Hoji Free touring boot

[SkiersLeft]

Interesting, I'll have to give the XTD a look then. Curious why Dynafit's website gives the Hoji Free a "2/5" rating for touring as opposed to the Hoji Tour a "5/5". It seems like other than the last width and the toe lug that adds 100g a boot there's little difference in tour performance, no?

As stated the liner is stiffer as is the shaft plastic. Liner is more akin to something out of a Cochise 130. Power strap is a bit different as opposed to the normal hoji. ROM good but not friction free.

Personally instep height felt similar to the zero g tour pro (I need lots of room as well). In general the fit reminds a lot of Vulcan/mercury except for the instep which is higher in hoji.

On carpet with stock liner it feels very 50/50 oriented, or at least more downhill focused than Vulcan hoji zerog xtd etc. perfect for the “tgr” crowd.


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[GoSlowGoFar]

So I got a chance to try these on and compare them to the Vulcans and MTN Lab. Me: high arch, 102mm forefoot, moderately high instep. Quick thoughts on fit:

-Toe box width (widest to narrow) - Hoji Free/Vulcan, MTN Lab (although with the custom shell HD I think this could be addressed pretty easily)
-Toe box volume/height (highest to lowest) - MTN Lab, Vulcan, Hoji Free
-Midfoot/metatarsal width (widest to narrowest) - Vulcan, Hoji Free, MTN
-Metatarsal volume/height (high to low) - MTN Lab, Vulcan, Hoji Free
-Instep (high to low) - MTN lab, Vulcan/Hoji Free
-Heel pocket in the Hoji Free felt slightly more locked in than the Vulcan and definitely more so than the MTN Lab.
-ROM in the Hoji Free is significant when compared to the MTN, which seem to just hit a wall at about 45 degrees.
-Hoji Free is stiffer than both in downhill mode, with a more progressive feel than the Vulcan.
-Cuff height felt fairly similar between MTN lab and Hoji Free but the Hoji Free is slightly higher.

Overall, kinda bummed about the metatarsal region of the Hoji Free as that seems to be where I have most of my fit issues and resulting numbness in boots. Might take a previous recommendation for the XTD for comparisons sake.

[gregL]

Overall, kinda bummed about the metatarsal region of the Hoji Free as that seems to be where I have most of my fit issues and resulting numbness in boots. Might take a previous recommendation for the XTD for comparisons sake.

You should look beyond the fit of any of these boots in the shop, especially before heat molding the liners (and shells in the case of the S/Lab MTN (or 2nd gen MTN Lab). A decent bootfitter should be able to make any of these wide enough for a 102mm foot without drama. It's harder to adjust the instep height on many touring boots (MTN is an exception) as most have ultra thin or no bootboards to grind. It's harder still to make the ankle and heel volume smaller.

Unless you have zero access to good bootfitting, I would recommend looking for the best fit in the ankle and heel and talk to someone about widening the forefoot.

[gregL]

PS Vulcan/Mercury had tons of space above the toebox; I had to glue 1/4" of foam on top of the liner toes to make it feel like the MTN Lab. The instep, on the other hand, was quite low.

[GoSlowGoFar]

You should look beyond the fit of any of these boots in the shop, especially before heat molding the liners (and shells in the case of the S/Lab MTN (or 2nd gen MTN Lab). A decent bootfitter should be able to make any of these wide enough for a 102mm foot without drama. It's harder to adjust the instep height on many touring boots (MTN is an exception) as most have ultra thin or no bootboards to grind. It's harder still to make the ankle and heel volume smaller.

Unless you have zero access to good bootfitting, I would recommend looking for the best fit in the ankle and heel and talk to someone about widening the forefoot.

Thanks, Greg. Regarding the instep, that's what has me leaning toward checking out the Hawx XTD. It looks like it has a bootboard which along with the memory fit shell seems like they'd be the easiest to get dialed along my arch and instep - as long as the heel and ankle fit well as you mentioned. I guess what I'm most hesitant about with the Hoji Free is forking out the cash for the boot then the prospect of another $100-200 for additional work.

