Tested by Tiso | Scarpa Vortex GORE-TEX Approach Shoes Review

Price: £195 Best suited for: hills, paths and trails Location: Isle of Bute, Scotland Weather: patchy rain Best feature: lightweight, only 920g Tested by: Tristan Cameron-Harper (Tiso Ambassador)

For over 70 years, Scarpa have been designing and manufacturing top quality footwear from their hometown of Asolo, Italy. At Tiso, we love Scarpa products - the design, workmanship and the comfort all combine to make their shoes and boots incredibly popular with our staff and customers alike. 

The Scarpa Vortex Shoes are designed by Scarpa as a lightweight but durable shoe for any outdoor activity. On a recent trip to the Isle of Bute, we asked our ambassador Tristan Cameron-Harper to test out these shoes and let us know how they performed. Tristan spent the day exploring the Island, by foot and by bike. After seeing the sites of Rothersay, Bute’s largest town, he hired a bike from a local shop and cycled across the island to Ettrick Bay, a beautiful beach on the west side of the island.

Features

The Scarpa Vortex Shoes are designed as an all-round shoe, perfect for hiking, day walks, mixed terrain and paths; it is even stylish enough to wear to the pub. This pair of shoes has many great features that make them durable hiking shoes, and at only 920g (in a size 42) per pair, they are very lightweight. 

A key feature of the Scarpa Vortex Shoes is the Vibram® sole unit. Vibram®, have for many years been the benchmark for hardwearing and supportive soles for outdoor footwear and are on almost all Scarpa products. The Vortex Shoes use a Vibram® Dynatech sole unit - this specific sole unit is incredibly durable but also more aggressive than other shoes in the same category. This Vibram® sole unit has deep lugs perfect for gripping on soft, muddier ground or loose rock.

The Scarpa Vortex shoe also has a durable suede upper so over time this shoe should mould to fit a person’s specific foot shape and get even more comfortable the more it is worn. The protected toe rand is also a great feature, protecting the suede from abrasions from rocks or scree and adding to the overall durability of this shoe.

Under the suede upper lies these boots defence against water. The GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort lining. This lining is 100% waterproof but also highly breathable. The Extended Comfort version of GORE-TEX® used in the Vortex has low insulation properties and is therefore designed for moderate and warmer weather conditions. This shoe is perfect for UK spring, summer and autumn conditions or for a walking holiday abroad.

Verdict

Tristan says: ‘’The Scarpa Vortex shoes performed really well on my adventures around the Isle of Bute! These shoes are incredibly comfy, I wore them the whole time on the trip, when cycling, hiking, exploring the town and even to the pub. They were completely waterproof, the grip was very good on rock and soft grass, and these shoes look great too! I would highly recommend the Scarpa Vortex as a versatile and comfy shoe for any outdoor adventure.’’

Shop the Men's and Women's Vortex Shoes by Scarpa at tiso.com.

Images Courtesy of Rachel Keenan Photography ©