Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

5/5 for these shoes once I
1. Replaced the laces and their fiddly plastic fastener with a normal shoe lace ( in my training walks the shoe lace provided quickly deteriorated where the fastener slid up and down the lace). Also the fastener did not allow the shoe to open wide enough to easily slip your foot into the shoe.
2. Replaced the gaitors provided with Outdoor Research Celestail gaitors. I did this because 1) the gaitors provided were fiddly to attach 2) the ankle gaitors were not suitable to use in SW Tasmania where I encountered mud holes up to thigh deep ( the average being mid calf depth) and walking through scrub mid thigh deep on narrow tracks where some calf protection is required from the bush and the possibility of encounters with venemous snakes ( I don't like snakes and embrace the theory that they if given the chance will strike at bare legs rather than covered legs???)
In very wet and very muddy conditions the Low Pro Delerions combined with Icebreaker (NZ) superfine merino sports crew socks kept my feet in excellent condition....no blisters!!!!!
I did after 2-3 hours of walking thru mud holes experience some soreness on the balls of my feet. I stopped at the next stream/creek/river I encountered.... removed my Delerions to find a build up of fine silt in this region on the inner sole....washed this from my shoes.... also rinsed my socks..reloaded into the same shoes and socks and walked for another 2-3 hours before the same problem arose.
Given very wet and cold conditions my feet were never cold....they were wet in and exiting water and mud puddles...but given a dry track quickly dried out..I got no blisters.
Timberland get a 0/5 for non-USA customer service. If you don't live in the USA they do not want to know you. Their ill-informed Australian outlets do not stock the Low Pro....Timberland US or their agents will not ship outside of the US or her territories. I was so appreciative than Ron from MLD was happy to take my delivery of my order and forward it to me. (Also he makes great tarps)
Despite their customer service 0/5 rating, I commend Timberland for the Delerion Low Pro with adjustments to suit your individual needs....mine are wearing out and soon I want to purchse another pair without hassles.....Timberland please contact me...vetonthemove@aanet.com.au
PS In the Issue 3 of Backpackinglight Magazine (...3 months late) Issac Wilson endorses Timberland Delerion Low Pros.
For a challenge come and walk in Tasmania, Australia

Rating: 3 / 5

I received my Timberland/Golite Delerion Pro's on Monday with much excitment to finally finding the ultimate adventure racing shoe that would drain water very fast. While I was wary of buying a Timberland racing shoe, I was intrigued that Golite's racing team had a lot of influence in their design. In addition, I was spurred on by BPL's spotlite review of them. I got one of the last pairs from Zappos.com and wanted to give them a good workout. Here are my findings:

The Good:

1. Pretty lightweight (a little less than 12 ounces each).

2. Good forefoot flexibility

3. They are very cool on the foot and will drain water very, very well. I love this feature!

4. Well-made and appear to be durable.

5. Good protection for the feet (as light shoes go).

6. Nice traction

7. Above average cushioning

8. Great gaiters that come with the shoes.

The Bad (and why I have to forego the great water-draining ability and return them).

1. The top of the shoes (over the toes) has a stiffened material running from the center of the toe tips to the laces. When the forefoot flexes, this stiffened/hardened material obviously folds and digs into my foot and will certainly cause a blister pretty quickly. I have a 34 mile adventure race that I was hoping to wear these for and this toe material would cause me a lot of problems. They make the shoe look cooler and "faster" but don't work for me. Others' experience may differ.

2. The hardened reinforcements running down the sides of the shoes to make its shape with so much mesh are somewhat "crinkly" and don't feel good on the foot. I don't think they would cause blisters but are somewhat annoying.

Result: While I can live with problem two, I can't with the first. I have only run in these for about two miles, and they were already creating a hot spot on the top of my foot(my feet are darn tough so I rarely get these). The feeling would be deadened with thicker socks, but this would somewhat defeat the purpose of having a fast water-draining shoe. Drat!

I really wish they worked for me, but they don't. Don't rule them out however; they might be great for you.

Rating: 4 / 5

These bright yellowy things have been like ballet shoes on my feet --fantastic flexibility and lightness makes one feel very nimble. Think Peter Pan w/ hotrod detailed footwear. For me---great comfort out of the box w/ minimal issues w/ the top forefront area which has plagued several other commentators of this shoe.
I personally like the lace fastener system which for me has been fast and secure. The mesh material breathes fantastically well and allows for rapid drying. The mesh also seems very durable.

There is some stitching on the sides of the shoe which I feel exposed enough to suffer through abrasion. I applied seam seal to mitigate this. On Rocky ground the thin sole and insole provides fairly little protection from bruising. I took out the stock insoles and put in Superfeet which helped a lot. The soles provide good traction but have a shallow profile and will wear faster than, say,
my Montrail Vitesse's or Masai's.

I like the idea of the gaitor system, included, which uses a track system and intregal hardware on the shoe to fasten the gaitor. The gaitor, itself, is made of a stretch woven material which feels as if it will not be particularly long-lived. Not as robust as my Montbell stretch woven gaitors.

All in all, one of my favorite ultralite trailrunners but not my 1st pick for my higher alpinesque off-trail ventures. I would want a more durable sole and better cushioning from sharp rocks underfoot. I think it great for canyoneering or journeys with many stream crossings or on the trail.

The other fly in the ointment, of course, is that Timberline discontinued this shoe ( there is a Goretex version still available but the material used is defeating the purpose of having a shoe that works in hot weather and dries out quickly). I hope that Golite, which collaborated w/ Timberland in designing this shoe, will continue similar efforts in the future.

Edited by kdesign on 06/24/2006 19:29:41 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

This would have been my favorite shoe if they were more comfortable. They were excellent in the many tests I performed last year (see 2005 postings at BPL). I like the gaiter. The main problem with this shoe is no matter how much I wore them the hard piece of plastic where the gaiter attached rubbed on my foot and they weren't as comfortable as other trail running shoes I've used. They weigh 760grams for a pair of US10.5.

Rating: 3 / 5

I have used the Delerion Pros for about 9 months now. The are light, are good for stream crossing and look rather cool to me. On the downside, the footbox is very narrow and I have been having consistent problems with blisters on my toes. That could just be my (foot-specific) problem but something to keep in mind when you buy those shoes (not sure how the new models for, since the Delerion Pros have been discontinued). The bigger problem has been quality/durability. The rubberized part (of which part of the shoe is made) has been ripping along the seams and resulted in an ever widening hole. Given the very mixed track record of golite footwear with regards to quality, that should not come as a big surprise, though improvements seem to have been made lately. Overall, I would not buy these shoes again. I have had much better luck with Montrail shoes.

Edited by svenklingemann on 11/02/2007 08:21:10 MDT.