Hello and welcome to my Adidas Response 3MC ADV review.
In this review I will take a look at the Response as all-mountain snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Response a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain boots.
NOTE: The 2022 model was the last model of this boot, so, naturally, this review has not been updated beyond the 2022 model.
Overall Rating
Boots: Adidas Response 3MC ADV
Price: $320 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium
Flex Feel: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 90.2/100
Compared to other All-Mountain Boots
Out of the 35 all-mountain boots that I rated:
Overview of the Response’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Response's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain |
Price: | $320 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Weight: | On the heavier side of normal |
Lacing System: | Double Boa |
Who are the Response ADV Most Suited to?
The Response are best matched with 4/10 to 6/10 flexing boards, IMO.
They're also good if you have a quiver of boards and only want one pair of boots - something with that in between response and of course for those who like the Boa system, particularly those who likes their two boa's to tighten completely independent areas of the boot (complete separation between upper and lower boot).
And also for those who want a boot that's comfortable from day 1 and either want or need a boot that's really low profile. I find that I fit in Adidas in 1/2 size smaller than my typical boot, so that adds even more to how small a footprint you can go. Really handy for those who are in 10.5s or 11s and are on the cuff of regular and wide boards.
The Response in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Response are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: Adidas Response 2021
Size: 9.5 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: January 13, 2021
Conditions: Mixture of sun and cloud - perfect visibility.
Temperature at -1°C (30°F) and supposed to be -13°C (9°F) with wind chill. Certainly was a cold wind. Wind 55kph (34mph) but didn't feel that cold.
24 hour snow: 4cm (1.5")
48 hour snow: 9cm (3.5")
7 day snow: 69cm (27")
Snow conditions on groomer: Icy for the most part.
Snow conditions off groomer: Icy for the most part.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Board Demoed With: YES Greats 2019
Bindings Demoed With: Burton Malavita 2019
Outersole Length: 29.7cm (mondo 27.5cm)
Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 2.2cm
Backstay Height: 28.5cm
Weight: 1080 grams*
* Average of a sample of boots I weighed was 1006 grams, so a bit heavier than the average, but not overly heavy. Heaviest were 1320 grams and lightest were 740 grams.
Flex
I was using Tactical ADVs as my control boots, before riding these and the Response feel exactly the same flex as them. They're just that little bit on the stiffer side of boots I would consider 5/10, but certainly not as stiff as those that are mid-stiff, like 7/10, so 6/10 is bang on, by my feel.
Fit
Width: I don't have wide or narrow feet, they're right in the middle, but I could feel plenty of room around the widest part of my foot. I wouldn't say they were ultra wide, but certainly wider than the average boot.
True to Size?: My "typical" size is a 10. But some boots I'm a 9.5 and some a 10.5. For Adidas boots, I'm squarely in the 9.5 camp. So I would say these boots fit large - as in go 1/2 size down from what you would typically wear.
High or Low Arch: The boots were snug on the tops of my feet, but no real pressure or pain and that eased even further after riding.
I didn't feel the need to heat mold these boots as they fit well right out of the box. Good firm overall fit but with no pressure points or pain.
Responsiveness
They felt almost identical to ride as the Tactical ADV when it came to carving and maneuverability at slow speeds. A really good balance between being easy to ride at slower speeds, but still being able to lean into a deep carve.
They're not carving monsters, like a stiff pair of boots might be, but strike that balance that you're looking for from a mid flex boot of being forgiving enough and being able to ride slow and casual or being able to lay into more aggressive carves and handle higher speed carves well too.
Heel Hold
Really good heel hold. Heel hold comes down to a few things including the shape and size of your ankles and heels, how well the boot does to specifically address heel lift and how well the boot fits you.
In my case the boots fit really well, which helps for sure. I do sometimes get heel lift issues and don't have the biggest ankles/heels, but in this case there was very minimal heel lift.
Adjustability
The double BOA on these boots both work on the outersole and each BOA is completely independent. The side BOA operates the cables that tighten the lower portion of the boot and the BOA on the front of the tongue operates the cables that tighten the upper portion of the boot. There's no overlap, so that helps to get complete separation for customizing your fit.
On the liner there is velcro on the sides of the top of the liner as well as a standard liner lacing harness, that predominantly works around the ankle. The Velcro seems to work well and helps to keep the liner tightened. To re-tightened the liner harness, you have to open up the boot of course, but all-round these are boots that have good adjustability.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Comfort
I found these boots comfortable right from the first run. They felt comfortable from the first time I tried them on. Usually I heat mold but didn't feel the need in these boots. They had a nice firm, snug feel but with no pressure or discomfort, which was perfect.
