HARDGOODS 25/26

[RiderEmeritus]

It will be interesting to see what gets produced under the Volcom brand. The design was done, but things unravelled around the time orders are finalized and purchase orders issued.

[benjinyc]

Is that volcom catalog even pertinent with the bankruptcy + license change?

[g3greg]

The company is still owned by authentic brands. They didn’t fire everyone, it would be dumb to not continue with what they’ve designed so far. It’s probably already made and sitting in a warehouse.

[coleslawed]

i’d imagine most things will still get produced, but probably not everything.

that can apply to any brand though. if shops don’t place enough orders for certain SKU’s, they won’t get produced.

[RiderEmeritus]

Authentic doesn't do much other than own and maintain the intellectual property and collect checks from licensees. They don't handle the design or manufacturing.

2025/2026 is designed and final samples would typically be complete by now. But it is unknown if Levy will work with Liberated's factories. Those factories would have made the approved samples. Unless Levy uses the same factories, they would have to get tech info to the Levy factories, confirm sourcing (e.g., do they have the correct zippers and fabric?) and resample to make sure it gets done correctly. That's a lot of work and time for stuff that needs to be delivered in fall.

[nitro909]

The function on this is more interesting than I expected. The heel hold is a bigger K2 Conda, basically, not exactly groundbreaking IMO. The forefoot is forsure unique. I wonder if step on uniquely opens the possibility to move the forefoot harness inside? Or is that also functional with a tradition boot. With step on you just need to transfer the force to the outside clips, not up through the shell on top.

RE: more BOAs - Its clear that as BOA has gotten way more reliable over time, companies can get way more creative with layout and use case. Good luck replacing that cord in the right orientation if it snapped. I don't see any obvious reason, other than it looking kinda funny, you couldn't squeeze more dials on boots. The H4 dial breakaway largely alleviates that concern for the average resort rider.

I stopped by wave rave and they were in stock, so I got a chance to try them on today. I wish I saw this vid before trying them on, so I would have inspected them more thoroughly. Ive had bad experiences with wrap around liners, so I prefer tongue liners, but this liner fits super nice. No weird gaps or problems fitting around my foot, and felt high quality. The sizing of this boot is so much better than my experience with the swath and photon SO. I tried this in 10.5 and it fit like it should, the swath and photon both felt too small in 11.5 The blue ankle harness takes place of the normal internal ankle harnesses, but feel pretty locked in. Seemed like it is longer than it needs to be, I felt too much pressure on my instep, kinda like overcranking ankle straps and getting that pressure point. Super roomy toebox and the "toe lockdown" felt pretty good till I realized it wasnt tightening. Tried the other boot and it was completely different fit in the toes. Maybe the boa wasnt connected or something, but one felt great and one way too snug. Felt like a softer flex, but not "soft", would prob feel really good with the SO binding. I like the wraparound outer shell.
Its two different materials, so I wonder how durable it is against board edges and normal wear and tear. Overall, some good tech and features, but still need some refinements. All feet are different, so it might be someone elses unicorn.

[eleveneightnate]

[eleveneightnate]

I really don't understand Capita's current direction with the Spring Break line. It's like:

Capita: "we make a shitload of freestyle twin decks, what if we made a dedicated powder line of boards?"
Everyone: "yeah, that sounds great."
Also Capita: "okay, now what if we take that dedicated powder line and make it mostly freestyle twin decks?"

[benjinyc]

they had some wild shapes back in the day

I think this is when the peaked

[eleveneightnate]

they had some wild shapes back in the day

I think this is when the peaked

Yeah, I loved seeing all those experimental shapes. I think the misstep was making them with crazy materials that drove costs way up instead of just regular construction like the Powder Racer. But now they're just making a bunch of twins so I really don't get it...