Forma Adventure Boots Info and Review

[Brtp4]

Forma Adventure Boots

Part 1: Construction: (long....)



Part 2: Field Comments:



We added the Forma Adventure boots to our line a while back. We know the Forma brand well, like the company, and really like this model. Forma is premium quality Italian brand, and the Adventures are comfortable, lightweight, wide, waterproof, and easy to walk in.

http://www.atomic-moto.com/Forma-Adv...ots_p_788.html





The Adventures are aimed, obviously, at Adventure Touring and dual sport riding. They use an oil-tanned leather, a lugged sole, 3 buckle design, shifter pads on the toes, protective support inserts at the ankle, and a waterproof liner. They are lightweight (2.8 lbs for a size 46), and can be worn with or without MX style armor. They have a casual style, the closest we have seen to a hiking shoe yet:






Also available in brown. The one shown here is a test pair with plenty of miles on them:





Pic of the sole:



BP

[JustRon]

Concerning only protection... how do these compare to Alpinestars Scouts and Gaerne G-Midlands- how would you rank those three?

[Brtp4]

The design of the Adventures is a good fit for ADV and DS riding. I have used a pair off and on over the last two years, and we have another pair out on an extended test. That pair is rotating between multiple riders, and was here in the office today.



These are well worn black Adventures in size 44. Since we had them here, we decided to perform a static waterproof test on them. So....

we filled a bucket with 3.5" if water:



Grabbed a weight (to offset buoyancy) and paper towels (to show any leakage):




Stuffed the paper towels into the toe and along the footbed, put the sledge on top, closed it up, and:







This is in about 4.5" of standing water, which is pretty high:



....and left them in there for ONE FULL HOUR.

BP

[Brtp4]

30 minutes in standing water is a long time. Additionally, because it is submerged, the water can soak the exterior shell, and find any pinholes of leaks in a waterproof liner.

We left these in for 62 minutes.

You can see the boots are soaked:





Pulled the paper towels out. Dry:



One from the toe area...dry.



Dry.




Dry.



Hard to see but interior....dry.




In our opinion, these passed the waterproof test. They already have between 500 and 1000 miles on them, but we sent them out with a 3rd person to get some additional miles on them. They are well liked by all so far. We will post up more later.

Thanks,

BP

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by broadwayron

Concerning only protection... how do these compare to Alpinestars Scouts and Gaerne G-Midlands- how would you rank those three?

Compared to the Forma Adventure, the Alpinestars Scouts and the Gaerne G-Midlands are similar in the ankle area for protection, but more rigid in the midsole area. Overall, those two are slightly - slightly - more toward the side of protection, but they are both also more cumbersome to walk in. In particular, the Scout quite a bit more clunky because of its PU-coated leather. The Adventures are quite a bit easier to walk in.

Additionally, the Adventures have the widest toebox of the three. The Midlands are in the middle, still normal. The Scouts are somewhat narrow, which is uncharacteristic for Alpinestars.

Forma Adventures: http://www.atomic-moto.com/Forma-Adv...ots_p_788.html

Scouts: http://www.atomic-moto.com/Alpinesta...oots_p_20.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=pi1c_4zHGL4

Midlands: http://www.atomic-moto.com/Gaerne-G-...ots_p_351.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=_rEOrqoLsX8

Hope that helps!!

BP

[fullmonte]

Brian, are these stiff enough in the arches for long stints while standing on the pegs? Will you be doing a thread on the Forma Capehorn boots as well?

edit: Oops, you answered my fitment questions while I was typing.

[Brtp4]

Hey Monte.

They have reasonable stiffness under the arch, and I have worn them on many full days. But the sole under the ball of your feet has a lot of flex.

Planning to do the Capehorns, and a bunch of light MX boots, shortly.

BP

[samhain]

These are badass. I'll be picking up a pair soon.

[MushNB]

Hi Brian,
I have read your reviews on the Gaerne boots and am wondering how these compare to the Gaerne Adventures or Balance in terms of walkability and protection?

Thanks!

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by MushNB

Hi Brian,
I have read your reviews on the Gaerne boots and am wondering how these compare to the Gaerne Adventures or Balance in terms of walkability and protection?

Thanks!

Hello MushNB.

The GAERNE G-Adventures (Gaerne, NOT Forma Adventures) are well made, but quite a bit softer and less protective. They are very easy to walk in, but we feel the Gaerne G-Adventures are more of a touring boot, good for only very light off road use.

The Gaerne Balance and the FORMA Adventures are similar for walkability. But they get there two different ways...the Gaerne is softer at the ankle, the Forma softer at the midsole. Frankly, the Formas, with more ankle protection, are probably slightly more protective, and a more clever design for ADV and DS use.

Hope that helps.

BP

[MushNB]

It certainly does help and thanks for the quick reply. I think that while all these boots would fit the bill for me, sounds like these Forma's might be the best option in terms of protection and walkability. I'll be in touch in a few months when I am ready to make a purchase! Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Brtp4

Hello MushNB.

The GAERNE G-Adventures (Gaerne, NOT Forma Adventures) are well made, but quite a bit softer and less protective. They are very easy to walk in, but we feel the Gaerne G-Adventures are more of a touring boot, good for only very light off road use.

The Gaerne Balance and the FORMA Adventures are similar for walkability. But they get there two different ways...the Gaerne is softer at the ankle, the Forma softer at the midsole. Frankly, the Formas, with more ankle protection, are probably slightly more protective, and a more clever design for ADV and DS use.

Hope that helps.

BP