OR - ECCO Biom Terrain Plus Boots - Kathy Waters

Dear Editors,

I've been meaning to do this OR for quite a while and now that winter is
almost over (I thought it wa over until the storm this weekend!), here it
is.  The text is below and the HTML is in the test folder at:
http://tinyurl.com/h8vsxw9 .

I appreciate all the work you do and your edits and comments.

Thanks!
Kathy
______________________________________________________

ECCO BIOM TERRAIN PLUS BOOTS 


BY KATHLEEN WATERS
April 17, 2016 
OWNER REVIEW 

TESTER INFORMATION 

NAME: 
Kathleen Waters 
EMAIL: 
kathy at backpackgeartest dot com 
AGE: 
65 
LOCATION: 
Canon City, Colorado, USA 
GENDER: 
F 
HEIGHT: 
5' 4" (1.60 m) 
WEIGHT: 
125 lb (56.70 kg) 
Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to
backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land
bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other
gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my
husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers,
rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New
Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is
comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed).
Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water. 

PRODUCT INFORMATION 

Manufacturer: ECCO
Year of Manufacture: 2014
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.eccousa.com
MSRP: US $169.95
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 16.5 oz (468 g) per boot
Colors Available: Black/Black/Dried Tobacco & Black/MoonRock/Picante
Color Reviewed Black/Black/Dried Tobacco
Sizes Available: 35 - 50 EU (Unisex)
Size Reviewed: 39 EU (US Women's 8.8,5)

Description: 

* Materials: Uppers - yak nubuck
* 100% waterproof GORE-TEXR membrane
* Mobile ankle rubber insert
* Rubber outsole
* Direct-injected PU midsole foam on BIOM last
* Additional set of laces included
* Reinforced toe cap and scratch-resistant Kevlar
* Made in China

FIELD USE AND PERFORMANCE 

Even though I got these boots in the summer of 2014, I didn't wear them
until early November of 2014. 

Over the winter months of 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, I continued to
backpack/hike and snowshoe as much as possible. I spent most of my time in
the south central region of Colorado that I can home. Mostly, I hiked in the
mountains of Fremont County, including the Wet, Fremont and Cooper Mountain
ranges. This area's terrain runs the gamut of evergreen forests, to grassy
plains to high desert rock and dirt/mud (as the moisture or lack thereof
dictates).

Various other non-local and out-of-state places where the ECCO Bioms
protected my piggy toes:

" Two weeks hiking/snowshoeing around Breckenridge, Colorado in early
November 2014. 
" A great week in the snow at Twin Lakes, Colorado, snowshoeing in and
around the Colorado Trail at Christmas 2014 plus a couple of days
snowshoeing in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah in late January 2015. These
areas are environmentally similar to my usual haunts but had way, way more
snow. 
" In fall of 2015, I spent 10 days in the northern part of the Lower
Michigan peninsula during a Thanksgiving Day trip in late November. There
was lots of hiking in snow and rain. I don't think we saw the sun the entire
time we were there. Temperatures hovered around the freezing mark with lots
of wind to make it feel even colder. All of my snowshoeing and hiking was
done on dirt, heavily pine-forested trails with a backpack never weighing
more than 20 lb (9 kg). 

In addition to my daily hikes in south central Colorado - Canon City, where
I call home - I wore the ECCO Bioms on several snowshoes in Rocky Mountain
National Park and in the Wet Mountains.

Between all the horrible weather elsewhere, most of my winter time in
Colorado over the last two winters was wacky - while the previous winter
started out mild and ended up bitter cold and snowy. This winter has been
bee-u-ti-ful! We had lots of sunshine, little precipitation and for the most
part, the temperatures were above normal. Daily "highs" averaged between 50
and 75 F (10 - 24 C). 

Over two winters, approximately 8-9 months, I estimate I've covered 300
miles (480 km) backpacking/hiking/snowshoeing and walking. Mostly
snowshoeing.

ECCO Biom Terrain Plus Going Snowshoeing


Snowshoeing in Breckenridge, CO



ECCO's website has a nice shoe size chart, but since I've worn ECCO footwear
in the past, I knew what size I normally wear; a women's size 8. I'm pretty
easy to fit size-wise and I haven't had many boots where an 8 didn't fit me.
I was happy to find the Bioms didn't disappoint in that department - they
are truly true-to-size. 

