Recently my old time favorite approach shoes, a pair of first gen 5.10 Guide Tennies, gave up on me and it was time to replace them. This time, I focused on an approach shoe that can give me a wider range of utility. Enter the Garmont Dragontail MNT GTX. This is a mountaineer approach shoe that still has the stiffness and stability of a boot, but can be used to climb.
With a lacing system that goes all the way to the toes, you can achieve a good fit and get the shoes set. The heel system us unlike anything I have experience in any other approach shoe. The heel doesn’t move. Period. It’s great.
Crampon compatible, the Dragontail is a great shoe to hike on terrain that goes from dirt into ice and snow. The Goretex lining also helps with the moisture management.
Overall, this is a great shoe. Expensive, but you get a lot for the money: comfort, fit, range of use and quality.
Highly recommended.