Fuego Hiking Boots for Mountaineering and Wildland Firefighting

Gnarly, Stiff, Quality: three words that summarize my first impression of these boots. I had been watching them for a while, waiting for a sale. Then I saw a pair of 46.5s used in good condition for $150 and I jumped. I would normally wear a 46, but I followed the advice in many reviews and went a half size bigger. Glad I did too , and not just for the $100 savings in the used boot. I also have a pair of Scarpa Mid GTX approach boots which I bought in 46, and I can see how the extra 1/2 size would have helped. So I am glad I upsized with these Fuegos. Gnarly: these kicks just look as though they are gonna' attack and eat whatever gets in their way. There is amazing padding in the tongue and around the ankles. Despite going up a half size to 12 1/2, these boots don't look like clown shoes.Because the entire boot is so beefy, the extra length seems unnoticeable. Stiff: like many reviews say, you can't bend them by hand. I mean you can, but it is hard. I stand on ledges, branches and other narrow footholds when snapping photos and am confident this stiffness will reduce fatigue and pain from extended standing on 'rung like' surfaces. Quality: these boots veritably SCREAM quality. Stitching is flawless. The suede uppers feel luxurious and durable, the lining strong and comfortable. As with my Scarpa GTX mids, the Fuego's insole is basically an unpadded liner. If you want a cushy footbed, buy an insole. The hardware through which the laces pass is quality too....no sharp edges to cut hurried, searching fingers in the dark. To sum up, these boots are up for any challenge, are built like a tank, stiff as a board (a good thang) and look as though they will outlast me. Buy a half size up on sale for $100 off and you too will be writing glowing reviews of these fine, fine boots. UPDATE: Went for an off trail photo hike today along the steep slopes of a burn recovering costal canyon. I've been wearing Bates and Bellville for years, but these Fuegos are a whole different class. Outstanding! They will take time to break in, but the inherent stiffness of the Scarpas makes brush busting easy.

I switched from some old logger style boots to these Scarpa boots. I wear a 9 to 9 1/2 in most boots and I went with 9 1/2. I'm glad I did. The boots fit perfectly for rough terrain and heavy loads backpacking and hunting. They are a stiff boot out of the box. Much more than any boot I have worn before. They are feeling a bit more like a normal boot but I am loving the support they offer. If you are not used to the mountaineering type boot the "ski boot" feel might be a little strange at first but you get used to it and they soften up a bit as you break them in. I wore mine on a few elk hunts and mule deer hunts right out of the box. No hot spots or blisters. If your thinking of some boots for backpacking, hunting or any sort of rugged wilderness work, these boots will probably work great.

I picked these up in preparation for Wildland Firefighter Training at the recommendation of some of the veterans around my office. They are great boots. The first pair I ordered were a little too small, but Amazon exchanged them with no hassle. I have since been wearing them hiking with some friends several times, and they are great. The first day was a little rough after about 6 miles of hilly terrain, but after that they have felt great! They do take some breaking in, and it is very necessary to keep up on the leather treatments. They much stiffer than I have previously been accustomed to, which is great for ankle support while out roaming but can make them difficult to lace and adjust. I would recommend them to anyone who requires the stiff boot. I know some people who use these for elk hunting, others for mountaineering, and (as previously mentioned) many firefighters. I can' wait to continue using these and see what kind of lifespan I get out of them.

Have had 3 pairs of these boots. All have developed cracks in the shanks. This leads to the Vibram sole splitting over time. I work in fire, on a hotshot crew, and put these boots to the test. They unfortunately fail that test. This latest pair lasted around two months on the job. Boot cracked yesterday and now has no support at the heel. I'd expect much more from a $400 pair of boots.

These shoes are made with excellent materials. They are very solidly made. I did have to return the first set I ordered, because they were size 11 which I wear, but they were just way too tight. So I upped the size to 12 1/2, and these fit my feet perfectly. I had zero trouble making the boot exchange with Amazon. The first set of boots came in about four weeks after I ordered them. I sent them back, and the new set was delivered in less than 10 days. These boots are very firm around the ankle and foot . I have not worn these through the winter yet, and that is the main reason I bought them. I do a lot of outside work on snow shoes, and I thought these would work well. I will have to update this review after the snow starts falling and I have to switch to snow shoes.

Love the Scarpa fuego! Super comfortable and solid construction and quality which I have come to expect from Scarpa. I've been in wildland for 18 years and I will never use a logger boot again. Highly recommended for anyone looking to try something different than a traditional logger style. Overall no break in period for comfort, but give them 4-6 weeks to unstiffen Overall. These do have a stiff feel at first but still comfortable out of box, first hike no discomfort or hot spots at all. I do recommend going up a half size too. I would say true to size but if you're like most all wildland hikers you need that little bit extra for the downhills. Best boot and good price considering the high price for loggers now a day. I also died mine black and it held up so far, 10 PT hikes, and 4 fires.

I love these boots because they are pretty similar the jungle/desert combat boots I used to wear (albeit heavier). My biggest caveat emptor would be that these took an extremely long time to break-in--close to a whole season for me (even wore them for a few weeks prior to work). During that period they shredded my heel twice on steep mountainsides (with two sock layers etc.) I would note that my military experience involved a lot of prolonged marching so lower body stress, hot spots, and blisters weren't something new to me. There are also a lot of people who warn about delamination however I have witnessed any signs of this in mine or colleagues that wear the Fuegos (and I have a bad habit of stepping in hot stuff). Regardless after the breaking them in they are a durable and comfortable pair of boots I often wear them in the off-season casually. One afterthought: They are also sized quite small--particularly narrow. I wore my combat boots 8.5 wide while for these I had to go with a 9.5 (42.5 Euro size).

Bought for a season of wildland firefighting on a type 2 handcrew in northern California in '21 (Caldor, Beckwourth Complex, Monument) and worn/abused without incident (did replace laces). Continued to use for occasional chainsaw work, and abused once more for a season of trailwork ("The Boot-Mattock": kicking rocks, scraping drains, touching up tread). Developed an internal tear in the midsole that feels a bit weird, but completely solid on the outside. Tread is getting a bit worn, to be expected. Just oiled them for the first time after noticing some small cracks. Fits true to size, minimal break-in period, not too hot, lighter than loggers, and pretty good for hiking. I will definitely be buying these boots again!