Scarpa has just cleaned up the British Trail Magazine’s awards, winning best 4-season winter boot with the Scarpa Manta and best 3-4 season boot with the Scarpa SL.The review, which calls itself “Britain’s toughest test”, is bound to increase the popularity of the already iconic Manta boot.Update 2010: Most of this was written when the boot won an award in 2005. Since then Scarpa has brought out a New Manta boot so I’m giving some updated information here and then the article will continue.
The new Scarpa Manta keeps much of the heritage of its older brothers but has been made a lot lighter. They trimmed about 10% of the weight (bringing it down to just under 1,700g) by moving to a new sole and midsole. They’ve also really beefed up the protection by giving it a really generous rubber rand all the way around that will help protect the leather from getting cut or scuffed on sharp rocks.
The new Manta also uses the new GSB binging system, which stands for Grivel-Scarpa Binding). This is a great mechanism for attachtaching crampons but it is not a universal system. If you buy a crampon that is designed for this mechanism you can’t use it on other boots that are not compatible.
This boot is designed specificially to take the Grivel Air Tech New Matic GSB, which really fits well and won’t pop off. It has also won a whole bunch of awards since including a couple more from Trail MagazineUpdate ends — back to the rest of the original 2005 article below:
The new Scarpa Manta keeps much of the heritage of its older brothers but has been made a lot lighter. They trimmed about 10% of the weight (bringing it down to just under 1,700g) by moving to a new sole and midsole. They’ve also really beefed up the protection by giving it a really generous rubber rand all the way around that will help protect the leather from getting cut or scuffed on sharp rocks.
The new Manta also uses the new GSB binging system, which stands for Grivel-Scarpa Binding). This is a great mechanism for attachtaching crampons but it is not a universal system. If you buy a crampon that is designed for this mechanism you can’t use it on other boots that are not compatible.
This boot is designed specificially to take the Grivel Air Tech New Matic GSB, which really fits well and won’t pop off. It has also won a whole bunch of awards since including a couple more from Trail MagazineUpdate ends — back to the rest of the original 2005 article below:
Unfortunately you can’t read Trail Magazine online so you’ll have to buy the magazine to get the full report.
In brief, what Trail really liked about the Manta was its comfort, which has been enhanced in the latest series with a new articulated ankle cuff. The runner up four season winter boot was the Raichle 60 Degree. Rcaichle didn’t do badly in the 3-4 season test either, taking the runner-up spot with its Mountain Peak XT.
Trail recommends the Raichle for people planning to do more climbing and the Manta for hill walkers. Both boots take a B2 crampon on the British grading system.
Trail isn’t the only magazine review to give top marks to the Manta. Outside Magazine’s Gear Guy calls the old Manta (which is going cheap right now in a quite a few stores) “a classic, light-heavyweight, all-around, all-leather boot”.
Outdoorsmagic says the main changes to the new Manta are in the upper, with the introduction of an “360-degree ankle flex zone”. They’re waiting for one to review and I look forward to their comments. Readers there give it mixed reviews, evenly divided between those who love it as a tough-as-nails mountain boot, and those who complain no end about their stifness and how they hurt. A bit of horses for courses here – I suspect those complaining bought them for the wrong reasons, or didn’t get them properly fitted.
The big surprise for me is that my boot, La Sportiva’s Makalu, which I’ve reviewed doesn’t even feature in the test. I chose the Makalu because try as I could, the Scarpa’s last just is built to suit my foot. So remember, while boot reviews and comparative tests are all great guides, the best boot in the world is no good unless its a good fit. Don’t buy an uncomfortable boot because it came higher in a magazine’s ranking.
JT says
Nice review!! The last sentence should be put on banners and displayed in every out doors shop in the U.K. (that’s a lot, especially in Ambleside?). Wise words indeed. I’ve just purchased my ‘Manta’s’ and can’t wait to break them in round Hilly old Norfolk before going back to the lakes. JT