Ariat Catalyst Defiant 10” GTX Boots

I was very impressed last year when I reviewed a pair of rather comfortable Conquest GTX 8-inch boots from the US based Ariat company. They’ve really branched out in recent years from their equestrian roots and have hit the hunting/ outdoor market running! I met with some of Ariat’s representatives at IWA this year and was very keen to get my hands on, and feet in, a pair of their new Catalyst Defiant GTX 10-inch boots.

The attractive looking Catalyst Defiants are made from high quality waterproof leather, which is backed up by a genuine GORE-TEX® waterproof and breathable membrane liner; this makes sure that your feet remain bone dry in even the wettest conditions but still allow perspiration to escape; there’s nothing worse than wet feet due to water getting in, or clammy feet caused by moisture not being able to get out! These boots look like they really mean business, as they have an extremely rugged Vibram sole that has a tough rubber rand around the circumference to protect the uppers from abrasion and wear from rocks and rough terrain. There are five pairs of captive lace cleats and five open cleats for fast lacing. The catalysts have 400g of Thinsulate™ Ultra insulation built in, so these boots are ideally suited to harsh, cold winter weather – should be perfect for a UK summer then! There is also something called ‘temperature-managing X-STATIC® layer’ for odour protection but this is only really something that will prove itself over time, I think. The midsole cushions your feet well and on my first trip out wearing these boots I actually forgot that I had new boots on; they really are supremely comfortable, straight from the box! They were also completely waterproof.

In short, the Catalyst Defiant 10-inch GTX boots can cope with just about anything thrown at them and come back for more!