[gregL]

Regarding the instep, that's what has me leaning toward checking out the Hawx XTD. It looks like it has a bootboard which along with the memory fit shell seems like they'd be the easiest to get dialed along my arch and instep - as long as the heel and ankle fit well as you mentioned.

The Hawx Ultra XTD (I have the first generation boot and I don't think the last has changed) combines a medium high instep with a very small diameter cuff. People who complain that it is tight in the instep are actually feeling it in the bend of the ankle (or have thicker than average ankles). I made the forefoot fit my ~104mm foot (not counting large bunions) with the heat mold and a few punches, and yes, it does have a grindable bootboard.

[MrLarsen]

Carpet testing a pair right now. Not sure what to think. It sure feels burly, both liner and shell are higher than the Vulcan. The new buckles close super nice with a slight locking click when closed. The classic Dynafit fiddle factor is still present when getting buckles and tongue sorted. The sidas liner isn’t total crap. The tongue is secured with velcro. When inserting liner into boot it can get hung up on the toe gusset. Fit feels similar to Vulcan all in all. The weight is what surprised me the most.... 1730 grams in a 28,5. is this a 50/50 boot? Sure feels like that was the plan.



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You didn't by any chance take note of the BSL of the 28,5 Hoji Free's?

[Spyderjon]

You didn't by any chance take note of the BSL of the 28,5 Hoji Free's?

IIRC a 28/28.5 Hoji Free has a 318mm sole length

[Banquo]

You didn't by any chance take note of the BSL of the 28,5 Hoji Free's?

My 27.5 is stamped 310.

[SkiersLeft]

You didn't by any chance take note of the BSL of the 28,5 Hoji Free's?

320mm


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[MrLarsen]

320mm


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Thanks. That should help me figure out what to do with bindings when I replace my Vulcans (likely with Hoji Free's)

[goldengarbageman]

Does anyone have any experience with punching this boot for bone spurs. The boot fits me really well other than the need to punch for the spurs. Will likely need to do decent spot punches. Any thoughts?

[goldengarbageman]

Does anyone have any experience with punching this boot for bone spurs. The boot fits me really well other than the need to punch for the spurs. Will likely need to do decent spot punches. Any thoughts?

I should clarify. The punches would be in the forefoot for bunions.

[thefortrees]

Just got these punched to widen up around the forefoot. The material molds really well, so I think you are good to go...

[Matt D]

Throw my personal opinion into the mix.

Skied these all last season and they have effectively retired my stiffened tlt6s and Lange xt freetours.

The test sidas liner just didn't fit, so i stuck an intuition in and had to blow the ankle to stop the agony (I'm told this area was then opened out for the market model but I haven't tried it yet)

I'm 80kg and ski with a racer style, i had absolutely zero issues with stability in all directions. The flex is a bit different though, perhaps because of movement in the mechanism where the shaft is supported, it's more like a smooth piston than a snappy alpine boot. It made the skis less lively on piste and hard snow, but once I was used to it, seemed to smooth out chop off piste which was a reasonable trade off I think

I had them mostly in pin bindings but also in aaatacks on 118mm skis and they handled it fine (also the release values in this combination were pretty accurate). Happy theres no speednose on these ;-)

I definitely like the hoji system, it gives an easy range of motion to a stiff boot which made the extra weight more manageable. Though as i say i haven't tried the final sidas liner which will define the walkability i think.

One little gripe, im still used to throwing buckles before each lift up and getting a thumb under the buckles with a thick glove on is a pain the backside. Though I'm told the idea is that you shouldn't need to mess with these often because of the heel lever.

Sum up: I think the fit may be somewhat polarizing only time will tell. But if it fits you, it's a good all rounder, powerful enough for any ski and walks well enough for +1000m climbs.

[Matt D]

Oh and the 2 boot fitters who've worked on them with me say the material is easy to punch, just play gently in the area of the walk/ski mechanism.

