I’m a big fan of approach type footwear and tend to wear this type of shoe both on and off the hill. Prior to discovering the Scarpa Mescalito a few years ago, I’d been mainly wearing Haglof’s excellent Vertigo – they were tough and being Goretex lined, very weatherproof. But they were never super comfortable due to the stiff sole unit and thick, fairly inflexible leather upper. Like a heavy leather boot, they needed wearing a lot before they softened and moulded to the individual foot – even if carefully fitted.
When production of the Vertigo ended, I looked around for something suitable for similar every day use. Mountainfeet already sold the Mescalito and feedback had been very positive. I was initially hesitant about trusting a non-membrane shoe to keep the puddles at bay – what swayed me to try them was the supreme comfort of the fit. The upper is a thermo-embossed and malleable suede which hugs the foot without ‘bagging’ (stretching) and has lacing right down to the toe for precision fitting like a climbing boot. You can wear them slack around town or work but really crank the fit up for technical trail walking or scrambling.
The Vibram Dynamis sole unit is flexible longitudinally for both comfort and placement against rock, yet torsionally supportive to aid foot stability. Grip is good on the majority of paths although not aggressive enough for really muddy conditions – at this point you’d likely be in a pair of walking boots anyway though…
The Vibram Megagrip outsole is made from a high performance yet durable rubber compound and works really well on rocky surfaces. The term ‘approach shoe’ was coined years ago to denote a shoe you’d walk to the base of a climb in before changing to more technical footwear. I’ve been confident enough with this shoe to scramble up to grade 3 and even do an easy impromptu solo climb or two with when walking by our local crag with Gyp the dog.
Durability is good for such a light and comfortable shoe. Repeated dog walking in peaty conditions saw my first pairs outsole part company with the midsole in a couple of places after a year but that was soon remedied with some ‘Shoe Goo’ and my two latest pairs haven’t had the same issue.
The Mescalito has a light but very tough polyurethane rand protecting the upper from scuffs and scrapes – this also seems to give the shoe great protection from water ingress when walking though shallow streams and puddles.
Despite this model not having a ‘waterproof’ membrane, Scarpa now produce a Goretex lined version for those that are going to be serial puddle paddlers! For me, the additional ventilation and breathability that comes with a non-membrane upper is worth the small risk of water ingress and I just make sure my foot placement in wetter weather is a bit more careful than usual. To be honest, during the many hundreds of miles I’ve walked in these shoes, I haven’t had wet feet – if conditions are boggy then it’s generally time for heavier duty footwear or maybe waterproof socks…
These are my go to shoe for virtually anything that doesn’t require a full on boot and I wear them casually too – last night’s party at a neighbour’s house being the latest example!
Fitwise, they are fairly versatile – this is partly due to the relaxed nature of the suede upper and the fact you can customise the tension of the laces to suit different foot shapes. They’re still unlikely to be the best option for a very high volume (wide) foot but I think Scarpa’s choice of last for this shoe is a clever compromise between technical precision and a reasonably universal fit.
There’s one last reason why I love this shoe and it’s pure vanity! It’s a great looking piece of footwear and works as well in the pub as it does on the hill. Not the cheapest product out there admittedly, but in my view well worth the outlay for such a versatile and technically capable bit of kit…
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