UKH

I've heard rumours that the Scrapa phantom tech suffers from quick sole wear and are probably not that suitable for Scottish winter (more suitable for icefall/alpine where crampons are worn for longer periods/less walking). Has anyone else heard this opinion? What are peoples experiences with the boots?

In reply to monkeyme2:
Take a look at the outsole comparison. Looks to be more in line with the old Phantom 6000's in terms of thickness, so yeah. Less rubber, less durability. Whether it's suitable for Scottish Winter will depend on how often you go and how much money you have. Lightweight gear will always have a price/durability sacrifice.

http://www.thealpinestart.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Scarpa_Phantom_Tec...

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Cheers, yeah I've read the review and understand the payoff between weight and durability. I just heard a report that they were significantly less durable with sole wear enough to make there use as a Scottish winter boot an issue, even with moderate/low use. I just wanted to find out if anyone had any experience with them/ heard of issues too or it was just one off.

In reply to monkeyme2:

They do have soft, thin rubber, especially when compared to Charmoz's and are wearing quite quickly. They are also incredibly light and have great fit and feel if you have slightly wide feet so I guess they're more biased towards function than longevity.

Best,

S

In reply to monkeyme2:

Quite a few Mountaineering Instructors have been using these and have reported very quick sole wear

In reply to monkeyme2:

In some cases the sole has lasted little more than ten days.

In reply to Rich W Parker:

That's £50 a day!

In reply to monkeyme2:

What is the consensus with how they compare to the last generation of Scarpa Phantoms? i.e. the orange and black ones? Also, does anyone know how the sole wear compares with the new La Sportiva Batura's?

Basically I am going to be replacing my original La Sportiva Batura's at the end of this Winter, they have worn pretty well but the sole is now gone essentially at the front rand.

Any suggestions as to what boot seems to wear the best for Scottish Winter which is currently still available to buy?

In reply to Lamb:

If you can get the older Guide they have thicker soles with more lugs than the Techs and the rubber was a denser compound, all meaning better wear. No experience of the Sportiva equivalents so can't offer comparison.

Best,

S

In reply to monkeyme2:

I met someone who had used the Phantom Techs for around 20 days on the hill in Scotland this winter, and the soles had already worn out.

Having understandably complained to Scarpa, he was told that he was using the boots inappropriately as they are designed for use with a crampon only (!)

Clearly in Scotland Scarpa now expect climbers to walk in in their socks...

In reply to JackM92:


A pair of Zodiacs and a pair of Rebel Ice weigh approximately the same as a pair of Phantom Guides. Although not exactly the budget option...

In reply to Lamb:


It shouldn't be that difficult to find a pair of Guides. I've had Phantom Lites for the past three seasons and will probably extend that to a fourth ( seen as they've seen precisely zero days action this season ).

As for the current range, the venerable Mont Blanc appears to be Scarpa's only offering. (Unless you have exceptionally warm feet and a fat wallet in which case you could go for a Rebel Ice/Approach boot combo).

In reply to planetmarshall:

Mine have lasted 19 Scottish days out. I'm through to the hard blue layer on the toe where the crampon rail sits. Not impressed, especially since my old orange Phantom Guides lasted 4 seasons. Interestingly, the rest of the sole is fine, it's just focused on the toe, and this is the same problem most people have been finding.

In reply to planetmarshall:

I've got Phantom Guides, and have on occasion found them unbearably uncomfortable. The bootlace clips seem to dig into the inside of my ankles, and no matter what I do with tightening/loosening, it makes no difference.

Bizarrely half the time their brilliant and there are no issues whatsoever.

In reply to LJC: I think scarpa don't have a leg to stand on. Their own rep says the soles are durable here so you can easily claim defective or mis-sold and not fit for purpose under eu consumer law.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/videos/play.php?i=2666

In reply to JackM92:
Yes I've found that with the new Phantoms as well. Sole wear at the toe is pretty bad as well but don't know if it will slow down as it gets more rounded.

In reply to monkeyme2:

maybe this is the answer

http://imgur.com/a/gBcCn

In reply to random_watcher:

Who? What? Where? How?

The why, I know

In reply to Smythson:

My phantoms are currently being resoled with the old phantom soles as above, hopefully that will do the trick!

In reply to random_watcher:

I could do with a resole like that on my Scarpa phantom Ultra Lites, Sportiva Trango Evos and Scarpa Rebel Lites! All of which have worn badly down in the toe area after just a week or two's of use in Scotland
Who did the resole and how much?

In reply to monkeyme2:

so why oh why did Scarpa stop making the guides?? Mine just had four days tough scrambling on gabbro with virtually no wear

In reply to Smythson:

Not sure who did the resole possibly Lancashire Sports repair but it went through Mountain Boot Company as the original rand was peeling off so was done under warranty.

It was not done due to the sole wearing but I thought the end result is probably ideal for Scottish winter conditions.
Worth noting the resoled boots weighed about 120g more per boot than the originals.

In reply to Ron Walker:

see my reply to Smythson