Garmont Dragontail MNT Shoes: Gear Review

Garmont is a premier name in performance footwear for mountaineering, hiking, and any other outdoor adventure that you might find. Founded in 1964 and distributed in over 35 countries worldwide, Garmont remains committed to researching and applying cutting edge materials, technologies and innovations to its product design and development. According to Garmont, they are always looking to integrate the latest technologies with its craftsman heritage, the brand offers a full range of footwear to enjoy the mountains and the outdoors regardless of the weather or the season with the goal of continuously elevating end user experience in terms of comfort, fit and function.

If you take a look at the Garmont website you will be inundated with a bevy of shoe options.  While we would love to review them all we focused in on the Dragontail MNT shoes.  The Dragontail is designed for the mountaineer who prefers a low cut shoe, but still needs the stiffness and stability of the a boot.  The Dragontail is ideal for approach, bouldering, light trekking, trekking and high alpine traversing.  We took the Dragontail out to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to put it to the test.  Read on for the full review!

Key Features:

• 1.8 mm water-repellent suede
• Metallic eyelet and tape webbing closure
• Extended rubber toe box and heel rubber backstay protects the upper
• PU footbed with moisture and odor management properties
• Available with or without Gore-Tex® Extended Comfort
• FrameFLex Lite insole

Design:

The Dragontail is designed to provide stable support and a snug fit. This should provide an extremely good technical last for climber/hikers. The shoe also features an enhanced heel cushioning and stability thanks to the PU insert. The Dragontail is equipped with a Vibram Maton outsole that has a specialized “Mount” double compound in the toe and heel strike area to ascend and descend with confidence.  The outsole also contains a blocked toe lug area and blocked heel strike area which will enhance grip on hard surfaces with an extra sticky compound. There is multi-traction 6 mm deep lugs which will enhance grip in multiple directions allowing you to maneuver foot with greater stability. The Dragontail MNT also features a dual density microporus rubber midsole designed to provide stability and enhance climbing performance. Overall, the Garmont Drangontail is built with a ton of features that will not disappoint you on your next outdoor adventure.

When purchasing the Dragontail, you will have to decide between the regular or the version fitted with Gore-Tex. Gore-Tex is designed to provide, durable waterproof, breathable weather protection regardless of the elements.  Allowing better comfort and protection for your feet.  The version we tested was not fitted with the extra Gore-Tex designs.

Durability:

The Garmont Drangontail proved to be extremely durable in our testing phase.  The upper is built with 1.8 mm water-repellent suede so in the event of moisture you will notice water whisking away from the outside of the shoes. The Vibram Maton outsole is extremely impressive and really held up throughout some rigorous hikes in the Rocky Mountains.  The shoe is very stylish looking and with we found the most smudges and or dings just wipe away from the shoe allowing you to keep it looking fresh longer.

Comfort:

For any adventurer, comfort is of the utmost importance.  The Dragontail features FrameFlex Lite insolves which are designed to provide stability for edging and hauling loads on those difficult to navigate trails or descents.  In the heel there is a PU heel insert which provides excellent cushioning and provides the stability to give you the confidence you need when taking that next step on the descent.  The most impressive part with the Dragontail is that this shoe could easily be a shoe you wear everyday because it is stylish to blend in but also extremely comfortable.  Sometimes with a comfortable hiking you shoe you have to sacrifice traction and stability, but not with the Dragontail.  One thing we did notice with the Dragontail MNT is that it did take a few weeks to properly break in.  The first few hikes were a bit clunky but once we got the shoe broken in the comfort was fantastic.

Value:

Priced at $149.99 The Garmont Dragontail MNT offers tremendous value for all of the options that come with the pair.  Featuring an excellent design, the shoes are built with a high-quality and are bound to last a long time.  Compared to competitors they are priced very competitively and might be on the high side, but they will give you peace of mind knowing that you have a well-crafted shoe, but also one that is going to feel great on your foot.  If you are in the market for a shoe to accompany you on your next outdoor adventure, then we suggest you take a look at the Garmont Dragontail MNT. If you want a little bit of an upgrade, you can purchase the Dragontail MNT shoes that are fitted with Gore-Tex for $189.00.

Buy Now: $149.99 or for more information visit GarmontNorthAmerica.com