The Zamberlan Baffin GT RR WL boots

Zamberlan Baffin GT RR
Price: £185
Weight per pair: 1,560g (size 42)
Sizes: European 38 to 48 (approx UK 5 to 12½)
Material: 2.4mm to 2.6mm Hydrobloc Nabuk leather with Gore-Tex Performance Comfort Footwear waterproof membrane
Colour: espresso
Country of manufacture: Italy

This boot is the updated version of the Baffin, and is aimed firmly at British hillwalkers, based on the wider Vibram Darwin WL sole, developed to accommodate Zamberlan’s new ZWL wider last.

It’s an acknowledgement that, for whatever reason, UK walkers demand a wider fitting in general than their Continental colleagues.

Zamberlan classes its boots by intended use, and this boot comes in at the lower end of its mountain-walking category. Others might term it a 3 to 4 season boot. In any case, the Baffin struck me as very much a ‘grown-up’ boot, built for high performance and with a wealth of features built into the updated model.

The Hydrobloc leather, tanned using Zamberlan’s own process to enhance its water-resisting and anti-abrasion properties, also has the Italian company’s Rubber Reinforcement System, looping over the toe area and providing protection from rocks and harsh terrain.

The main upper comes as one piece of leather, meaning fewer weaker stitched points, and for extra protection at the front of the boot, the outsole has a raised rubber section that comes halfway up the reinforcement, adding to the solid feel of the boot.

The paler, EVA inserts in the sole improve cushioning

All of this makes for extra weight, and each boot tips the scales at 780g each – not the lightest piece of mountain footwear, but a good compromise between durability and minimising the weight on each foot.

For a serious piece of footwear, Zamberlan has made the Baffin a surprisingly comfortable boot. The Zamberlan Z-Flex GT sole, with its EVA inserts, provides a surprising amount of cushioning and, combined with the Z-Comfort Fit footbeds, the boots reduced the pounding on the foot during our test on hard tracks and rocky sections.

The Microtex wicking collar helps keep feet cool

The Baffin has a Gore-Tex Performance Comfort microporous membrane which, combined with the watershedding properties of the leather, kept my feet dry as a bone during a prolonged walk in wet weather and stream crossings – obviously don’t tackle anything deeper than the top of the boot or you definitely will get wet feet!

The Microtex wicking collar also helps inner moisture to a minimum.

Speaking to Zamberlan’s representatives, they reckon the Baffin is ideal for the typical British mountain walker who wants to take to the hills in serious terrain including the Scottish mountains and the rockier bits of England and Wales.

The Baffin GT RR was surefooted in use

Out on the hill, the Baffin gave a very assured performance. The brand-new Vibram Darwin WL sole gave great grip both uphill and downhill on a variety of terrain including mud, rock, grass and maintained paths. Downhill braking in particular was very impressive, and inspired a walking confidence while others were taking a more cautious approach.

On a frozen hilltop plateau with a mixture of  ice and rock, the boots again felt surefooted. Don’t expect to stay on your feet when crossing a truly iced-up stretch covered in verglas or rock-hard névé, when only crampons will keep you upright, but in all other conditions the Baffins performed very well.

Edging on steep slopes while contouring was also performed with confidence in these boots.

In use, the boots feel at first as if they may pinch the heel. The forefoot is wide, as you would expect from the new WL last and the heel feels much tighter. But in practice, there was no heel lift and no problems of rubbing. When you examine the boot internally, you realise the heel section is ‘waisted’, with the lower section widening out quite a bit after the narrow section below the ankle. This, of course, mirrors the actual shape of most people’s foot and makes sense.

The lacing system is Zamberlan’s Foot Wrapping System. There’s a conventional pair of d-loops at the front of the foot, with the next three pairs up running loops before a pair of open, locking loops each with dual ‘bobbles’ that hold the lace and enable a good hold on the foot, combined with the FWS last shape that the company says perfectly wraps the foot.

The tongue of the boot comes high, so the last two pairs of loops hold the laces firmly without the risk of them slipping over the tongue and digging into the front of the ankle.

Take the footbed out and examine the padding in it and you will find that the heel and instep are well provided with foam, but the area where the ball of the foot sits is sparser in cushioning and is one area I would like a little more protection. On an extended walk on harder ground, although the heel takes much of the pounding, the ball of the foot can also feel the force after a while.

The footbed: a bit more padding needed in places?

If the footbed could be cushioned a little more in this area without compromising overall fit, I think this would be one of the few improvements to this boot.

Otherwise, there is little to criticise in this new version of the Baffin. The sole is just a little too flexible to take a crampon, so I would place this as the boot to wear up to the point where conditions dictate the spikes and ice axe are not needed.

Although it’s not the lightest, it certainly compares well for comfort with some others in its class which compared with the Baffin GT RR WL, feel stiff and harsh.

If you’re looking for an all-rounder that will cope with all that Britain can throw at your feet, except for true winter snow and ice conditions, this boot will serve you well.

If you don’t mind the extra weight and over-engineered feel for summer strolls, the Baffin would probably be suitable too. The extra breathability of the Zamberlan Air System padding will help on warmer days.

The Baffin has a Gore-Tex waterproof membrane

Build quality looked good too, and the boot is a nice mixture of modern and traditional design.

More details are on the Zamberlan website.

We liked:
Performance
Grip
Comfort
Style
Build quality

We weren’t so keen on:
Lack of padding in part of footbed
Weight