Kodiak Boots - Manufacturer says disintegration of soles is "common"
A long time ago I had a pair of Kodiak Boots. They had pale brick red Vibram soles and were the best boots I ever owned. Indestructible. Styles change and after ten years they were beat up and I threw them out, but I could not WEAR THEM OUT.
I went away from Kodiak for a while, but a while back I saw them in a store and, based on my previous experience, enthusiastically bought another pair. I didn’t wear them often, perhaps 20 – 30 times over about 20 months, but the last time I wore them the heels and soles basically fell apart – turned to powder really, deep inside the sole.
I was disappointed, but was sure this must just be a bad batch of sole compound and a known problem. I was sure they would be apologetic and do something appropriate.
To be brief, that discussion was even more disillusioning. The essence of their reply was this quote: “The boots seem to be experiencing a common phenomenon known as “hydrolysis” … the breakdown and chemical decomposition of the polyurethane compounds due to a reaction with moisture in the air.” This mostly occurs, according to them, when the boots are kept for a long time in an enclosed storage like a box. Mine were kept in a large open closet and, although not worn frequently, were worn regularly. [To be fair, i was offered a 20% discount on a replacement pair but, given the fact that this problem is "common", I would not trust another pair at any price, for fear they would fail in rough country at a critical time, causing injury or worse.]
So, we have a fairly expensive pair of outdoor boots, now apparently being made with a far lower quality sole than the previous Vibram (which based on a variety of boots is a great material). These Kodiak boots, presumptuously touted as “Canada’s Boot” by the manufacturer, apparently are not designed to be used in any place where there is “moisture in the air”; this is a state seldom encountered in Canada. Perhaps they should more correctly be called Saudi Arabia’s Boots!
My advice to the company – Go back to Vibram soles or find some other material that can tolerate moisture without disintegrating; don’t sell boots that fall apart. My advice to the potential buyer – check the sole material; until it changes, use and store Kodiak boots only in the desert, where they might serve you well.