Thank You Santa!
Santa was a little late to the party this year, but I knew I had been a good boy last year and I was expecting a delivery. Thankfully, ye old Kris Kringle (disguised in a brown suit this year) didn’t let me down and delivered this tasty treat for my feet. Yes my friends, a shiny new pair of Dynafit TLT5 Performance AT boots.
I have been waiting in anticipation of this day for a few months now and have been reading this thread on TGR, trying to come to my own conclusions about sizing, fit, and other aspects of these magic elf boots. In the end, I opted to go for a little bit larger size boot than my normal 26.5. I am really probably a size 26.5 in the TLT5, but I went for a size 27 (the next larger shell size) because I wanted some versatility with some other boots I own (mainly BD Quadrants, 26.5) and I run TLT Speed bindings on a few pairs of my skis, which have less adjustment range compared to a TLT Vertical ST or FT binding.
I also went for a little larger size because I will most likely put an after-market liner in them. For one, to maybe add a bit of extra warmth, and two, to beef them up just a tad. The stock liners are probably warm enough on their own, but I also need to take up a little bit of volume with the larger size selection and aftermarket liners will do that just fine. It’s all experimental, becasue I’m into that kind of thing and I’ll see how it goes. My first tour on the TLT5 Performance will be tonight, at the first annual Nachtspektakel.
I’m really interested in seeing how big a ski these puppies can drive, never mind the obvious touring benefits. I know for mellow powder skiing they will probably do just fine driving a BD Justice sized ski (115mm at waist) but the question is will hold up when you really lay into it. One thing I do know is that these boots are going to be awesome for those epic spring trips into the Wind River Range, and I sure can’t wait for that!!!
jealous!
i came really close to wearing them around the house in my undies this morning. can’t wait for tonight. 😕
i’ll say it: best backcountry ski boot i have ever skied in. hands down, no doubt.
Game Changer! Boots are incredible. I just demoed a pair of the non carbon fiber boots last night and was blown away. They had a really nice fit and good flex(normal boot is the Radium). I am not sure how they made a boot with two buckles feel so secure and solid, but they succeeded. The other boot companies are really going to have to step it up, to match dynafit. Look forward to hearing your impressions Steve. My ski partner has already modified his TLT5 P tongues to soften the flex a little.
I am in the market for one of two items. New liners for my aging Mega Ride boots, (probably intuitions) or new boots all together. I need to drive a pair of G3 Xenoxides with onyx (105mm under foot) and my old stock mega ride liners are soo packed out, its silly.
was looking at Radium and then the mega ride replacement from garmont. cant remember the name right now. now I am looking at dynafit boots. how do these above boots compare to the zzero 4’s? ligher, stiffer, or just the opposite?
thx
Dave g…I’ve herb hearing the TLT5P is similar if not a tad stiffer than the ZZero. I’d go for new boots. There are SO many good options out there now and megarides are so…well, old.
I have to say the biggest gain is the cuff articulation and efficiency of stride that is FINALLY trickling down (to boots like the TLT 5) from all the race boots to the “everyday boots”…the F1 Carbon is my daily driver because it tours up hill so well and is stiff on the DH…can’t wait to hear your reviews…
Dude I always wear new boots around the house, to um “start breaking them in”
I don’t need new boots…. I don’t need new boots…. I don’t need new boots…..
– My 2011 Mantra. Will be difficult 😉
You’ll enjoy them!
I have these, and had the zzero4c. I actually think the zzero4c is “stiffer”, but it is a more binary stiffness. For short turns on ice I think the zzero4c has an edge (i.e. quick and hard turn initiation), but for everything else I prefer the tlt5p. It might be the forward angle that does this… The biggest difference is that I no longer feel the micro vibrations I got with the zzero4 on hard snow – so the ride is much more comfortable.
Rando, I hear you’re a damn good skier, but with these “Chuck Taylors” you’re gonna look like a tele skier on the descents.
omr…no dropping the knee here hombre.
i need to start a website. wasatchat.com maybe i can get some of those too
I tried them on but did not ski them, no opportunity to demo in my area. When you review, please differentiate between forward, backward, and lateral stiffness. They feel obviously inadequate in regards to forward stiffness, otherwise pretty nice!
I’ve been riding the performance version on a 112 waisted ski through a lot of different conditions. So far there hasn’t been one second that I wished I was in another boot. The touring performance to downhill power ratio is unparalleled anywhere else in the market.
glew…good luck that. 😉
mason…i’d agree with you so far regarding some of the characteristics about stiffness. the forward stiffness is forgiving, but the lateral and rearward are quite stout. i like boots with a progressive flex pattern, as opposed to something that feels like your shin is hitting a brick wall…so hopefully the TLT5 will fit my needs.
I am the proud new owner of the TLT5P. A question about the proto bellows and aluminum crampons:
I have the XLC390 cramps from Camp. They come with an aluminum bar to connect the heel and toe pieces. On Camp’s advice, I bought a spring steel conector bar for when I use the cramps with semi flexible mountaineering boots or my F1’s. They also reccomend the spring steel bars for use with tele boots. This is because the flex in the forefoot of these type of boots can fatigue and break the aluminum bars.
The proto bellows of the TLT5 adds some flex to the forefoot. Is there enough flex in the TLT5 to require the spring steel bars, or can I use the alu bars? I have had a non authoritative opinion on TGR that the alu bars would work because the flex is so limited, but I wanted an expert opinion to confirm.
harpo…since there is so little amount of movement in the toe area and it is spread over the whole bar of the crampon, i would think an aluminum one would be fine.
that being said, i tested some proto aluminum cramps that had aluminum toe and heel bails….and broke the toe bail in short time. the final product ended up having steel toe and heal bails since the aluminum bails failed so quickly.
Are you considering the TLT5 mountain’s TF-X liner? It’s somewhat burlier than the plain TF one i think the TLT5p comes with.
Rando what liners will you be replacing these with?
Scott…i’m using intuition alpine wrap (not power wrap) liners. So far, so good. They beef the tlt5 up a bit and i’m not sure i notice a whole lot of loss in range of motion in the cuff. I like!
Steve, How are these bad boys treating you now? Have you used them in any really cold weather? The knock I heard against them around Revelstoke was that they tended to be cold, do you find this to be so? As an old man in the backcountry I want something as light as possible and these may be a good replacement for the Spirit 4’s I am using now.
rick…so far so good. i have an intuition liner in mine and they are quite warm. working on a more comprehensive review…so stay tuned.
Did you ever do a full review of the TLT 5s?
jw…i was working on a video review, but it kinda fizzled out. i will do one in the next couple weeks though. love the boots, feel free to get in touch about specifics.
Tried to post this yesterday, not sure if its stuck in moderation or what happened, but… My specific TLT questions would be …how would you compare the to other boots( your Zzeros and Titans)? Does the pseudo-bellows bother you when skiing? Does the wrap liner work reasonably well in there without totally destroying how well they tour? Do you find the two buckles (and not even micro adjustable) are enough? Ever wish you had more boot while touring? That should be enough questions to get your review rolling…