Gear Review -- Hi-Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra

November 02, 2008

The Gear Junkie: Hi-Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra
By STEPHEN REGENOLD

It may look like a traditional mid-height leather hiking boot. But Hi-Tec’s V-Lite Altitude Ultra was built with a plasma-based process developed for military clothing worn in a chemical attack.

New this month for $135, the boot incorporates something called ion-mask technology, a proprietary treatment that infuses leather with fluoro carbon before coating the boot in a polymer layer 1,000 times thinner than a human hair.

Sounds fancy. But the result is a fairly humble one: The ion-mask process keeps water out while allowing the foot to breathe inside.

Waterproof-breathable footwear is nothing new in the outdoors industry. But Hi-Tec (www.hi-tec.com), which partnered with a U.K.-based military-defense company on the project, touts ion-mask as a better breathable solution that’s also more environmentally benign than competing chemical-based treatments.

Hi-Tec’s V-Lite Altitude Ultra

My test involved several autumn hikes, one a six-hour killer on trails and through the woods near Minnesota’s St. Croix River. The boots kept my feet dry in wet grass and while tromping through the standing water of muddy trail puddles.

Despite a warm day, clammy feet were not a problem. The waterproof treatment born of chemical warfare seemed to do the trick, allowing moisture from my feet to escape past microscopic pores and polymer, though keeping the rush of water out when I tromped in a stream.

As the name implies, the V-Lite Altitude Ultras are fairly light weight — about 1.4 pounds per foot in my gargantuan size 13s — and they walk with an easy stride. The liberal outsole flex is more akin to that of a trail-running shoe than a stiff hiking boot.

A light Vibram tread underfoot consists of a streamlined series of knobs, lines and rubbery stars. Traction is adequate for most environments, though the tread is too light on steep terrain with snow, ice, mud or slippery rocks.

To me, the Altitude Ultras, which come in men’s and women’s builds, felt made more for speed, less for support on the long haul. They fit my foot fine and were comfortable for six hours on the move during a day hike. But with a larger pack — or for more rugged terrain — I would want something with a bit more beef.

My verdict: The Altitude Ultras are a neat new take on the waterproof-breathable front, keeping my feet from clamming up. Boot build and design is made for day hikers and causal backpackers, not hard-core wilderness explorers. At $135, the price is fair if you need to keep your feet dry or safe, perhaps, during a chemical attack.

(Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eleven U.S. newspapers; see www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold’s work.)

HiTec Altitude Ultra first review

I have a history with HiTec boots. My first were a pair of Mauna Kea fabric and suede boots which were supremely comfortable, but had next to zero water resistance. Next up were the V-Lite Sierras. These were good boots but let down by a poor sole unit, which had zero grip on slippery stone. Can HiTec get it right third time around? I tested the boots today with a dog walk around the streets and a walk in the forest over a mixture of tracks, wet grass, mud and bridle paths.

 HiTec Altitude Ultra WP

The Altitude Ultras are almost a great boot but not quite. The sole unit is an improvement on the Sierras and feels secure. It shares the same soft EVA wedge, so on hard surfaces you get plenty of cushioning.

The downside is that your feet lose any feeling of the ground beneath, quite unlike the Aku NS 564s where your feet seem to communicate with the ground. The advantage of the Altitudes is that walking on hard surfaces like roads or Land Rover tracks is likely to be less fatiguing. However, foot placement is less precise and I would prefer the Akus for scrambling.

The Altitudes are very flexible, with very little resistance at the flex point, similar to the Akus and less stiff than my Montrail Cirrus. Not surprisingly they feel very similar to the old Sierras. The tread pattern provides good grip, but the complicated pattern appears to make it somewhat prone to clogging.

In terms of fit, these are higher volume boots with a wider heel than the Akus or Montrails. I’ve used my Montrail Enduro footbeds to lower the volume a bit and to give a more secure heel cup. The heel is definitely wider, but I have quite a narrow heel.

Footbed comparison, Montrail Enduro (top) and standard footbed (bottom)

I felt some pressure on the outside of my right ankle bone. I have very prominent ankle bones, so this is a common problem for me. The only boot that hasn’t affected me this way initially is the NS 564s. At least with leather, there should be some “give” over time.

I think the lacing system (like the Sierras) leaves a bit to be desired. I like having a locking loop or cleat below the top two cleats to secure my heel into the back of the boot. I think this improves the fit. While not a disaster, sometimes the boot doesn’t feel quite as tight on my foot as I would like.

However, I do like the cleats, which are rounded and eliminate any chance of nicking your finger as some of the more traditional ones can if they’ve been scraped on a rock.

