FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST
Henry Harington road tests the Grisport Fuse boot on the famous 500 mile “Camino de Santiago.” O
ne does not have to be a religious fanatic or a serious sinner to undertake a pilgrimage. People who undertake the Christian pilgrimage, the Camino
de Santiago are people of Christian faith, but also of no faith, who walk the 800 kilometres from southern France to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in north-western Spain that is a shrine of the apostle St James whose mortal remains were purportedly entombed there. The “Camino” as the pilgrimage is known, is a hard slog. It’s supposed to
be. If you are a pilgrim, rather than simply a hiker enjoying the challenge of the harsh but beautiful route, you are subjecting yourself to what the Roman Catholic church calls an “indulgence”: the acceptance of punishment for one’s Earthly sins in order to reduce the amount of fire and brimstone to which you will be subjected when you die and go to Purgatory to purify yourself for eternal rest in Heaven. It’s sort of reducing your sinful credit card debt by reducing the deficit by accepting hardship. Indeed, for the truly faithful or truly penitent, the indulgence of completing the Camino barefoot is an option. It wasn't for me: I have sinned, but not that much!
Goodbye Old Faithful Fortuitously, I was asked to road test a pair of Grisport Fuse Lowland trekking boots shortly before I had planned to undertake the journey. The question was, should I wear my old faithful, but severely worn, hiking boots or risk donning a pair of brand new, unbroken Fuse boots? The question was answered within moments of the boots arriving. I pulled
them on and, with no disrespect to my old boots, felt they have been friends of my feet for years. The breathable Spotex lining embedded my feet, seemingly moulding around them. Although the Fuse is described as a “low cut walking boot” it nevertheless has a double-padded ankle collar that proved excellent support for the seemingly endless hours trudging over stony and uneven ground on the undulating Camino.
Rough and Rocky I will confess to having reservations about traditional leather boots that seemed to be confirmed by the very traditional look of the waxed upper leather of the Fuse as I took them from the box in which they arrived.
However, to my great relief, the boots did not suffer the rigidity that some leather boots have that can make them a long nightmare to break in. The Fuse boots' leather upper was soft and pliable. Grisport has combined that with the triple density Vibram heel and sole to give all-round flexibility over rocky and rough terrain. The part of northern Spain the Camino crosses is mostly quite arid, but a
serious downpour one day and the couple of days of misty rain as I approached my destination near the Atlantic coast of North Western Spain, was sufficient test of the waterproof upper. Meanwhile, their D-Ring and hook eyelet lacing system not only supported my feet and ankles but ensured that the Spo-tex waterproof lining of the boots was never put to the test. For a pair of boots to be put to the rigours of the Camino straight out of
the box was a risk, but a risk that paid off handsomely. I didn't see any barefoot pilgrims (indulgences aren’t what they used to be!) but I saw many foot-sore pilgrims who had not indulged themselves with a pair of boots of the quality of the Grisport Fuse Lowlands and certainly received earthly punishment for their sin of omission.
Product details: Grisport Fuse Lowlands
Sizes 36 – 47 Weight of boots 1220g Upper is Waxed Leather Heel and Sole Triple density Vibram Sole Fastenings D ring/hook eyelet lace up Padded ankle collar
Available at Trade Price: £44.99 - RRP £99.00 For help and advice please call 01670 716878
Address: Nelson Park West, Lunar House, 1 Easter Park, Baker Rd, Cramlington NE23 1WQ
14 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• JUNE/JULY 2019
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