The Mammut Ducan High GTX is a lightweight category B-hikingboot with a height shank for not too heavy hikes with a medium backpack. Read the review!
Fit
The fit of the Mammut Ducan High GTX is for normal to wide fuller feet. Especially at the toes the shoes are quite wide. The ladies shoe is made on a special ladies last.
Construction
The Mammut Ducan High GTX is completely made of synthetic materials. Fully in line with the latest trend in mountain hiking shoes, the upper is a knit that creates a very open and supple structure. The shoe is reinforced with synthetic rubber in the most wear-sensitive areas. The transition between sole and upper is provided with a wide wear edge. The nose and heel are well protected. Although the logo is hardly visible on the outside, the shoes have a breathable and waterproof Gore-Tex lining. The asymmetrically placed eyelets are partly made of metal and partly of plastic. The outsole is a Trek XS from Vibram. The sole construction is quite weak and the flex point is too far back. The shoe is not resoleable.
Putting on
A special feature of the Ducan High GTX is that the shank and tongue are connected on one side. This prevents the tongue to move sideways. Due to this construction, the entry is somewhat narrower than average. Thanks to the good loop on the rear of the shank putting the shoes on still goes smoothly. The laces slide through plastic eyelets and the metal hooks on the shank do their job. Due to the lack of a blocking eye, it is somewhat difficult to adjust the lacing tension on the shank and forefoot differently. The laces stay well in place.
Practice
The low weight of the Mammut’s is clearly noticeable. In addition, they walk thanks to the flexible sole construction very easily. The shank is high and sturdy enough to offer a reasonable amount of support to the ankles, but the whole is too weak for a heavy backpack. Although the padding of the shank is not excessively thick, the shoe is still comfortable. In practice, the all-round protection appears to protect the underlying knit well. The toe protection is excellent thanks to the sturdy rubber toecap.
The Vibram Trek XS usually offers good grip on different surfaces. The heel works very well as a brake when descending. A drawback is the open quadrangle in the middle of the sole: pebbles often remain irritating in the sole. The tread depth is also slightly less than average. I find it remarkable that the Gore-Tex membrane does its job very well; the open knit seems to be the cause of this. The shoes are waterproof and the wading height is 13 cm.
Verdict
The Mammut Ducan High GTX are light mountain hiking shoes with nice details like the half open tongue and the asymmetric eyelets. Although it’s a B shoe, it’s on the lower end of the catogory: the sole and shank construction are a little slack for heavy backpacks. The shoe walks very comfortably. The knit of the upper is soft and may look fragile, but this is certainly not the case: the upper is robust. This knit also seems to help with the breathability of the Gore-Tex. I haven’t noticed any sweaty feet, even in warm weather. The profile of the sole is coarse and offers good grip on different surfaces. In the ‘hole’ in the sole stones remain and that’s a pity. That the shoe is not resoleable is also a downside. The Mammut Ducan High GTX is a good light mountainhiking shoe for not too difficult hikes with a not too heavy backpack. The price of € 199.00 is in line with what you can expect from such shoes. I rate the Mammut Ducan High GTX at 8.0 points out of 10 total.
Information: www.mammut.com
- Price: € 199, 00
- Weight: L 510,2 gr / R 517,9 gr (size 8)
- Category: B
- Upper: Synthetic
- Membrane: Gore-Tex
- Outsole: Vibram Trek XS
- Resoleable: No
- Fit: Normal to wide full feet
- Sizes: 6-13
- Women’s model: Hanwag Mammut Ducan High GTX Lady
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