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 :wink:

 

[thetrailboss]

Glad I went to give them a try. :wink:

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

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 :x 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 :roll:

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