[kootenayskier]

Tried them on in my local shop. Pretty generous fit around the toes, and adequately snug around my narrow ankle and heel. The instep buckle locks my heel down nicely. Nice supportive skiing flex for a touring boot, but not in the same realm as a dedicated alpine boot. Touring range and ease of movement seemed unrestricted. The Hoji lock system is ingenious, though perhaps too complicated to be durable and I’d still need to adjust the front buckles for touring and skiing. The Sidas liner doesn’t appear substantially different from the disposable liners Dynafit boots have always come with, they seem like they’d work for higher volume feet, but I expect I’d need a thicker Intuition liner to mold into for a performance fit. Overall these boots could (with an Intuition liner) work for me as a versatile high performance touring boot, and as a I get older perhaps as that mythical 50:50 boot.

[dfinn]

Not really seeing much for reviews on these. Anyone getting time in them this season?

[Tailwind]

I have a pair.

Still working on getting the fit dialed in. I’m pretty low volume so that’s been a struggle. I recently added some tour wraps and that appears to have mostly fixed things... but I’m not loving how The tour wrap works with this shell design.

They ski well.
They tour well.
The Hoji lock system is awesome, I think I’m regularly doing a full transition in less than 60 seconds.
Flex pattern feels better than my Vulcans.

Not really seeing much for reviews on these. Anyone getting time in them this season?

[Spyderjon]

I've got a brand new pair of 27/27.5 going at the right price: https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...rjon+Hoji+Free

[SILENCER]

I have a pair too, got 'em back in November. I have a half dozen days on them now, and am suitably impressed. For reference I was using a pair of Cochise 130's for everything in & out of bounds and had no plans on getting new boots, but due to a drilling mix up (long, unfortunate story) I was forced into getting dedicated b/c boots. So I went in a little angry to it all, but these won on out-of-the-box fit against the Technica Zero G.

I'll echo some comments above. The fiddle factor is high on the buckles so far; only one of four fastening/tightening devices is like a traditional buckle. Ah well, that's fine. They are over a pound lighter than my Cochises, so that of course rules. Strangely, they're also the warmest boot I've ever owned...with the stock liner. I've had Intuitions in my boots for the last decade (and battery heaters prior!), but for some reason these are simply warm. I'll take it.

Now, the walking ROM is also the best of any boot I've had. I was skeptical about the release mode, but so far it's working exactly as advertised. I buckle my boot in the parking lot like I'm about to drop, then just flip the lever down. It somehow is perfect. Zero point zero signs of blisters. So it's been ascending like a dream for me. Lastly, I was *most* skeptical about how stiff their "130" was. And summarily corrected. This is a stiff beast. Very, very impressed. I've had it almost every snow type b/c except corn yet, and keep wanting to find things wrong with it but cannot. Hmmm.

I have two fit issues to work on, but wanted some days in them to come in informed to the shop first. One for sure should be fixable, and right heel punch out. We'll see on the other, but it's far less of a deal breaker.

With a custom footbed the price wasn't something I was thrilled about (who likes spending money), but I'm still kinda shocked at how good they are all around. Especially because this wasn't even on my radar until the day I found out I needed them (and simply remembered the background chatter about Hoji making his own boots). So...this is so far a pretty crazy happy ending to an unplanned purchase. Your foot will decide if you like them, but I have found nothing majorly wrong about these yet. I'll report back in May after I get some steeper/more challenging stuff on them.

Recommended.

[mr_pretzel]

Any comparison on how these fit compares to a lange LV freetour 130/140

[GoldenBC]

Any tricks to add forward lean to the Hoji Free?

I will be selling mine after one use if I can't find away to add substantial forward lean. Spoilers don't count. I noticed a screw on the inside of the walk mode. Does this lead to any magical solution? I've yet to open it up...

[Buster Highmen]

Overall, kinda bummed about the metatarsal region of the Hoji Free as that seems to be where I have most of my fit issues and resulting numbness in boots. Might take a previous recommendation for the XTD for comparisons sake.

I had the same problem. Solution: Roxa R3.

[llyon]

Anyone given these a good durability test yet? What breaks, and how quickly?