Vans Infuse BOA 2013-2018 Snowboard Boot Review
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Vans Infuse BOA 2018 - 2013 Review by The Good Ride
The Vans Infuse BOA Boot is very interesting and offers a lot of stiffening tech to vary the flex of the boot from Med to Med/Stiff out of the box. We like the way they used BOA and traditional lace. For 2018 the footprint is incredibly reduced and we found these boots to be right up there with Burton and Adidas. These are great for anyone who wants to prevent toe drag.
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.
James’ Foot Specs
Foot Size: Right 9 and Left 8.75
Foot Width: Right and Left between a D/E
Arch Length: Right 9.5 and Left 9
Calves (Widest Point): 17”
Calves (At top of boot): 12”
Vans Infuse BOA Past Reviews
Jimbo’s Take
Rider: Jimbo
Size- 11
Flex: With all the tech in it starts out as a medium stiff boot. Without using all the stiffening tech it’s a medium boot out of the box.
Comfort: It’s also comfortable for most on day one.
Heel Hold: Van’s has been making boots for a long time and this mixed lacing boot does a great job wrapping around your ankle and giving you great support.
Adjustability: You can really dial out this boot to fit around your foot. The combo of lace and BOA works well.
Flex Retention: Our only problem with many Van’s boots we have owned is what makes them comfortable for most day one also makes them break down quicker than some high end boots. It’s great for a rider So what starts out stiff can become a mid flexing boot pretty quick into a 100 day a year rider’s season. What starts out stiff can noodle out pretty quick for those who ride a lot. If you don’t ride a lot and want comfort day one then this isn’t a bad sacrafice.
Response: With the additional tech to stiffen the boot it gives you a little more response than we are normally use to with Van’s boots and especially so with all the tech in making it a stiffer boot than we rate it but as it stands on it’s own it’s medium but with the extra tech it’s Med/Stiff to Stiff.
Traction: Great traction and we are glad to see Van’s has a nice rubber sole under foot.
Shock Absorption: Nice balance between giving you some shock absorption but still giving you good response too.
Footprint: It’s a bigger boot on the outside and a size 11 is more like an 11. For me Van’s boots fit about 1/4 size bigger so a size 9 is a little too big and a size 8.5 is a little too small.
On & Off Ease: The lacing is slow on and off but it’s not that slow compared to Speed Lace and BOA. It’s a good trade off for someone who knows how to tie a few knots.
All in all this isn’t bad if you want a higher end boot with lot’s of ankle wrap/support. We’d like to see a boot that has more longevity and has more of a reduced footprint but if it fit’s you well then go with it. It’s nice to see Van’s back this year because feet are different so the more boots the merrier.
Vans Infuse BOA Images
We try to get as many images of the Vans Infuse BOA, but forgive us if they're not all there.
2016
2014
2013
Vans Company Information
Vans Infuse BOA User Reviews
Good boots, some significant design flaws
Tech wise there’s a lot going on, strangest feeling is the outer tongue is very stiff and is designed to control the flex of the boot. I could see this breaking down in flex over time and the boots getting softer, out of the box they are quite stiff. This is very different feel to say, burton ions, where the flex is as a result of the whole boot tightened around your foot and calf.
There’s a lot of scope for adjustability but a tendency for pressure points from the multiple harnesses etc and heat moulting is a must.
The hooks for the laces frustratingly don’t have any tension locks like hiking boots, so you can’t tighten the laces and have the boot hold the tension, a basic design omission for those that like tight laces over the foot.
Heel hold with the x cage is superb though, and I don’t need to overly tighten the boots to get good response here, a big positive compared to burtons.
Probably the largest negative is the liners - the string closure doesn’t come up to the top like salomons etc, as a result the top of the liner isnt fastened by anything, as a result, it tends to come away from your shin as you ride, which really is a poor design. Overall they are a good boot - I’m just tempted to get some better liners and glue the x cage to them. Power strap I’m also not a fan of - Velcro wears out over time, just give us an upper boa or laces to the top... with some tension cinches.
Reduced footprint is very good, comparable to burtons.
Great Boot with a few caveats
Really great boots! The heel hold is unlike any other boot I tried on and the insole is crazy comfy. The feel definitely matches their price point (higher-end). Being able to adjust the flex/stiffness is a unique and awesome feature as well. But there are a few caveats for me that limit the boot to being perfect for me. I have to agree with James on these:
1. I've found that the boot runs at least a half size small (I would recommend sizing up). I bought a size 9 and they felt incredible in store but after 7/8 days on the mountain and having them heat molded twice, my toes are just too tight in the toe box and are going numb. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new size up :-(
2. It's impossible to get the boot tight around the shin, despite the power-strap. for some reason there is always a gap between the boot tongue and insole. Fortunately this doesn't really affect the responsive, but for someone who like, and is used to having my boots tight to my shin, its something new to get used to.
3. If you're used to the speed of being able to get on/off a BOA or speed-lace boot, there's some compromise here. Like James mentioned they're just not easy to get on/off and it definitely slows down the start and finish of the day. The key is to "over loosen" every single component of the boot to get your foot in and out more easily.
If it wasn't for the sizing issue (not really the boot/manufacturers fault) I wouldn't be able to recommend this boot highly enough. they're worth checking out, they're pretty sick!
Best boot
I’ve had 32s, Salomon Malamute and F4.0, Adidas Tactical ADV and I can say these boots are ahead of all of them. They are the perfect balance between comfort and response. The heel hold is incredible and the zone tightening is so perfect.
Why does TGR say this is a soft boot
With the inserts in, these feel plenty stiff. About a 7. Without the inserts, they feel like a 4-5. TGR description of this being noodly to mid stiff is way off....not sure what they're talking about? It gets noodly if the inserts are off and the x-thing in the back of the heel is taken completely off.
Anyways, great boot with all the bells and whistles. Wonder if anyone at the TGR even rode this boot other than the dude in the video? Awesome adjustability too.
