Carn Kaiteur eVent Boots - user review

 Disclaimer: These boots were purchased by me and i have no associations with Carn.

 I purchased these boots back at the beginning of January 2013. The reason i bought them was because i had been suffering for a few months with a sore Achilles tendon. I wondered if a pair of boots with a padded heel area would relieve the soreness.
  I already own a pair of Carn trail shoes and although i wear them quite a bit on a day to day basis, i don't particularly use them for longer hikes. I prefer my Inov-8's or my Meindl Softline's.
 The quality of the Carn trail shoes are very good, so when i saw these boots i had no hesitation in buying them online.

 Price £34.98  Click on the price to go to the link.

 When i received these boots i couldn't believe the quality. Considering the price of them, they exceeded my expectations by a long, long way. My review is based on having done  ≻ 225 km in them and maximum day walking of 23km.

 What do they consist of:-

 The outer, is Cocona fabric. This is the first time i had come across Cocona fabric in a pair of boots. What you notice is how well water beads off it. The best i have seen from a fabric type boot. The way it cleans after use was also a bit of a shock. Even now, after the mileage they have done, they still look as good as new. I now feel the fabric needs a spray of waterproofer as the beading has subsided some. However, there is absolutely no sign of any water penetration.

 The gusset tongue is well designed and comfy. Sewn into the outer with additional reinforcement are 8 good metal closed lacing hooks and 4 strong open collar hooks. The heel has a pulling loop and the laces provided are round nylon braided.

 The outer fabric dries exceptionally fast, which i like. For me, when backpacking, there’s nothing worse than that first few minutes in a morning when you put your feet into wet boots.

 The Cocona also breathes well ensuring that the foot stays cool and dry. It’s treated to keep odour at bay too.

 The sole :- these use the Approach and Trecking C1 sole unit, the outer rubber sole, is named uTRX or ultimate traction.  It looks like the old Vibram style or commando style sole configuration with deep lugs that are a good distance apart, that do a decent job of shedding debris.

 It works well on all ground except on wet slab rock, moss covered or ice covered. Under these conditions it performs no better than any other rubber tread sole. For ascents or descents it performs well and there is some flex in the forefoot but not overly so.
 The heel does a good shock absorbing job and also lateral support is excellent. At the front is an solid toe bar and a decent rubber rand protection.

(I’m not sure what the C1 equates to in the sole description but i am not stating here that they are C1 crampon compatible. I think the toe flex is to great for a C1 crampon and could result in either the crampon slipping or the attaching bar breaking. (Hopefully i can find out a bit more info).)

Amendment after confirmation from Carn.

The C1 reference given in our listing is indeed a sole unit model number. 

Depending on the planned usage(for short periods of time), a C1 crampon(the
semi flexible type) will fit our C1 sole unit as used on the Kaieteur boots.
Besides the rubber outsole and nylon shank this boot has also been fitted
with a Bi-Fit board which keeps 3/4 of the boot rigid but does allow some
flex in the forefoot. 

Of course C2 and C3 crampons will not work on our outsole, these being for
mountaineering/climbing boots.

 Arch support is not that great but can be improved with a 3rd party insole of the type which suits you best, and of course we all have different feet. What doesn’t suit me could well be perfect for others.
 The insole supplied is actually a decent one in its own right being Poliyou. You don’t usually see Poliyou on boots of this price.

 The rear foot midsole is PU whilst the forefoot is compression moulded EVA.

 The waterproof membrane:- This is eVent, and does a good job. I’m sure there is no need for me to expand on eVent to readers. The inner cushioning is good, breathes well and dries fairly quickly.

 Here are some more photo’s.

  From new, they were comfy and i havn’t had any blisters. They took approx. 20 miles before i felt that they were moulded to my foot. They are like slippers now.
 I have no complaints at all and i can recommend them. For the price they must be hard to beat.

The Kaiteur’s are available in both men and women’s styles.

Update October 2013.
Sheila's boots which were replaced in May 2013 have now let water through the membrane. Not just a little bit making the socks damp. But completely soaked through both boots. Mysteriously she has only done about 150 miles in total in them. On the other hand mine are still ok and must have covered 300 miles.