a resole. Ask a shoemaker or a HANWAG dealer – they will be able to advise you. We will be happy to resole your boots at cost price.

Well F$*k me. I should learn how to use the IntraWebSphere better. Thanks for the heads-up. Resole America doesn't seem to respond to requests for information. I'll get in touch with the HanWag dealer in Illinois.

Cheers,

Chris

You should send them to David Page and tell him what you want. He can sole anything to your custom liking.

http://www.lostinseattle.com/...davepagecobbler.html

UPDATE:

I went right to the source and asked the horse...Vibram USA.

Vibram only produces the soles for the Sky GTX in batches at HanWag's request, because this is the only boot on which these soles are used. As such, nobody has soles available to do resoles. Vibram is concerned that the soles seem to be wearing out quickly, so they're going to do some tests on my soles to ensure they meet specifications. But they did say the soles are intended for dirt/soil environments, and probably would wear more quickly on rock (the climb out in Twin or in Moab).

Vibram is willing to produce us (BASE jumpers) a batch of soles so that we can get our boots resoled. And they said Dave Page in Seattle can certainly do the work once they send him the soles. They would simply like us to get a sense of demand (how many pairs and in what sizes). They'll send Dave the soles plus some extras, and we can get our boots done up right-nice through Dave.

ACTION ITEM: If you need/want your Sky GTXs resoled, please email me before Sunday, August 12th with your boot size. BE SURE to indicate whether it's US, UK, etc. when you specify the size. (Also, please let me know where you live. I'd like to let Vibram know if there's significant demand for this in the UK, New Zealand, or Uzbekistan. Perhaps they'll coordinate with a cobbler elsewhere, too.)

CJLAVESSER[at]SEEK-FUN[dot]COM

Timeline: Once I tell Vibram how many soles we need, they said it'll take two weeks to make 'em, one week to ship 'em from China to Dave, and then roughly a one-week turn-around for the resole procedure. Expect this to take a bit longer if 64 of us send Dave our boots at the same time.

Price: I HAVE NO IDEA. But resoles for most hunting/tactical boots are going for around $60USD right now. Vibram does not intend to charge anything extra due to the special batch, since they realize they've deprived the market of soles for this particular boot.

Other: Vibram said they may be able to give us a sole that is more durable, but it would be all black. I told them we're not so much concerned about color, but rather, are focused on heel/ankle protection. Shock absorption is priority 1, predictable traction is priority 2, durability is priority 3, and appearance is pretty low on the scale as long as these boots don't end up looking even more Punky Brewster. Vibram will let me know soon, and we can move forward.

Obviously there are some moving parts here. So none of this is guaranteed. But if we can get our needs to Vibram, they'll try getting some soles sent to Dave in Seattle. I'm happy to communicate with Vibram.

If you have other questions, please let me know. I'm sure I've forgotten something.

Cheers,

Chris

PS - Spread the word so we can help as many as possible.

Fantastic work, maybe you should post this on some paragliding forums too, they also use Hanwags.

Would they send a pair of soles out to SA?

I know this thread is a little stale, but I'm resurrecting it because there's new information, or as The Dude would say, "New shit has come to light, man."

I only got two responses to my inquiry regarding soles, so Vibram was unwilling to make such a small batch of soles.

I just kept using my Hanwags until the soles began to get pretty thin, and then I sent them off to Dave Page, Cobbler in Seattle. Dave Page was suggested by both Hanwag and Vibram, in addition to at least one jumper on this forum.

Dave contacted me today after spending some time looking at my boots and said he wouldn't touch them. The sole is an odd shape, and he didn't have anything he could put on the boot that would restore it to anything like its original function. He's sending my boots back to me, and apologized that he couldn't be more helpful to us.

So, treat those soles well, 'cause it does not appear they're easy to replace - notwithstanding what's on Hanwag's and Vibram's website.

~ Chris

Thanks for that, I've written off my Sky GTX Hanwags and going for the bulky Superfly GTX next time.

Dan,

I'm curious, what's your reason for wanting/preferring the Superfly GTX over the Sky GTX?

Thanks!

It's a sturdier boot. For instance the thread on the side of the boot is covered with black rubber where mine are exposed and have been scrapped off by rocks while hiking and climbing. Using the toe to climb off smaller foot holds has eaten away the rubber where the superfly GTX has a harder compound.

The light weight of the sky gtx is amazing but the trade off is a boot that wears fairly quickly. I have taken good care of mine and although the boot is in the great shape I will have to write them off because the sole is wasted.

I did over 400 jumps in my Superflys. No clue how many miles I used them as plain old hiking boots on top of that. Boots were still in great condition and just getting comfortable when the sole finally wore out. It seemed like a shame to waste the boots as they were still in great condition but I couldn't find anyone to resole them at the time. So I went and bought another pair of Superflys. Great value if you ask me.