Shell

The Infuse employs a ‘best of both worlds’ approach in many regards, one such feature is the lacing. Vans use a traditional lace for the most part, but add a little spice with a side boa to lock in your heel. Traditional lacing is, in our humble opinion, the best option when it comes to fit. There’s nothing quite like it for really being able to tweak the tightness where you really need it, but it’s not the quickest and for some riders it can leave a bit to be desired in terms of heel lift, as such Van’s side boa locks in over this essential zone to stop movement in the ankle when going edge to edge.

Just look at these bad boys, they’re pretty damn rugged, eh? Sure, the Infuse isn’t the lightest boot by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re built to last. Just take a gander at that sole unit, nice deep tread for grip and using All-Trac rubberised compound for durability in the cold weather. The waterproof shroud over the bottom of the laces isn’t just for aesthetic purposes either, it keeps water and ice from building up over the bottom of the tongue, a nice touch if you’re planning on bootpacking.

The flex rating isn’t a typo by the way, Vans have kitted out the Infuse’s with their Flex Control System which uses removable tongue stiffeners allowing you to customise the flex of the boot. You’ll find two thermoplastic tongue stiffeners on the inside of the tongue, one on that lateral and medial side respectively, play around with the placement of them to fine tune your response. Turn the dial to 10 when you’re charging, or mellow them out to really tweak out your next method.

“The Infuse employs a ‘best of both worlds’ approach in many regards, one such feature is the lacing”

Liner

As you’d expect from their top of the line, flagship boot, Vans use their V3 Ultracush liner. This is tricked out with all the premium tech and materials for long lasting durability and comfort. The liner itself is moisture wicking drawing the sweat from inside the boot and allowing it to evaporate, filtering out into waterproof, breathable valves to keep you from getting swamp foot (not nice, trust us on that one) during long days hiking features.

As standard these days, the liner is fully heat moldable. There’s nothing quite like an uncomfortable boot, especially when you have to break it in on the hill, so make the most of this and get them custom fitted to your feet to get rid of that day 1 ache. The liner features independant lacing, including a power strap to keep the whole unit flush to your shin to eliminate rub.

Underfoot you’ll find Vans’ V3 Popcush Footbed, a triple density, biomechanically engineered footbed with arch support, moisture wicking topsheet, bags of cushioning and OrthoLite foam.

“We’d always pick substance over style, but let’s be real, the Longo Infuse’s have shitloads of both”

Roundup

We’d always pick substance over style, but let’s be real, the Infuse’s have shitloads of both. One of our favourite boots for the last few seasons, the Infuse’s combine top tier performance with a cool retro aesthetic, they’re built for comfort both on and off the hill and we can’t really fault them.

Pros:

• You get the best of both worlds with the hybrid lacing
• We know this doesn’t reeeally matter, but there’s no denying they look insanely cool

Cons:

• All this top shelf tech doesn’t come cheap

Buy the Vans Infuse: £410 at Blue Tomato UK 

Buy the Vans Infuse: €460 at Blue Tomato EU