New Vapor Boot

[A_B]

Was down to my last old style Vapor boot so bought a new one.

Don't really like the Boa front laces, as there is no stretch to the cord, so it seems like I need to run loose to make sure I get out of it.  

Anyone else have suggestions?  I don't think the lace holes are big enough to thread the old style stretch cord in it or I would have taken the Boa off already.  

I guess change is painful..

 

 

[Cam]

I changed to the new Vapor boot from Reflex this year and was worried about coming out of it, read somewhere that someone was using a thin neoprene sock in the liner so tried that and it feels so much better and I can pull it off in the water without releasing the BOA giving me confidence that I will come out of it in a crash.

[MatadorMaine]

I've skied it for 2 seasons. My son too. I feel the BOA can be as tight or loose as you want. I go about 75% tight...once I feel it wrap and get firm I stop.  My son barely tightens just until he barly feels it. We had this discussion the other day. 

I've OTF'd at least 3 times (full yard sale)...came out completely (as maybe was the design) each time. I did OTF the other day regrettably and only I came out about 1/2 way. So got back on platform and straightened myself out lol.  I upgraded from the Profile which I keep as a backup. I love the feel of both of them...but prefer the stiffness of the Vapor. 

[tfriess]

Been on the lastest vapor binding from radar on the front. Still feel like it’s one of the safest and I released no probables off the 2nd wake this week. Released no problem as long as worn properly. Make sure to read the instructions and listen to pro shops on this beauty. Used a few previous year models and this is the best yet

[SJK81]

I switched to the new vapor boot this year on Mike's MOB system and it works perfect.  I release when I should and not whe I shouldn't.  The new vapor feels stiff and secure but very comfortable.  Mike is great to work with and responsed quickly to setup questions.

[igkya]

Been on the new vapors since they came out.   I tighten the front BOA for a good connection to the ski but leave the bungee around the ankles on the loose side. Took a bit to get used to but no issues in a crash. 

[sixmilelaker]

You don't want to overtighten the bungee at all. I've seen a couple of cuff failures where the back rubber is stitched. Luckily, this is easy to replace.

[Skoot1123]

Got my new Radars at the beginning of June.  I personally love these boots and the performance of them is crazy good (for me).  The first time I used them it did seem like the top bungee moves all over the place, but I have since gotten used to lacing it in place.  I do a twist of the cord so I can wrap it from the top of the clip instead of the bottom. This helps to keep them in place better. 

The BOA did take a little getting used to at first but after two weeks you will find the happy medium for how snug you want them to be.  I have found that even on the looser side of how tight the BOA can go I still maintain great edge control of the ski.  Just my two cents and hopefully you can adjust quickly. 

[gavski]

Is it possible to remove the toe piece?
 

MM @perfski tried and it now looks like the toe section is riveted to the base - although you can still remove the 2 side screws..Mike tried to call @brooks, as he was convinced that you could remove the toe piece - but he didn’t pickup..

the build quality is ‘off the charts’ amazing, and I love the plastic moulded footbed that helps the liner slide in/out…

I want to use the boot as a rear, but I need it up close and snug behind a reflex release. With the older Vapor/ strada boot, I have had to cut a section of the toe away to allow free movement of the reflex release mechanism…

at $350, it would be a shame to take a dremmel to the toe section…although I have done a lot more to my reflex boot - care of @adamhcaldwell..😃

[A_B]

Anyone riding on the Pulse boot?  It looks a lot more like the older Vapor.  any comparisons? 

I am not giving up on the Vapor yet, but i have a perfecly good 2019 Vapor boot that just feels right and I have been swapping that on the differenct skis I have been riding this year.  Only like one new variable when i try skis..

 

[gavski]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:49 PM, gavski said:

Is it possible to remove the toe piece?
 

MM @perfski tried and it now looks like the toe section is riveted to the base - although you can still remove the 2 side screws..Mike tried to call @brooks, as he was convinced that you could remove the toe piece - but he didn’t pickup..

the build quality is ‘off the charts’ amazing, and I love the plastic moulded footbed that helps the liner slide in/out…

I want to use the boot as a rear, but I need it up close and snug behind a reflex release. With the older Vapor/ strada boot, I have had to cut a section of the toe away to allow free movement of the reflex release mechanism…

at $350, it would be a shame to take a dremmel to the toe section…although I have done a lot more to my reflex boot - care of @adamhcaldwell..😃

Is nobody able to answer this question?

even if you use the new Vapor boot as a front boot with the reflex release, you will have the same issue when using the new Vapor boot as a rear…

[C5Quest]

You’ll have to cut the toe on the rear Vapor boot to fit up snug to the front reflex mechanism.  Easy mod .  

