Editor’s Note: rtwPaul’s experience with the Drystar Tech 7 boots was not the same as Zac’searlier this summer. Zac had no issues.

As a rider that primarily rides more dirt than pavement, I’d always usedGaerne SG 12MX-style boots. They have four buckles, fit tall on the shin, and offer a lot more protection than your average adventure boot… but there’s potentially a downside depending on where you ride. Your feet can get soaked.

I carryKLIM Gore-Tex socks但是如果是他们努力使你潮湿的区域r feet completely dry after a long day in the rain. That’s no fault of the socks, the MX boots simply don’t breathe enough to let the moisture out, especially if it’s trying to get in!

For me, I have no idea how, but I am usually lucky when it comes to missing rain. But a couple of years back riding in Iceland, even though I was lucky to avoid the rain for a month the river crossings were inevitable. I did about 80 of these, and it felt like my feet were permanently soggy. Heading on a ferry to Scandinavia my luck completely vanished and all the rain I’d missed for years seemed to come at once. It took a toll on my feet and eventually, I got every soldier’s nightmare ailment: trench foot.

On returning to the US I kept the Gaerne for desert riding but needed something for those rides where things might get soggy. I came across theAlpinestars Tech 7 Enduro Drystar.

As I have transitioned to milder enduro-style adventure riding the Tech-7 Drystar seemed to check all the boxes I needed from a boot: Alpinestars described it like this:

Drystar® Enduro boot features a waterproof Drystar® membrane for proven weather performance and breathability and a specifically engineered, compound sole to provide Enduro riders superior durability, grip, feel, and levels of structural rigidity. This CE-certified boot promotes core stability and flex via a biomechanical pivot while offering excellent ankle protection. The boot chassis has been designed to give a complete feel and optimized interaction with bike controls, while the innovative buckle system allows easy, precise closure.

How did they fare?

The pros

As a $460 premium boot, I am certainly impressed by the fit and finish of the boot taking it out of the box for the first time. Putting it on it was easily the most comfortable four-buckle MX/enduro style boot I had ever tried on or walked around in. The mechanics of the boot felt secure holding my leg and ankle in place and the sole gave good feedback from the controls.

The cons

去年week they got their first real test of wet weather riding after owning them for about a year and only a few thousand miles of previous wear. I had a ride from NYC to Phoenix, and every day it rained, not constantly, but enough. From doing similar rides with Gore-Tex lined adventure boots on other bikes I had dry feet.

…in the Alpinestars DryStar Tech-7 Boots my feet became simultaneously wet almost instantly once the rain started.

The boots are in excellent condition, with no visible cracks on the main body of the boot or on the soles.

There is of course the other minor annoyance of the squeak when you walk but a little squirt of WD-40 stops that happening.

So… am I just unlucky and got a bad pair, or are other riders having this problem? If you had similar experiences make a comment below

• Would I recommend them? Not from my recent experiences!

**As a side note; this is not my first time using Alpinestars/ DryStar gear, I used it twice in the past over the last decade with similar results… getting wet when I shouldn’t.