Astral Nosobo Hiking Shoe Review

When Grandma Gatewood grew to become the primary feminine to thru-hike the Appalachian Path in 1955, she wore a easy pair of Keds sneakers to get the job performed. On the time, her technique to go for a light-weight shoe was thought of outlandish — and even comical. Everybody else who hiked lengthy miles within the wilderness adopted a pair of heavy leather-based boots that had been sluggish to dry and hard on the ft. However Gatewood was onto one thing. 

Ultimately, hikers traded heavy boots for extremely technical path trainers. As a substitute of lugging 4 kilos on their ft, they needed extra agile footwear. But till just lately, only a few footwear had been designed for thru-hiking.

Placing tons of of miles on a pair of path runners or light-weight hikers wears the footwear down, and packs them out. The calls for of thru-hiking are inherently arduous on most mild footwear.

The Astral Nosobo is the newest iteration of a thru-hiking shoe, and the model’s first foray into long-distance mountaineering footwear. It claims to take each grip and sturdiness to the subsequent degree. It has a replaceable midsole to increase the lifetime of a shoe, so thru-hikers don’t need to trash them as usually.

Whereas Astral is finest identified for its water-oriented footwear, the Nosobo marks the model’s entry into high-performance mountaineering footwear. Whereas it’s not an ideal shoe, it does handle to fill a void on the planet of long-distance backpacking.

Briefly: The Astral Nosobo Mountaineering Shoe ($160) prioritizes traction, a barefoot really feel, and a sturdy design to accommodate individuals who wish to stroll loads. The zero-drop type and huge toebox improve consolation and steadiness, and the quick-drying supplies are nice for ever-changing environments. The sizing is somewhat massive, and the model is obscure about tips on how to substitute the “Rechargeable” midsole. However for anybody on the lookout for a long-distance mountaineering/backpacking shoe, this thru-hiker is a stable choice.

Take a look at GearJunkie’s information to the Finest Mountaineering Footwear and the Finest Mountaineering Footwear for Ladies.

Astral Nosobo Mountaineering Assessment 

Over the previous decade, I’ve backpacked hundreds of miles and worn dozens of various shoe types. Throughout that point, I realized that an important options of a long-distance backpacking shoe are consolation and match, assist, and breathability.

Choosing a shoe with out these qualities is prone to end in scorching spots, blisters, and foot ache. In order I approached testing Astral’s first long-distance mountaineering shoe, these had been the qualities I used to be on the lookout for.

Supplies

Utilizing sustainably sourced and eco-friendly supplies is a part of Astral’s model id. The Astral Nosobo is designed with 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPet) and ultrafine ripstop mesh. It’s constructed from issues like recycled ingesting bottles and meals containers. The result’s a light-weight, quick-drying, and comparatively breathable materials.

If you happen to stay in a dry local weather like me, quick-drying functionality issues rather less. However, on many long-distance trails (just like the Pacific Crest Path or Appalachian Path), having footwear designed to dry out shortly is a big profit. Moist footwear creates blisters and could be the bane of thru-hikers.

Match

I discovered the sizing of the Astral Nosobo to be about half a measurement too beneficiant. That may be good for thru-hikers since most of our ft swell over the course of the journey. Nevertheless it’s one thing you need to positively take into account when buying. If in case you have the chance to attempt these footwear on in individual, I might suggest doing so.

Astral Nosobo Mountaineering Shoe: Within the Area

The primary time I slipped the Astral Nosobo Mountaineering Shoe on, I walked to the lavatory and dribbled water throughout my footwear. With out studying the technical details about the footwear, I used to be curious to see how a model finest identified for its water footwear would strategy a thru-hiking shoe. Would they be fully waterproof? Partially? Or by no means?

To my shock, the droplets of water that cascaded onto the material shortly saturated it. However they didn’t keep moist for lengthy. Minutes later, I headed to an area mountaineering path to guage real-life efficiency (as a substitute of loo lab testing).

