There are two main types of reviews. First impressions are important, as is learning what to expect from a thing as you first encounter it and acclimate to its features.
But arguably, what people really want to know is, "Will [X] thing that I'm considering buying still be good months or years from now?" That is, of course, followed closely by "Is [X] thing really worth spending my hard-earned money on?"
Regarding the REV'IT! Discovery GTX boots I've been wearing for the past year, I can now tell you in June 2024 that they've successfully held up to all the abuse I've been able to throw at them in the past 12 months.
So yes, I feel like I can definitively say that they're still good a year later.
The Rainy Season
I've been finding myself riding in the rain more than ever before lately. I don't seek it out, necessarily; but I'm also stubborn, and I'm not going to let a little rain get in the way of my fun. Or, in some cases, a lot of rain.
I've now ridden through a few downpours in my Discovery GTX boots, and I'm here to tell you that the Gore-Tex liner works exactly as advertised so far. I'm sure it will give up at some point down the road, as everything does.
Stuff wears out eventually; that's life.
These boots aren't ventilated, but they are breathable. So even wearing them in hot weather, I've been quite comfortable so far as long as I choose my socks wisely. Your mileage may vary if you're a person whose internal temperature runs hot, though; mine doesn't.
When I've been out in the rain, as long as I've had my pant legs pulled down over these boots, my feet have stayed comfy, warm, and blessedly dry. If you hate that soggy sock/shoe feeling, then you'll definitely appreciate this.
And while your toes are staying nice and dry inside the boots, those Vibram soles still grip the pavement in a most reassuring fashion, even in the wet. Even if there are drippings of who-knows-what from other road traffic that are rising to the surface of the asphalt, and making it a potentially slick and slippery mess for boots with lesser materials science knowledge behind their composites.
Fit, Support, Resilience, And Comfort
While I haven't worn these boots 365 days in a row, I've worn them a lot, both for fun riding and for work-related riding. I've also worn them on numerous press trips, and I'm the kind of person who flies in my motorcycle boots if I can get away with it. It's one less thing to pack, you know?
I find the Discovery GTX boots to be comfortable enough to walk around in, through airports or even just around a new city/town/area when I'm not on a bike. Are there times when I've wished I brought a pair of sneakers to walk around instead? Sure, but if you're trying to save space in your luggage, it's nice to know that these boots work for more than just riding, in a pinch.
Over a year of wear, I'd say that these boots are pretty well broken in. They fit and support my feet and ankles well, and comfortably. But I'll also say that they fit and were pretty comfortable from the start, too. At the beginning, they were perhaps a little bit stiffer, but that's about it.
A lot of their ability to suit your foot, ankle, and lower calf comes from that Boa adjuster. It's second nature for me to wind it snug, or to squeeze the release tabs on the outside of the clicker that will instantly loosen the mechanism. If you want to snug the boots tight over a pair of tight-fitting moto pants, cool. If you'd prefer to tuck them under the legs of your pants to keep the rain from getting in, or just to maintain a more incognito look, no worries.
It's all up to you.
As a bonus, if you're at the end of a long day of riding and you're utterly exhausted, the fact that the Boa thing is so easy and quick to operate is nothing but a relief. When you absolutely need to get out of your gear and relax, these boots are nothing but accommodating.
At the same time, though, you have total security in knowing that they won't come off unless you purposely take them off. Beautiful.
How Secure Are Those Velcro Closures?
The Boa adjusters stay exactly where you click them down when you adjust them into place, and they won't move until you release them. Period. You can move around on your bike, you can jump, you can flip, you can run up and down stairs, you can do whatever it is that you do in your boots and they will. Not. Budge.
The Velcro closures on the boots, similarly, stay exactly where you put them when you press them down. No sliding around, no unexpected movement. Just simple, quiet security.
It's not magic Velcro; stretchy base layers will still catch on it if you brush against exposed Velcro the wrong way, so take care with your long sleeves on your dominant hand as you go to close or open the tabs on these boots.
I also find the big loops on the backs of these boots very helpful when putting on or taking off the boots. However, another thing to be careful of is that if you wear these boots on the outside of your moto pants, those loops can catch on bike parts. Like, say, foot pegs if you aren't careful.
So just be aware of where you are and where you're putting your feet on your bike and you should be fine (or pull your pant legs over the tops of your boots and don't worry about it).
As to whether they're worth US $599.99, well, that's a judgment only you can make. Life is expensive these days, so if there's something you'd rather spend $600 on, I certainly can't blame you. But I will say that they're very good. And if you have the money, you could certainly spend it in worse ways, and on worse gear.
