Customer Reviews Zamberlan Brenva Lite GTX CF

Ugh, so close. Never owned a pair of Zamberlan, so I thought I would get these to ease myself into the brand. From the price point, these seem to be the entry-level of Zamberlan's range. The core of the boot is fantastic, and I wanted to love these SO MUCH. I thought I had scored a great pair (from many accounts, the absolute BEST pair) of boots at a terrific price. However, the devil in the details is what scuttles this boot; for me at least. The fit of the boot was great (once I figured out the correct size) and thanks to the Italians, they look incredible. However, where this boot fails is on the eyelets. Compare the Brenva Lite with any other Zamberlan boots, and you will quickly find that while seemingly every other Zam hiking style uses D-rings or hooks throughout, the Brenva uses webbed eyelets for the first four and hooks only at the very top, around the ankle. Webbed eyelets are more prone to ripping than D-rings or hooks, so I avoid them, but you may not take issue with them. Considering the price point, I was willing to live with it. However (and crucially), Zamberlan took away the hooked eyelet in between the metatarsal eyelets (the ones that run over the top of the foot) and the ankle hooks. This causes the boot to poke out right at the point where that eyelet would be, making for an...loose and awkward fit (at least in my experience). As much as I wanted to love this boot, I would rather fork over the extra $70 and just go all in for a proper pair of Zamberlans. Now, I will say to you, dear reader, this may NOT be a dealbreaker for you, as I am sure your foot and ankle is different than mine. Set aside the issue of the webbed eyelets and the one missing below the ankle, and this is an incredible boot otherwise. The boot is built with quality construction and quality materials. They are extremely lightweight and more, they can be resoled! So, taken care of properly, they would probably outlive you. I certainly recommend giving them a go, because if your feet and ankle can live with the missing hook, these are a win, especially if you can find them on sale. However, sadly for me, they have to go back.