I seen fairly shortly that the Nosobo footwear felt somewhat heavier than my on a regular basis mountaineering footwear. At 1 pound, 6 ounces per pair, they’re lighter than all however one of many footwear on GearJunkie’s information to the Finest Mountaineering Footwear. Nonetheless, in comparison with something in our information to the Finest Path Operating Footwear, these are heavyweights. Consumers ought to anticipate one thing within the center.

As I rounded a nook that was notoriously slick and lined in nice gravel, I didn’t slip in any respect in these footwear. Till that time, I hadn’t been certain if these had been going to finish up behind my closet with the remainder of my rejects. However after that preliminary hike, the Nosobo proved it was price additional testing.

Midsole and Insole

One space through which many path trainers fail thru-hikers is their development. A light-weight, high-performance shoe is nice for some time. However after weeks of rock hopping, traipsing by way of mud canals, and carrying a heavy pack, the breakdown course of is inevitable. Or so we thought.

The Astral Nosobo comes with a “rechargeable drop-in midsole” that may be changed. Astral claims that this enables hikers to increase the lifetime of their footwear so that they don’t need to go within the trash on the finish of each season (or hike!). It’s one of many most important advertising and marketing hooks the model makes use of on its webpage for these footwear.

Nonetheless, nowhere on the Astral Nosobo webpage does the model clarify how prospects can do that. There isn’t a choice to buy replaceable Rechargeable drop-in insoles. The guarantee and FAQ pages don’t present data on the method, both. Whereas it’s not instantly apparent to me the place or how you’d substitute the midsole, I like the thought that you would be able to. 

I used to be additionally pleasantly stunned to seek out the insoles to be extra-cushioned and oddly thick (Helloooo, geriatric footwear!). The truth is, I’ve solely ever seen customized orthotics that may examine in girth and peak.

For somebody with excessive arches like me, they nonetheless lacked assist within the space the place it counts essentially the most. However the shoe is spacious sufficient to accommodate my very own customized orthotics. 

Outsole

A fast journey to the foothills of Colorado satisfied me that these footwear’ outsoles had been extremely sticky. The Path Grip 2 outsole and nonmarking G.15 rubber felt almost just like the rubber on an strategy shoe. It allowed me to traipse simply throughout slick rock and different typically slippery surfaces. This high quality is crucial in relation to moist or polished rock surfaces. 

Miles-to-Greenback Math

Admittedly, I haven’t reached the 500-mile mark on these footwear but. So, it’s tough to say how they’ll stand as much as the calls for of an prolonged thru-hike. I’m skeptical of any path runner or comparable shoe that claims to final greater than 500 miles.

But when materials selection is an indicator of longevity, I’ve hope for the Nosobo. They already really feel pretty impervious to widespread path obstacles. As a consequence, I believe the Nosobo’s $160 value is aggressive. A high-quality shoe that’s designed to assist your ft in rugged environments will seldom value much less. 

Check out GearJunkie’s information to the Finest Mountaineering Footwear, or our information to the Finest Path Operating Footwear, and also you’ll see what I imply.

Astral Nosobo Mountaineering Shoe: Who Is It For?

The Astral Nosobo is what it claims to be: dynamic, nice in technical environments, and in all probability long-lasting. These qualities cater to the mountain athlete who desires a shoe that may accommodate each mountaineering and working. Though, personally, I wouldn’t make this my devoted path working shoe due to its bigger measurement, weight, and medium degree of arch assist.

The zero-drop type and huge toebox improve consolation and supply area. Hikers preferring the zero-drop, pure really feel of footwear like Altras will love the Astral Nosobo. The spacious footbox and beneficiant measurement assist lengthy excursions like thru-hikes that trigger swelling to the ft. 

The Astral Nosobo Mountaineering Shoe is comfy in the event you discover the precise match (measurement down!). It’s reasonably supportive. And it’s tremendous quick-drying, which helps scale back the chances of ending up with blisters.