This is the most difficult question to answer as all people’s feet are different and no single boot in the world fits every person’s foot. Added to this difficulty is the fact that everyone’s feet are different sizes, comparing left to right. The EU sizes presented by Zamberlan® Italy are different than other Italian producers. For example, our EU 42 is a US 8, while for other brands the EU 42 is a US 9. This is normal as manufacturers as specialized as Zamberlan® use their own lasts (forms) to build their boots. With that said, many customers find that our women’s Italin-made boots tend to run true to size, while our men’s Italian-made boots tends to run a bit long.

Full grain leather is the highest quality type of leather used in the Zamberlan® collection. It has great durability, resistance and appearance. Waxed full grain leathers are called as such due to the wax finish applied during tanning, which provides a beautiful look and feel. Nubuck is another top quality type of leather, which is essentially a brushed full grain due to the specific treatement applied for added resistance. Split grain leather is a leather created from the separation between top grain leather and the hide. Usually suede leather is made of split grain leather, as an example. Although less important than full grain, this leather is widely used for its features and resistance, including its lightweight quality, which pairs it particularly well with synthetic materials. Finally, Perwanger® leathers are a special proprietary brand of high grade, brushed full grain leather (similar to nubuck). Perwanger® leathers are available in very limited supply and are world renowned for their resistance, durability and performance in extreme conditions, like alpine mountaineering.

Leather thickness provides resistance and insulation. The thickest leather used in our boots is 2.8-3.0 mm thick on the top end products engineered for the most demanding use. It is very important for the high performance models used in the most extreme conditions to have a high quality and thick leather.

Giuseppe Zamberlan was a close friend of Vitale Bramani, founder of Vibram®. They started to develop innovative products in cooperation, and since then Zamberlan has been trusting the Vibram® brand for quality, experience and knowledge. Vibram® makes the highest performance outsoles available today, consistent with the Zamberlan® brand.

The overwhelming majority of footwear produced by Zamberlan® is resolable. 100% of our Italian made product (which is 95% of our volume) is resolable.

GORE-TEX® is a reliable partner for Zamberlan® as it represents the excellence in product development and innovation consistent with the Zamberlan® brand. GORE-TEX® follows the entire production process, ensuring a very high level of quality standards. In fact, Gore-Tex tests and approves all components of Zamberlan® boots in their lab in Milan, Italy to ensure adequate levels of breathability, moisture wicking, and other qualities to ensure an excellent experience for the user. No other membrane in the world goes to these lengths for the customer. In addiiton, GORE-TEX® products are the standard for waterproofness and breathability in our industry with premium brand recognition.

Since 1929, Zamberlan® has proudly been manufacturing products in Pievebelvicino di Torrebelvicino, in the company’s facilities. Today, there are three production lines running for top end model production by expert craftsmen. This allows us to maintain high quality, knowledge and skills in house. Many of Zamberlan’s craftsmen have been working in the company for decades.

For any request concerning replacement components, such as laces, footbeds, care products, please see our “Accessories” section of this website. You can contact our customer service departement for other questions.

Hydrobloc® is a process completed during tanning to ensure the best quality of leather/ The tanning is a special treatment that enhances water repellence, resistance and durability. To maintain such high features of the leather during prolonged use, a waterproof treatment and a conditioner were developed under the same name. We recommend this treatment to prolong the life of your boots.

Fit and last engineering at Zamberlan® keeps in consideration all the anatomical aspects of the foot, developing different fits for different uses. Please refer to the Technical Detail page of the web site to find out more. Essentially, there are more than 15 different lasts used by the company to ensure an ideal fit for the correct activity and foot type. These lasts vary by product line (i.e. ZBPK is our famous backpacking fit), by gender (ZLF is a variation of each of our fits to match women’s specific anatomical needs), width (ZWL is our wide-last), and technicity (ZTECH is our technical fit last within the Alpine collection).

Disintegration of the soles. It could seems like a production defect… Actually that’s a spontaneous chemical reaction called “hydrolysis”.
In fact you should know that, if you make a rare use of your boots, (with time) the soles get hard and dry (like car tires), even if they are new. It’s a natural deterioration of the material (polyurethane compounds), which the wedge is made of. Therefore the soles detach from the rest of the boots. This process is more frequent in areas with very humid microclimate or by using the boots in wet places.
That’s why it’s really important to wear your boots on a regular basis (even for walking a bit at home), in order to keep the soles (the material) “active”.
The boots should be kept in a dry place and treated with a maintenance kit; it’s very important to keep them clean, but do not dry your boots near a heat source: it would damage both the upper and the sole.
Please get a new pair of boots, keeping in mind that technology has changed a lot and the cushioning compounds are not like they used to be in the past.