In terms of breathability, they seem to be better than a conventional leather boot (e.g my last pair of Zamberlans) and certainly better than the GoreTex lined Cirrus. I suspect this is down to thinner leather and to the boot tongue, which is a composite of fabric and what looks like synthetic leather. The fabric must help breathability.

The ankle cuffs also appear to made of synthetic leather material. If it is not real leather, then that is a bit of a disappointment as I would rather have an all-leather boot. The inner is two grades of mesh, with no prominent seams.

It is difficult to judge how effective the ion-mask is without a sustained wetting. However, ploughing through as much wet grass as I could, there appeared to be no penetration and dried off quickly. The one weak point I think will be the mesh material on the tongue. I would be surprised if this stayed watertight in a sustained downpour or soaking. Only time will tell.

Speculating about the ion-mask treatment, I would have thought it should be more suitable for nubuck or reversed leather as the treatment would penetrate deeper into a rough surface and cope with scuffs more effectively than smooth leather. I will be interested to see how it copes with scrapes and whether this compromises the waterproofing.

Another improvement would be a rubber toe cap. In my experience, leather boots suffer most damage in the toe area, so protecting that would help the overall integrity of the boot and the waterproofing.

Boot comparison (l to r), Montrail Cirrus GTX, HiTec V-Lite Sierra, HiTec Altitude Ultra WP

I weighed my current boot collection for comparison. The Altitudes weighed 600g (single boot), the Aku NS 564s 581g, Montrail Cirrus 609g, so very little to chose between them. Interestingly my old Sierras were the lightest at 487g.

Overall, my judgement so far is that this is a good boot rather than a great one. They are not quite the right shape for my feet, which is not the fault of HiTec. I will be wearing them quite a bit as they are comfortable and I want to see whether the ion-mask treatment lives up to expectations.

If I made a comparison with cars, the Altitudes feel a bit like a family saloon with slightly soft suspension, compared to my NS 564s which feel like a sports car with harder suspension and a more positive feedback with the road.

My two suggestions to HiTec for improvements are to have a rubber toe cap and to improve the lacing system with a locking cleat. As a matter of purely personal preference, I would like a slightly firmer and shallower EVA wedge to gain a more positive feel for the walking surface.

Hi-Tec Ion-Mask claims hold water

Written by Matt Chapman Wednesday, 27 August 2008 14:28

"This technology is phenomenal. It's like something from Star Trek," says the bloke from the BBC's gadget show, who is telling us about Hi-Tec's technology. "It's truly amazing science." The cynical part of our brains tells us it can't be as good as he's making out, but the evidence is there right in front of our eyes. When Hi-Tec says items treated using this process are hydrophobic, the claims hold water - even if the items themselves don't.

So what's the crack? Well, a bit like the gadgets in a Batman film, the Ion-Mask technology was originally developed for military means. Not only was it supposed to stop soldiers getting wet, but it was also designed to be a barrier to nasty stuff like nerve agents.

Now that the scientific elements have been sorted out, the process is apparently simple. Items go into the Ion-Mask chamber and are then subjected to a vaccuum. Plasma is activated in the machine, before a chemical is applied to the item. The plasma then allows the chemical to adhere to the surface of every fibre. The whole process takes around three minutes.

Dr Ian Robins from P2i Labs, which created the process, said it was "green" when compared to current methods of protecting and waterproofing clothes. Traditionally, they involve 100-degree processes, vats of chemicals that need to be disposed of and massive heat to run the thermal drying process. In comparison, the Ion-Mask chamber runs at room temperature, uses a tiny amount of chemicals and "uses less power than your electric iron at home."

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"Being a British brand, we'd like to think we know a little bit about the weather and about water," said a Hi-Tec spokesman. "But this technology isn't just for the ramblers out there."

Hi-Tec gave the example of running shoes, which might absorb as much as 65g of water in wet conditions. That's a lot when the shoe itself may only weigh 300g and Ion-Mask-treated trainers could hold a big advantage.

As for the testing? Hi-Tec gave us some material treated using the Ion-Mask process to dip into the ray pool at the London Aquarium. The control sheet soaked up water as usual, but the treated version didn't even want to break the surface it was so hydrophobic. Remarkably, a sheet of kitchen towel did the same, allowing water to bead onto its surface but never absorbing any. We could even prove it was a real bit of tissue by ripping it in half - impressive indeed.

So where next for the technology? Well, P2i Labs says it can already make waterproof hearing aids, but it's looking at ways it can extend it to other items and gadgets. Ion-Mask has already branched out into plastic disposables, such as filters in automobiles. Next up are headphones and earphones.