Here's the problem: I have excessive wear issues with my La Sportiva Spantiks. And the boots are even not that old, exactly one year. They have been used for 3 weeks in the Chilean Andes, 3 weeks on Aconcagua, 1 week in Patagonia and 3 weeks in the Alps, this being the total time including the use of the approach shoes whenever possible. The inner lining of the outer boots is worn out in places and has even a couple of holes in it (see photos). The inner booties are ok, except of the fact that there are break lines along the ankle flex area which at one place is such that the insulation is broken and only the fabric holds the thing together (so it's only a question of time when it rips open). I've taken the boots back to the shop where I bought them, and they agreed that the wear signs shouldn't be such. So the boots went back to La Sportiva repair center, but all they did was to fix a rubber rand which was a bit open at one place (this problem occurred in the very beginning when I started to wear the boots). The sizing is correct, so it's not an issue of wearing too big boots. I tried to repair the lining in the outer boots by applying Seamgrip to a few holes (just to prevent the fabric from further tear), but I'm not sure it's the best solution. And what to do with the inner booties? I'm sure on the field duct tape will work, but I just don't want to duct tape them right now, hoping to find a better solution.
For all Spantiks' owners:
1) Have you had similar wear-out issues? Do you find it normal that such wear-out appears after relatively short period of use?
2) What's the best way to repair the problematic spots?
3) What might be the cause? Just poor quality, or something else?
This is my left outer boot. Notice all the wear-out spots. The layer is coming loose around these wear-out spots. The hole on the right is repaired with Seamgrip.
My right outer boot:
Inner bootie with the problematic area where the insulation is broken:
This black fabric area is also a weak spot. Out of 4 such spots, 1 shows signs of abrasion, and again, I don't have a good idea on how to fix it: