Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

The Montrail Hardrock is the logical successor to the Vitesse II, which will likely be discontinued soon.

I think the Hardrock has advantages over the Vitesse:

- better underfoot protection;
- more ankle padding
- better heel cup to lock the heel in place

But some key design features of the Vitesse were ditched:

- the Hardrock has a narrower toebox, I have a wide forefoot and appreciate the extra space.

- I do think the Hardrock has more absorbent materials in it (a victim of its increase in "comfort/padding") so it dries a tad slower.

Rating: 5 / 5

Just got a pair of Montrail Hardrocks and so far so good. Didn’t have much time to break these in before a three day trip last weekend, but had no problems. No blisters or hot spots. These shoes are very light, yet offer a ton of support and comfort. I love the heel . . . a lot of padding. The lugs are great and seemed to really grip on all surfaces I encountered. Also available in a wide size. All and all I think this is a great shoe.

Edited by sigeats on 01/19/2007 08:35:06 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

I'm on my 9th pair of Hardrocks - used for trail running as well as hiking and packing and snowshoing. I've tried many other trail shoes and always had some fitting and/or blister issues until I found these. They fit me well, can be loosened when your feet swell a bit, give great underfoot protection as well as support and last well. I usually retire them after about 400 miles, but they still look good. I've used them for the entire Leadville Trail 100 run (only changing into another pair of Hardrocks after the second river crossings at 100k), Desert RATS stage race and many other long hauls.

Rating: 5 / 5

I will agree that the hardrocks are amazing. Their durability and comfort are simply amazing. I have gone through two pair and am now on working in my first pair of Continental Divides which are pretty sweet so far. I agree with Ryan though, if they could take some of the features of the Vitesse and transfer them to the hardrocks they would be prett hard to beat.

Rating: 4 / 5

In search of the perfect lightweight hiking shoe/boot - I have tried trail running shoes and lightweight boots. And I just can't find anything that can beat the Hardrock.

This shoe has excellent cushioning not only through the heel but also through the forefoot as well. The under foot protection is very good and the torsional stability is great. I have had a hard time moving beyond the mentality that "I have to have something up over my ankles" when I hike. However, I have quick stepped the same training runs over rough trail in lightweight boots from Asolo, Lowa, and the Montrail Hardrocks. Never turned an ankle in rough terrain yet with the hardrocks - (can't say the same as for the others).

While I keep experimenting with other shoes. It's just hard to beat the Hardrocks. The padding around the ankle is nice - but really holds moisture more than I expected. Yet, nothing else on the market seems to match it's comfort level on the trail.

Rating: 5 / 5

I just picked up a pair of hardrocks for a 12 day trip into the Absoroka mountains of Wyoming. The trip was short notice so I had zero miles on these shoes prior to heading out. The shoes held up well with few signs of wear. Compared to shoes of others on the trip, these shoes dried well. We experienced heavy rains and flash flooding almost every day as well as the normal wet dewy grass in meadows. On days that the rain held off, I could have my shoes mostly dry by the end of a long hiking day. I found them to be comfortable and supportive. One note - it seems Montrails run a little small. I had to go up 1/2 - 1 full size from my normal street shoe.

Rating: 5 / 5

The review above is from my lightweight brother at NOLS, and I agree heartily. I work as an instructor for the school too, just like Ryan.

The MONTRAIL HARDROCK was a recommended shoe on the NOLS equiptment list for the 07 Light & Fast courses. REverybody that had em (about half of my students) loved 'em.

For some reason, they fit my feet PERFECTLY! I can wear a thinny-thin running sock (and I mean REALLY thin) and that's all I need! Perfect! No blisters.

I do recomend a GEL style footbed to replace the lame foam that comes with the shoe. I prefer the SPENCO IronMan GEL series.

Rating: 4 / 5

I wore these this summer over the very rocky GR20 (Corsica) and the GR5 Alpine (Geneva towards Nice).

The pair I used on the GR20 (120 miles) are well worn and cut up; they would probably do the route again now I have patched certain areas with Freesole (something I did in advance for the pair I wore in the Alps).

Another pair in the Alps split along the sides of what appears to be the 'insert' into the sole. Glued-up they were fine afterwards; yet this undermined my confidence - on Corsica for example I would have had real trouble getting glue easily.

In summary; very good shoes, excellent support and grip for a variety of surfaces. The sole looks flimsy yet actually appears to wear pretty well. Some questions about construction - but perhaps I got a duff pair.