What About the Weight?
One big difference between ZipFit and other custom moldable liners, however, is weight. These are comparable to many stock liners:
• Stock Lange RS 130 26.5 liners with no footbeds: 498 grams
• ZipFit World Cup 26.5 no footbed, laces, or strap: 548 grams
However, other custom liners tend to shed off 100 grams from a stock liner here or there to reduce the weight of the boot. ZipFit doesn’t do this, and for one very big reason: performance.
Sven Coomer, the founder and owner of ZipFit, believes that if you reduce the weight and possibly lose hold and/or performance, you could actually be increasing how heavy a boot/ski combo feels.
My initial reaction to this was, Huh? But if you think of it like this, it may make sense: If you have movement in the boot between your foot and liner or liner and shell, the boot and ski are going to shift with relation to your foot, and you will therefore feel an impact load in addition to the actual weight of the setup. This is what ZipFit is referring to as the “heavy feeling.”
By adding a few grams and ensuring a perfect fit and no movement, the people at ZipFit are in theory actually reducing the feel of how heavy the setup is. And this matches my experience: I can feel it while skiing, and I understand why Coomer and ZipFit are not willing to budge on the performance of the material for the weight reduction. You may notice the weight while riding a slow fixed grip or touring 40 miles a day, but I’ve found the upgrade in performance to be well worth the extra weight on the lift.
Additional Stiffness
I also felt that these liners stiffened my boots up slightly. I had no problems with this in terms of lateral stiffness, and liked this increase. However, given that I’m only 5’ 10” and 155 lbs. in an RS 130, I was already pushing my limits of strength to flex the boot fore-aft.
To counter this additional stiffness, I removed the two rear screws of my Langes that connect the upper and lower cuff. This brought the fore-aft stiffness back to normal. I should say that I was also using two booster straps (one for the liner, one for the shell), so there was some increased stiffness in addition to that of the ZipFit.
The laces and straps that come with the ZipFit World Cup are considered optional, should be used during the fit, but can then be discarded.
I ditched both immediately, as I didn’t see a huge use for either. And as I noted, I used an additional booster strap in place of the stock ZipFit strap. This booster strap connected to the inside of the rear cuff of the boot shell and wrapped inside the upper cuff of the boot shell in the front, around the liner. The tightness and responsiveness of this modification was also a great improvement.
Comfort / Warmth
The toe box is also very comfortable and warm. The liner has a 180-degree wrapped elastic neoprene toe box that is lined with shearling wool on the inside. This wool feels like what they use in slippers; it’s amazing, and it’s so comfortable, it doesn’t seem like it belongs in a ski boot.
The combination of the thickness and compressibility of this neoprene is definitely less than the stock Lange liner, and the ZipFits completely fixed the forefoot width issues I had with the stock liners. But there is also a gain in warmth due to the layering of the neoprene and the shearling wool and the circulation ability. It’s the best of both worlds. From top to bottom, these liners are more comfortable and warmer than my stock liners.
It’s worth noting that ZipFit makes four or five different models for different applications. These liners are designed for low- and high-volume boots, for fits with downsizing along with having options such as neoprene or leather liner. (The ZipFit website is currently undergoing a major overall, and updated technical information will be available shortly, but currently there is still a lot of great information on the World Cup and other models.)
Bottom Line:
All in all, I couldn’t be happier with the ZipFits. They set out to make the ultimate performance liner, and it is clear they have cut no corners in their attempt to accomplish this. Sven feels that they are pretty much there, which is why the design has changed very little in five years.
If you’re looking to improve the performance, comfort, and warmth of your stock liner, go buy some ZipFits. And if they seem expensive, keep in mind that they will probably last you for years. You’ll likely replace your shells several times before you replace your ZipFits.
Imagine all those years of perfect skiing with complete control you could have had……..if you wearent so stubborn about aftermarket liners in the early years….:-)
any idea where can one purchase zipfits online? i’ve got an OLD pair and am looking to upgrade…, thx.
cdub,
I’m not aware of any place online where ZipFits can be purchased currently, but I sent a note to Sven to see if he had any more info. When I hear back, I’ll let you know. If you haven’t seen it already, here’s the list of ZipFit dealers from the ZipFit website: http://www.zipfit.com/dealerlist.html
Here’s the latest from Sven:
“We have been selling the Zipfit’s on line for 8 years … and it has worked very well. Simply purchase them on-line through http://www.zipfit.com. Describe the boot model and size and send a check.”
The exact page is http://www.zipfit.com/contact.html. Fill in what you’re looking for in the “Comments or Questions:” box, then send a check to the address listed once they get back with an exact price. Also, as noted in the review, the site will be updated shortly, so this exact process might change, but for now, that’s how it works.
I will be purchasing these ASAP. If my feet had mouths they would be watering.
Maybe I can’t read — did you say what size zipfits you used? 27.5 like your shell?
26.5 for my 26.5 shell. I was in a 27.5 prior to last season.
Wow, I really can’t read. Thanks for the response.
So I purchased some used 26.5s for my 26.5 shells…and they were too small in length. Besides being uncomfortable to wear outside the shell, they curled my toes, making the boot completely unwearable (think crack climbing in bouldering shoes). Unfortunately, the liner has a hard plastic bottom so you can’t really stretch the toe box to get more volume. Granted, I have a tight shell fit and had some punching in the toes, but I’m still surprised because I’ve never heard or read about people having this issue.
Joe, did you encounter anything like this before your 2-day break-in period? I mean, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and I had to get them off within minutes—nowhere near enough time to stand in line and ride a chair. (Obviously, this has nothing to do with the OMFit, just the neoprene toe box.)
I might go try to find a size 27 at my local shop, but I thought I would throw out this warning to potential customers with a tight-fitting shell.
I had the opposite feeling. I felt the flexibility and compressibility of the neoprne gave me more room if anything in the forefoot.
Are you positive both are 26.5? seems like this would only happen if you were a full size off in either the shell or liner. The neoprene toe box seems to be done very nicely on these liners.
Are there any other differences in the setup? new foot beds, shims, etc?