Fixing Hiking Boots after the Soles Separated from the Boot

Have your hiking boots broken down such that the soles are separating from the upper part of the boot?
This is likely the result of polyurethane hydrolysis where exposure to water and humid air breaks down the midsole of your hiking boots.
This video talks about:
-The problem of polyurethane hydrolysis
-How to fix hiking boots when this happens
-The environmental benefit of fixing boots compared to buying new
-The economic benefits of fixing hiking boots compare to buying new
The webpages referenced in this video are as follows (in order of appearance):
pubs.rsc.org/e...
asolo-usa.com/...
www.davepageco...
www.gore-tex.c...
www.backcountr...

[@oscarread5205]

You’re a legend, I was just looking into getting some boots resoled. This video helped me make the decision. Thanks from Australia 👍

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video and for your comment. Those boots have taken me all over the beautiful country of Australia.

[@HenrikvonMartensHvM]

Great explanation of a complex matter!

[@mbanta]

Thanks for watching my video.

[@Never_unknown]

so glad I found this. Scarpa and Hanwag disintegrated after some - happy years of young kids related - lack of use.

[@mbanta]

@@Never_unknown thank you for watching my video. I’m glad you found it helpful. My repaired boots are still holding strong, just went on another hike yesterday…

[@TheShokida]

Nice Video! You do a very good job of explaining what a polymer is? and the hydrolysis of polyurethane.

[@mbanta]

Thank you for your comment and thank you for watching my video.

[@Vivinnn_]

Thanks a lot for the very thorough analysis!

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video

[@rdzotz]

Love the depth of detail in that beauty!

[@mbanta]

Thank you for your nice comment and thank you for watching my video.

[@julianparks8485]

Of course, it is a Asolo. I had two pairs do this. None of my other boots did this-Vasque, Garmot, Merrell, LLBean. Ridiculous considering the price.

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video. Other than this issue, I really like my Asolo boots but maybe I will give one of these other brands a try.

[@rodorozco9453]

Excellent video. Congratulations! One question: Did the repair job include a midsole? I ask that because I have seen several videos where they are repairing a pair of boots because the hydrolysis basically destroyed the midsoles and I noticed that they remove the residual polyurethane and glue the "clean" upper part of the boot to a naked rubber outsole without any midsole. In case they did not add a new midsole, have you noticed any change in how comfortable are your boots after the repair job? Are they as comfortable as they used to be before?

[@mbanta]

I would say that the repaired boots are holding up well since they were repaired. I would also say that I do notice a slight difference between the repaired boots and the original, in that the original seemed a little softer when I stepped on a hard surface... when I am paying attention. However, I have been on long hikes with the repaired boots and they have felt fine. I believe the new soles are Vibram Bifida 1375. They don't have a midsole but as i understand it they come in either a single hardness or dual hardness (hard outer sole, softer where the boot is glued to the sole). This dual hardness is, I believe, meant to compensate for the lack of a midsole. Given the communication I enjoyed with Dave Page Cobbler, I bet they would happily communicate with you about these concerns.

[@beestingza]

Excellent question. I am currently considering getting my Asolos resoled using their service in Italy. I assume that they put a new midsole on the shoe, but who knows.

[@WaterFilterLady]

I searched for and watched the video to find out how to repair them nyself. I want to avoid paying $150 to have a pair of boots repaired. I have had this happen to two pairs of Asolo boots but never with any others. It recently happened with a pair of Asolos that were almost "like new" as they have gotten less than 60 days of wear. It was rather humid this summer, though and they were in the house. I think I will avoid Asolos in the future.

[@mortonbeard2240]

I like fixing and maintaining my own shoes also. Had to give up on my ASOLO's. Might try the cobbler he used.

[@beestingza]

@@mortonbeard2240You had to give up on trying to repair them yourself? I was considering trying to use "Shoe Goo" to rebuild the midsole and attach the sole to the boot, but it will probably be a mess and might even ruin the shoe for future resoling attempts.

[@billgreen576]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video. Glad it was helpful.

[@Chopinetto]

Great video. Thanks. Just a question. How long were you wearing those boots until got the delamination issue?

[@mbanta]

I think about ten years. But depending on the exposure to water and amount of usage it can be a much shorter interval of time. The replacement soles are still holding up well.

[@beestingza]

Doesn't Asolo have a repair service also? They probably use the original sole and midsole material so I don't know if that's a plus or not, considering how many people I've heard say Asolo's degrade faster than other brands. Perhaps a vibram repair at an independent shop will last longer.

[@paulwellard4206]

excellent and informative video. Am weighing up to repair (250 euros ) or buy new. Paid 360 euros new. ??

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video. I can say that my repaired boots are still holding up well after all this time. That does seem an expensive repair though.

[@daMoMenTum]

This is a great video!

[@mbanta]

Thank you for your comment and thanks for watching my video.

[@_Nordfors]

Had similar experience with Zamberlan’s. Local Cobblers won’t touch them.

