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So I am struggling with my beloved plastic boots... I Love them but it is a b#$%# getting them tight every morning in the tent with hands that are starting to freeze in the Alaskan winter. I have two big trips this spring and I am contemplating having two ski buckles installed on the plastic shell to help the situation... Any thoughts or experiance with this?

Lowa made a buckled double plastic boot called the Quantum. Reviewers complained the buckles were too bulky for techinical climbing. The boot did not enjoy a super successful run. If you could find some of the plastic, ratching type buckles that are fairly low profile that might work better. Or what about using 1/2" flat webbing and ladder lock buckles? That would be lower profile yet pretty easy to just yank down tight.

how about the boa lacing system? might be hard to get your hands on a pair for the retrofit. sleeker than buckles though.

My issue with buckles are the compatability with crampons. The ratcheting buckle idea is intriguing. Maybe something like on a snowboard binding?

I was looking at my old Scarpa Tambo 2 buckle AT boots when I wrote that. I think the diffculty would center around attching the buckles. They are riveted through the plastic shell and I am not sure the plastic used in climbing boots would be strong enough to hold the large rivets or if it would compromise the durability.

I've been wanting this for a long time now. I had a pair of Quantums. I didn't have any issues with the buckles being too bulky for technical climbing. My problem was with the fit. I think they built those boots on a unique last. The heels were really wide, and there was a lot of heel lift and a very sloppy fit overall. Had they been lasted like the Civetta, and fit like the Civetta, they would have been great boots.

There have been a LOT of advances over the past decade with lightweight buckles in alpine touring boots. I don't know why they can't import some of that know-how into the alpine boot arena.