The first time I tried on the ECCO Biom Terrain Plus Women's Mid Boot, I was
amazed at how comfortable they felt. I had to loosen the top two eyelets
below the quick-lace ones a bit to wiggle my feet into the boots as the cuff
of the boots is nice and high. Once my feet were settled in, the Bioms felt
very secure and comfortable.

They are wide enough for my feet - nice toe box room - but not so wide as to
be mini-boats and the heels fits snuggly so my feet don't move up and down
in the boots with each stride. 

The corded laces are a bit long for my liking but not so overly long where I
have to practically wrap them around my ankles to keep them from tripping me
up. A simple double bow will do nicely. 

I do however, like the way ECCO has constructed the lacing system of the
Bioms. To put the boots on my feet, I have to loosen the top two
"quick-loop" eyelets and then next eyelet down. When loosening the laces for
a steeper uphill climb, only the top "quick-loops" need to be worked on.
Going downhill, I generally pull the top two loops a bit tighter so as to
keep my tootsies from banging against the toe box which is very stiff and
almost hard. 

I think it's cool that ECCO includes a second pair of laces with the Biom
Terrain Plus boots! The second pair is solid black whereas the pair that
comes already laced in is a hot pink. For the shrinking violet types, black
laces would be less bright, but I like 'em! I'll save the extra black ones
in case the originals need replacing. 

Thanks to a roomy (but not, too roomy) toe box, I have not suffered one
blister or "black" toe due to rubbing or banging my toes on the downhill
treks. Also, the toe box is almost "hard" which has been downright super at
protecting my toes when I do slam into that errant down tree limb or that
rock that moved just as I went to walk over it.

Where the Bioms really make me happy is the arch support. It's in exactly
the right spot for my feet and is not too high, not too low, but just right
as Goldilocks would say!

The arch support works wonderfully to keep my arches from rock bruising,
especially when wearing a heavy backpack. That's usually the place I feel
soreness the most - my arches. Not so with the Bioms!

ECCO brand stock insoles work just fine for me, so I never have changed them
out for after-market ones. I do make it a habit though to remove the insoles
after I wear them so as to let them air out a bit.

The cuffs of the Bioms are high enough to help support my ankles, keeping
them steady which minimizes after-hike soreness. The thick padding of the
cuff has protected me from rubbing and the subsequent after-hike abrasions
and/or blisters. 

As for cold, I've worn the Bioms on day hikes in temperatures down to 9 F
(-13 C). Even when staying still in snow up to my knees, my feet have
remained warm!

Oh, and dry! Just today, I was out in the snow for a hike and though my
pants got soaked, my hat and jacket covered with snow, the Bioms were
constantly covered in the snow and still they remained perfectly dry inside.
That was really nice!

I am a natural klutz! When backpacking and hiking, it's only a matter of
time before the seat of my pants is going to meet up with the ground. I
depend on the tread of my boots (and my hiking poles!) to help me stay
vertical. 

The Bioms worked really, really well on most all the trails I encountered
these past two winters. Dirt, gravel, rocks, sheer granite, snow and ice,
all were no obstacle for the Bioms. While I wasn't quite as steady as a
mountain goat (no snarky comments from my trail mates, please), I held my
own.

Amazingly, as of yet, there is no undue wear and tear to be seen on the
Bioms. They sport the usual scuffs (they're MY shoes after all) and dirt but
overall are in great shape. They even still smell like leather with no
special care. A quick brushing when the mud get too thick is all I've ever
done. 

I think I'll keep them! 

STARRING ATTRACTIONS 

1.) Comfortable right out of the box, no break-in period required.
2.) Good arch and ankle support even when carrying a heavy backpack.
3.) Kept my feet warm in deep snow and at below freezing temperatures.
4.) Classic style looks good on the trail and in town. 

MINOR DISTRACTIONS 

1.) Nothing at all! 

SUMMARY 

These are great boots! I've had a couple pairs of ECCO shoes in the past and
I have come to expect good quality footwear from the company. I certainly
wasn't disappointed with this pair. These Biom Terrain Plus Boots were my
first pair of shoes made from yak leather and I can emphatically declare I
am a fan! They are warm, comfortable, supportive and even "cute". I am so
glad I have these boots to wear, especially in the winter months when I am
snowshoeing. I will definitely be wearing them in the future and highly
recommend them

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters 
This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version
1.5 Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.