[@mbanta]

It does seem to be a niche service provided by only a few vetted cobblers. Thank you for watching my video.

[@alexandergreat574]

Excellent video thank you, I wonder if you had any talks with the cobbler about reusing the same outsole and repairing the midsole? My boots are from the 90's and the outsole still in great conditions, more so the treat design is also very unique and I don't like the idea of new outsoles.

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video and for your comments. I did not talk with the cobbler about replacing only the midsole. That is an interesting suggestion but in my case my original heel was wearing down. The repaired shoe has a sole that is a single piece as opposed to a midsole adhered to an outsole. They still working great.

[@alexandergreat574]

@@mbanta I appreciate the info, cheers!

[@maxpatch67]

Great video! Thanks!

[@mbanta]

Thank you for your comment and thank you for watching my video.

[@SubtractiveMoves]

Are they still holding up after 2 months? Im sitting outside a shoe repair place where they wouldn't take them to fix because I'm going to be back to the same problem sooner rather than later. Did they give you any guarantee with the repair? Thinking of giving up

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video. I have had the boots back since early April 2022 (~2 months). They are holding up well. I will have to admit that I do not wear them everyday, in fact I end up wearing them only about once per week. The one thing that I notice is that the sole that was used in the resole is a single piece all out of the same harder rubber material. The original were a harder rubber sole with a polyurethane midsole. On longer hikes I do feel as though I walked on a harder surface with my new soles. Perhaps more shock absorbent insoles would help. Thanks again for watching.

[@SubtractiveMoves]

So do you think it was money well spent? Are you satisfied? Did they give you any kind of guarantee? If I do wind up getting them repaired I'll probably only wear them in the winter going in and out of work. Thanks again

[@mbanta]

@@SubtractiveMoves In the video I go over the economics and the environmental considerations of repairing hiking boots. Do I think it was money well spent? At this point (two months after getting my repaired boots back) I do think it was money well spent. I didn’t have to buy new boots or break them in: I feel as though I got high-quality boots with a new soul at 1/3 the price of new boots and I feel they will last more than half as long as new boots. I will admit I cannot be sure of this. Also, I do not think there is a warranty beyond workmanship for the repair. I also felt good about supporting a more circular economy for these hiking boots. Rather than throwing them away I was able to repair them back to a high value state. Hope this helps, thanks for watching my video.

[@WaterFilterLady]

My shoe repairman said the same. I am not willing to spend $150(or have the additional funds) to repair them when I can usually buy a brand new pair of boots on sale for $80 - $110. The only brand that ever fell apart like that was the (2 pairs) Asolos. My favorite and most long lasting are Scarpas. Someone gave me the idea of using an old pair of boots as a decorative planter, so not thrown away.

[@beestingza]

@@WaterFilterLadyWont the boots rot/stink if they are used as a planter?

[@Jerseyhighlander]

That happens because they are cheap crap made with modern high production, don't give a crap about quality, methods that were never intended to have any level of longevity. Boots with glued on soles and plastic was among the stupidest ideas anyone in the industry ever had. The use of Gortex being another. Traditional leather boots with Norwegian Welt Soles will outlast them by orders of magnitude. And the manufacturers aren't even surprised that when wearing them outside, in the woods, they could actually somehow get, wet... Asolo must have a different kind of "outdoors" than the rest of us.

[@mbanta]

First thank you for watching my video. I will have to check out boots with Norwegian Welt Soles. I will say that my repaired boots are still holding up really well since I got them in April 2022.

[@matthewwarren4109]

Deadset killed me.

[@Jeremya74]

IF your able to get good wear with the boots..IF

[@mbanta]

@@Jeremya74the resoled shoes are still going strong. Thanks for watching the video.

[@joeorton1218]

Man you put alot of hours into those boots

[@mbanta]

Thanks for watching my video. If one person watches my video, learns that repairing boots is a good option for them and then gets their boots repaired (instead of sending the boots to a landfill) then the time spent will have been well worth it.

[@joeorton1218]

@@mbanta im actually trying to build a boot im sick of disponible boots shoes my sandals i made i can resole my sandals would outlast any of those disposable sandals

[@mbanta]

@@joeorton1218 a hiking boot designed so that the sole (and perhaps other parts) can be easily replaced when they wear out would be a huge step forward. Think of all the materials not going to waste… we need to demand such things from the people that make our products… Please keep me informed of your progress with the boot.

[@beestingza]

@@mbantaThe economics of designed obsolescence is a very old problem. They can't make the boots too durable or they will go out of business. Asolo seems to take the disposability thing too far though; their boots are known to fail after a very short period, especially with ones made in the last 5 years.

[@JuliaJulia007]

Cool

[@mbanta]

Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching my video.

[@Jeremya74]

Why are you showing polimare chains..no one cares nor can do anything showing that..just tell us how to fix the issue

[@mbanta]

@@Jeremya74 thank you for watching the video. As shown in the video I resolved the issue by having the boots resoled by a cobbler.