TECHNOLOGIES

M.I.-SHELL™ is warm without weight or bulk:

Lofted insulations used in work boots and hiking shoes, are typically laminated to the whole shoe or just the toe area. Lofted insulations absorb water and can hold this water making feet cold. Waterproof membranes have no heat retaining properties and are prone to breakdown over time. The high quality polymer used in SUPERLITE®, M.I.-SHELL™ is both waterproof and self-insulating and is used in high quality camping mats and ski boot linings, providing a comfort range of sub-freezing conditions (-4ºF, -20ºC) to 85ºF (29ºC).

Easy to Clean and repair:

The M.I.-SHELL™ is very durable and clean up easily with a spray of water or gentle scrubbing with soap and water. Natural wax or mineral oil can be used to condition the shell. The shell can be repaired with sealant found in local hardware stores.

Custom Fit feel:

The M.I.-SHELL™ (Malleable Injected Shell) is made from Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) a polymer that is soft, light and flexible, yet can be injection moulded like other thermoplastics. The material has good barrier properties, low-temperature toughness, stress-crack resistance, waterproof properties and resistance to UV radiation. EVA has little or no odor, is typically used in athletic shoes as a cushioning layer and in high quality sleeping mats as an insulator. The M.I.-SHELL™ is moulded around a natural foot shape, it cups the heel and supports the arch, over a period of weeks the material moulds itself to the individual wearers foot to give a custom fit.

The low-density injected shell is extremely soft and flexible, 6mm thick around and under the foot it forms a soft splint supporting and protecting the foot:

M.I.-SHELL™ features:

D.P.A. ™ Big toe room (Distal Phalange Accommodation):

The big toe or distal phalange has lateral space allowing it to correct instability and give maximum propulsion.

FOOT-FORM™ Contoured under your foot Transverse and longitudinal arch support:

The shell is contoured to the sole of the foot to support the foot in wear.

HEEL-HUGER™, (Calcaneus support):

The shell is contoured around the heel supporting the lateral and medial arch (sustentaculum tali) without restricting expansion.

BIO-FIT™, Shaped instep (Navicular Cuneiform) pad:

The shell is contoured over the Navicular, cuneiform and cuboid bones, and the top surface of your foot reducing the lateral torsion of the transverse arch.

D.M.A. ™, Shaped to your ankles (Differential Maleolar Accommodation):

Your inside and outside ankle bone are not like the axle of a truck the are complicated offset structures, the tibia and fibula maleoli are anatomically positioned in the boot with accommodation, giving a snug fit and soft support.

Q4º™, four degrees of Q:

When at rest the foot is pronated at 4º to counteract the width of the hip and absorb the torsion created. The shell is built up medially to absorb the energy and keep the foot in a neutral position.

AIR-TUNNEL360º™:

Grooves are moulded into the interior of the shell, under foot and in the shaft, to allow air circulation by convection and actively draws cool air into the boot when walking, used in conjunction with AIRLINER™ lining, air is constantly circulated to maintain temperature and comfort.

Here is the science bit:

The Human foot is a truly remarkable object: There are 26 bones in your foot, one quarter of your bodies bones make up your feet! Over 100 muscles and tendons work on these to keep you standing. The way we walk and just stand still requires and enormous amount of effort, muscles and tendons are tensed and relaxed one thousand times a second by our brains just to keep us upright. Walking is extremely complex, it requires us to use our whole body but we can break the action down to describe how the two points of contact we have with the earth, interact with it to move us about:

Just Standing around:

Our feet are never still even when we think we are: when you stand around for long periods we start to feel sore, our ankles throb, legs ache and back pain sets in. This is because we are not built to stand we are built to walk! Standing around puts pressure on our joints, because our feet are not directly below our hips, they are shifted 4º inward, to let us walk in a straight line.

When at rest our feet compensate by relaxing inward 4º, this is called ‘Pronation’. This is a natural action in walking to help our bodies absorb the shock of our heels hitting the ground, but when standing it puts a massive strain on our bodies.

How we walk:

Can be broken into two phases: Stance phase, when the foot is on the ground and swing phase, when it is moving through the air. Sixty percent of the time is spent in stance phase (25% in double stance with both feet on the ground) and 40% in swing phase. Each phase, in turn, can be split:

Stance Phase:

1. Heel strike: the foot lands and roles inward, pronates, to absorb shock.
2. Foot flat: the foot roles forward and compresses the lateral and medial arches, the foot tenses becoming a sprung lever, in a neutral position.
3. Mid-stance: The foot rolls down the lateral arch through the lateral balance point onto the ball of the foot.
4. Push-off (toe off): The foot rolls across the ball of the foot the lateral and medial arches contract, supinated position, powering the foot forward through the first metatarsal and phalanges (Big Toe)

Swing Phase:

1. Acceleration: The foot is swung forward.
2. Mid-swing: The foot passes the opposite leg.
3. Deceleration: foot slows for placement.

What’s so great about Hexacore™?

Using our 25 years of experience in the sports industry, we have developed a combination of hard and soft structures that work with your foot while walking and just as important while standing. A rigid midsole runs the full length of Superlite boots providing Comfort, Stability and Propulsion :

Q4™

A hardened plate angled at 4º to the medial side corrects over pronation in the foot on heel strike.

SHOK-CORE™

The honeycomb structure absorbs shock from the foot hitting the ground, dissipating the energy through its structure.

DYNAMIC ARCH™

As the foot rolls forward it compresses the arch, as the heel rises the arch compressor springs back returning energy to the wearer and propelling them forward in the same manner as the natural action of the lateral and medial arches of the foot.

ROLL-BAR™

The Angled 5th metatarsal (little toe) support neutralises over supination, rolling the foot toward the distal phalange (big toe) along the natural roll of the foot (gait cycle).

FLEX ZONE™

Ergonomically moulded slots in the midsole allow it to flex with the foot as it rolls forward to push off.

SPRINGBOARD™

independent from the other toes, this acts as a diving board, propelling the foot forward.