Garmont vs. Montrail for Trail Runners?

[thetrailboss]

I'm looking at a couple good models of day hikers for my everyday, walk around, kick some tires, etc. shoes to replace my Vasques. Here are a couple models I saw at Hilton's Tent City that caught my eye:

The first is The Garmont Eclipse Models and the second, and more cooler color of the two, is the Montrail Vitesse.

I'm looking for durability and comfort. One pair is $89 and the other is $60. Ideally I'm looking at a 1-2 year wear time...

Your thoughts/suggestions?

[blacknblue]

I've been very satisfied with every Montrail I've worn. My current pair has survived a couple of brutal seasons of trail running. I can't say much for Garmont b/c I haven't personally worn them other than walking around the store.

[thetrailboss]

OK...I'm going this PM to test drive both pair...will let you know how I make out

[thetrailboss]

Glad I went to give them a try.

Got there and looked them over. I had heard that the Montrail Pair had given some folks problems with the shoe lace straps breaking...

I requested two pair...Mens 9 and 9.5. They looked sharp...pulled them out of the box and then spent about ten minutes trying to put them on my feet Turns out the nice foot opening, which is designed to keep water out, is VERY tight and not easy to put on a foot like mine...it was a real pain and I saw potential problems down the line. If you have to force something, that's when it breaks. I could have gone for a 10, but at that point, they probably would have been too loose once I squeezed my foot in

Salesguy wasn't too enthusiastic to sell to me, so I just tried on that model and headed home. Oh well...