Tested by Tiso | Scarpa Terra GORE-TEX Boots Review

Price: £210 Best suited for: hiking and trail walking Location: Glen Coe, Scotland Weather: patchy rain Best feature: lightweight comfort, GORE-TEX® waterproof lining Tested by: Alexis Heeren and Scott Becker (Tiso customer and ski technician)

The Scarpa Terra has been a part of the Tiso footwear range for several years now and with good reason. The Terra is a comfortable, lightweight walking boot that fits most customer’s feet extremely well right out of the box. Its design combines a traditional leather aesthetic with the latest footwear technology, to create a boot you won’t want to leave home without.

Features

At a glance the Scarpa Terra, with its oiled brown leather upper, looks slightly old fashioned. Like those heavy, bombproof, leather monsters you used to smother in beeswax by a wood burning fire after a long day in the hills. But, pick it up and you’ll soon realise this is not the case. Despite its traditional appearance, the Scarpa Terra is, in fact, as light as any of its new age counterparts and is packed with the same high performance technology.

Hidden behind its 1.8mm full grain leather upper is the latest GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort breathable waterproof membrane. Put simply, this means is your foot is surrounded by a waterproof barrier that will keep water out, but also allow moisture from within the boot to escape, so you don’t get sweaty feet. GORE-TEX® offer a range of different waterproof membranes designed for different ambient conditions and different users, each one is backed up by the ‘guaranteed to keep you dry’ GORE-TEX® promise. The Extended Comfort membrane in the Terra is optimised for use in moderate to cool conditions, which makes it an ideal match for the Scottish climate.

Having the best waterproof technology means nothing if a boot is uncomfortable, something the designers at Scarpa are keenly aware of. All-round comfort was clearly the objective for this boot and comes as the result several of the boots features. In general the boots are not too stiff and flex naturally as you walk. Foam cushioning around the cuff ensures comfort for your ankles even when the boots are tightly laced. The internal shape of the boot offers plenty of width across the toes and a medium volume fit, which will suit the majority of customers’ feet well. These features combined with the low weight make it a fantastic choice for an entry level all-rounder when comfort is your priority.

Verdict

For the walking boot traditionalist who wants a taste of the new world of lightweight technology while sticking with a full grain leather boot, there is really no competition to the Scarpa Terra. Combining a classic leather upper with a modern waterproof GORE-TEX® lining and a Vibram® sole, Scarpa have produced a boot that is stylish, multi-functional and prioritises comfort above all else. The build quality is excellent and even though the Terra sits at the entry level end of the Scarpa’s vast boot range, it is made to the same high standard of craftsmanship as all their outdoor footwear. The bottom line is, if you’re using this boot for what is was designed for, you won’t be disappointed.

A note about boot fitting: at Tiso, we always recommend you come into store and consult one of our expert Boot Fitters to make sure you purchase the boots that are the best suited to your requirements and your feet. Feet come in all shapes and sizes to so it’s really important to ensure you get the best fit possible, even if it means choosing a slightly different boot than you had your heart set on. This can seem like a bit of a daunting process so that’s why we’re here to help. Come see us today and let us do the hard work of finding your next perfect boot for you!