[gavski]

3 hours ago, C5Quest said:

You’ll have to cut the toe on the rear Vapor boot to fit up snug to the front reflex mechanism.  Easy mod .  

Have done this mod on my old Vapor boot…the question is whether you can avoid this on the new Vapor boot as there are screws either side of the toe section that would lead you to believe that you can remove it..as you can with the cuff…

[C5Quest]

Remove the side screws and either 

1.  Have to drill out the rivets on bottom of toe piece and remove the entire toe …or

2.  Cut off the top of the toe piece and leave the bottom without drilling out the rivets.   
 

otherwise you can’t lower the reflex release back far enough to get the front boot in.  There are pics somewhere on this site of some examples

[gavski]

1 hour ago, C5Quest said:

Remove the side screws and either 

1.  Have to drill out the rivets on bottom of toe piece and remove the entire toe …or

2.  Cut off the top of the toe piece and leave the bottom without drilling out the rivets.   
 

otherwise you can’t lower the reflex release back far enough to get the front boot in.  There are pics somewhere on this site of some examples

From my time at perfski with MM, that’s what we both came up with, but thought it was an unusual step as we both thought the toe piece was removable/ replaceable just like the cuff…MM was convinced that he was shown this boot with the ability to unscrew the toe toe piece…

it doesn’t make sense to have a front boot that can use the reflex release, not to be able to use the rear boot without cutting plastic or drilling out rivets…unless of course, it was never designed to be used as a rear boot with the front reflex..?

why have rivets? Why not the same screws that hold the toe piece and cuff on? 
 

 

[UWSkier]

1 hour ago, gavski said:

From my time at perfski with MM, that’s what we both came up with, but thought it was an unusual step as we both thought the toe piece was removable/ replaceable just like the cuff…MM was convinced that he was shown this boot with the ability to unscrew the toe toe piece…

it doesn’t make sense to have a front boot that can use the reflex release, not to be able to use the rear boot without cutting plastic or drilling out rivets…unless of course, it was never designed to be used as a rear boot with the front reflex..?

why have rivets? Why not the same screws that hold the toe piece and cuff on? 
 

 

Honest question: why run a release on front with a double boot setup?  If I was still skiing double boots, I'd dump my release in a heartbeat.

[gavski]

I can’t ski with a rtp, I also have wide feet and the Vapor/ strada boot is perfect.

i, like a lot of skiers, am only on a reflex type boot because of an ankle injury. I skied with a double Vapor set up for a couple of seasons after I mashed my ankle, but I occasionally tweaked my ankle with this set up, so I moved to a reflex front, and kept the strada rear..

over the years I have modified my set up and now run a ‘r style’ strada boot at the rear…I really like to look of the new Vapor boot and was drawn to the fact you can remove the cuff & toe piece..this would allow me to create an r style rear, with the option of returning it to a full boot later..

a dremmel is my friend, but it would be a shame to have to drill out rivets and/ or take a dremmel to the supposedly removable toe piece..

[C5Quest]

@gavski. You can always drill out the rivets then replace the with screws to put it back together.   Just don’t cut anything.  Remove the whole toe piece.  Only thing with that option is more of the liner being exposed but whatever

[gavski]

9 hours ago, C5Quest said:

@gavski. You can always drill out the rivets then replace the with screws to put it back together.   Just don’t cut anything.  Remove the whole toe piece.  Only thing with that option is more of the liner being exposed but whatever

👍

[ToddK]

I drilled out the rivets to take off the toe cap and then shortened the toe of the foot bed with a dermal to make it even with the liner. 

I used to ski double vapors on a sequence plate but had to switch to Reflex after breaking my ankle on my front foot and now having a limited range of motion. Wanted to get back on the Vapor when the current model came out with a mechanical release but with the bungee cord on the upper I could easily reach my max range of motion before any force was transferred to the binding release. So I added snow ski buckles to the upper cuff to limit the flex of my front ankle. Works great. Still gives me a good amount of forward flex and much less lateral stiffness than the Reflex even after I cut down the inner and outer shell of the Reflex. 

[gavski]

2 hours ago, ToddK said:

I drilled out the rivets to take off the toe cap and then shortened the toe of the foot bed with a dermal to make it even with the liner. 

I used to ski double vapors on a sequence plate but had to switch to Reflex after breaking my ankle on my front foot and now having a limited range of motion. Wanted to get back on the Vapor when the current model came out with a mechanical release but with the bungee cord on the upper I could easily reach my max range of motion before any force was transferred to the binding release. So I added snow ski buckles to the upper cuff to limit the flex of my front ankle. Works great. Still gives me a good amount of forward flex and much less lateral stiffness than the Reflex even after I cut down the inner and outer shell of the Reflex. 

That’s exactly what I want to do….thanks for the photos..👍

[Stick]

Great info. This will allow me to move the rear boot closer to the front.