Thread: Lange Custom Air Concept liner question....

This liner is advertised as a heat moldable liner and I was under the impression that it could be heated up and conformed to my foot. So, I took my Lange Comp 120's into a local shop to get customized and the tech guy tells me that it's not truly a heat moldable liner and that it should only be heated up and customized in areas where it fits too tight or is uncomfortable on my foot. He tells me that they never heat up the entire liner and mold it to your foot shape and that doing so will only cause the liner to pack out faster. Now, I understand that these liners will never give you the same personalized fit as a foam-in liner, but can't the entire liner be heated up to give you a more customized fit? Under his claim if you can heat up a portion of the liner to customize the fit, then why not the entire liner? Anyone else have experience with these?

Not completely certain about the lange, but most "heat-fit" liners (with the exception of the Technicas) don't use an expanding foam (such as two-part foam, or Thermofit foam), they just use a foam that softens a bit in the heat, so heating them up essentially just speeds up the break-in process. This can be really nice, especially if it's in a soft tissue area of your foot that probably wouldn't break in the liner under normal conditions. Unlike a Thermofit, this is not a reversible process.

So, in short, the tech is most likely right.

Heat molding expandable foam vs. non-expanding. Thanks flip, that answers my question.

Lange's CAC liner is not like other heat moldable liners. It is made up of strands of nylon. When heated they nylon "breaks" down which makes the nylon hairs adjust to you foot / ankle bones and bumps. When cooled down the nylon hairs regain their regidity around the hot spots. This process is highly recommended by Lange and will help fit issues. It does not break the liner down like other foam heatable liners.
I have the CAC liner and I have over 100 days on it. It is the best liner I have used other than an injected foam liner. But I do not want to deal with the hassle and expense of getting another injected liner.

Was it almost closing time?

You can heat the whole liner but really all it does is speed up the molding process. The boot will still mold to your foot over a few days. It's not super necessary to get it done but it also isn't a problem doing it to the whole liner. I don't suggest an oven though and maybe that was his reference. Just put the glorified hair dryer that Lange provides down in the boot or barring that use an actual hair dryer set on low to avoid melting fabric.