Quechua Forclaz 500, trekking shoe review
I bought Quechua’s Forclaz 500 trekking shoes before my Winter Trip to Ladakh, since I wanted a comfortable and protective shoe, which could provide good grip on wet and slippery surfaces eg. frozen lakes and rivers. Because my Woodland Trekking shoes have the tendency to behave like roller skates, when presented with even a hint of slipperiness!
At around Rs. 3500, Quechua Forclaz 500 were neither prohibitively expensive, nor cheap and based on the feedback I got from fellow travelers, I was pretty confident that they would be the right shoes for my trip, especially since couple of my friends mentioned, that they were somewhat warm as well.
My attempt to buy Forclaz 500 online through an online shopping site provided to be futile and just as well, since I had ordered the same size (no. 7) as my Woodlands and later it turned out that only UK size 9.5 of Quechua Forclaz 500 fits comfortably in my feet!
So in a way I am really thankful to the online shopping site which failed to deliver the shoe in time and saved me from wasting my money on a shoe too small!
Coming back to the Forclaz 500, since I only managed to buy them a day before my scheduled departure to Ladakh, I really didn’t have time to break them in and I was worried, that donning these shoes throughout the trip would prove to be a painful affair; thankfully I was wrong!
Forclaz 500 proved to be quite comfortable, even though on the very first day of our sojourn in Leh, we hiked up couple of kilometers to the Shanti Stupa and then took longer trail back to the guest house.
Add to that, my feet had remained relatively warm, as our plane had touched down in the morning at Leh, with the outside temperature being -16.5 Degree Celsius! However, when we went to Leh Palace late in the evening and stayed outside to capture the Leh town at night, my feet did get slightly cold. But then again, with temperature probably hovering at around -15 or so and furious winds, that was something bound to happen and was only repeated a few other time, especially once when I stood still on top of a frozen river.
Though I must also point out that throughout the trip I only wore single pair of cotton socks underneath my shoes and never put on another pair on top of them or for that matter, used the warm socks I was carrying. So if you are going to wear double layers of socks or the warm ones, then the Forclaz 500 should be even warmer.
Even though we weren’t really experienced in walking on frozen lakes, grip offered by the Forclaz 500 was reassuring enough for us to venture out freely with our cameras in hand. In fact, I don’t really remember any instance, where my Forclaz 500 lost their grip, be it while climbing up and down narrow and somewhat steep paths or while walking on ice.
Of course one does needs to place the feet flat on the ice, in order for the shoes to maintain grip, otherwise they will lose grip.
Biggest problem I faced with the shoes was the fact that they are actually UK size 9.5 on the outside, so on the stairs they are much longer than my normal shoes and thus I do need to be a little careful with feet placement. Add to that, tying the laces till the top is an exercise itself, though I guess, not all that different from any high ankle shoes.
Additionally, they do not feel all that comfortable while riding motorcycle and their rather large outer size only results in missed shifts. So at least for riding, I guess I would mainly be using my Woodlands.
Overall, I cannot help but say, that I am fully satisfied with Quechua Forclaz 500 shoes and really glad that I bought them, instead of buying something cheap and regretting later.
I must these looks really nice, a bit of some other bright color like orange, red, green would have made them even more dashing to look at but its only me. I kinda seems to be developing a fetish for some sick looking shoes and if they have some connection with automobiles even better. Stig’s Alpinster tech 1 is really high on my shoes wish list.
lol, btw I wanted the blue ones, but sadly only these or the black ones were available in my size.
These are really very good shoes, and work equally well on the bike. The only thing to depart early on mine are the laces, else the shoe is comfortable all day.
Grip is very good too, as is ankle support.
Hmm… maybe it just needs more getting used to, but I didn’t really find it all that comfortable on the bike.
Possibly it needs a little getting used to, as I’ve worn trekking shoes on the bike for some time now, primarily for the ankle support, also for the utility value.
Been using this pair for the past year. Agree with every point you’ve made about it and can also add, its pretty good at waterproofing too !
Although, once the trousers get wet, followed by the socks and then it takes quite some time to dry out the shoe from the inside !
Doc I too have been using Woodland’s supposedly trekking shoes for almost 7 years http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/travel-automotive-gear-f15/woodland-g-40777-shoe-review-t8220/ However, they aren’t as large or high as Forclaz
Sourav, didn’t get a chance to test the waterproofing, but I guess even a little bit of it would be better than Woodlands, which used to get soaking wet after water crossings and remained that way for almost the entire trips.
Hi YS…
Glad that you are back and with you came lots of splendid pics and useful information…
Would you please mind sharing the details (place from where you got the shoes etc….) gr8 reviews about them and i want to use the pair on my next trek..
Regards
Thanks Rahi. I bought this pair from Adventure 18 at Satya Niketan. If you have time, then it would be a good idea to try the size there and order online, since it is available for around 400-500 bucks cheaper and Adventure 18 sells at MRP and that too with a staff, which is least interested in catering to customers.