Shock Absorption
This is one area where they're not quite as good as their close relative, the Tactical ADV, but the Tactical ADV are like the most shock absorbing boots I've tried, so it's a bit of an unfair comparison. These still absorb shock really well.
Board Feel
Where they do outdo the Tactical ADV is in board feel. It's a subtle difference, but they do have a little more board feel than the Tactical ADV and overall pretty good board feel.
Traction
They've got a pretty high quality sole on them with medium tred depth and a good variety in tred patterns. I had some pretty icy conditions on the day and they seemed to grip pretty well. Not going to be like super hikers, but can definitely handle a bit of hiking and grip pretty well in an icy car park.
Reduced Footprint
Not quite as reduced as the Tactical ADV (at least not the ones I've measured) but still lower profile than a majority of other boots out there. And the fact that I can fit in a 9.5, rather than a 10, makes my footprint even more reduced. If it's the same for you, then these can really help reduce overhang and could allow you to get on a narrower board.
Entry/Exit
Sometimes I find boots are really hard to get on, but then they're too tight. Others are hard to get on to a point where I feel like they're going to be too tight but end up a great fit. And then there are those that come on and off really easily but are too big.
I found these really easy to get my feet in and out of - but once they were in they were a snug fit. Which is pretty rare and nice. This is a really small thing, but a nice bonus.
The BOAs, as BOAs are, are really easy to work with and the inner lacing harness and the velcro sides are easy to work with too. Of course, there are a couple more steps with having that velcro and two boas versus one. But all those things are worth the very small amount of extra time to get a better more customized fit.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
RESPONSE | 4.0 | 20/25 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 12/15 |
TRACTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.2/100 |
All round just a very good boot with basically no weaknesses. They felt pretty much like a Tactical ADV but with less shock absorption and a little more board feel.
Great option for versatile riders with a mid flexing board.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Response, are ready to buy or want to research current prices and sizing availability, check out the links below.
- CANADA
- UK/EUROPE
If you want to see how the Response compared to other all-mountain boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
Hi Nate, hope all is well? Was looking at these for surfy carves & long days on the hill. I own burton photon & ions. Want somthing thats a balance between photon and ion. Also photon footbed can be very squishy and causes foot fatigue after all day carving. I know adidas are done, but found some new old stock online
Hi Chris, thanks for your message.
They should work well for what you’re describing. Though I wouldn’t think of them as between Photon and Ion, personally. To me they are a touch softer flexing than the Photon. In terms of carving performance, you’re not likely to see any improvement there, in my experience, unless your Photon’s have a lot of days under them and have noticeably softened up/packed out. Otherwise, I don’t think you’re going to get a good deal more there. I’d say the slower speed response is a little better, but for higher speed carves there’s not really anything in it. The shock absorption a little better, in my experience, so that could help with long days. If you go Response, I would go 1/2 size down from what you ride Burton in. I have the Response in 9.5 (and my old Tactical ADVs 9.5), but I ride Burton in 10.
Another thing you could try is putting after market footbeds into the Photons and see how that feels. I’ve found it can make a big difference (and, naturally a more noticeable difference the worse (or more unsuited) the footbeds are). You could get custom ones made, which is going to give you the best experience, but also definitely the more expensive option – the ones I had made were as much as some snowboard boots! Or you could look at more generic ones – like these – and go with the type that you think is mostly likely to fit your feet (they typically have a range of options). The Remind Insoles I linked you to are the only ones I’ve tried, but I think there are other options around too. Not going to be as good as custom made ones, but will be a lot cheaper, and still likely to be better than the stock footbeds that most snowboard boots have.
Hope this helps
Thanks for your reply Nate. Is there something u would recommend for a boot inbetween the the ions & photons. Searching for other brands other than Burton as the quality has gone down. I definitely play with aftermarket insoles. All my boots have different ones.
Hi Chris, apologies for the slow reply – things are really hectic right now!
I’d look into the following:
Thirtytwo TM-Two
K2 Orton
Vans Infuse
Would the nidecker rift be a good option?
Hi Chris
The Rift is softer flexing than the Photon, in my experience. But you could look at the Nidecker Altai. Not quite as nice as the Rift overall, but still nice boots and right in between the Photon and Ion for flex, by my feel.
I’ve ridden these boots for the better part of month riding almost everyday at sowshoe, WV and I will say they are not holding up their shape very well. There are also some stitching issues going on with the toe boas, as in they are being pulled apart. Yes these boots are extremely comfortable out of the box and feel great but if you plan on using them for anymore than a few days a year I would look elsewhere.
Hi Nate!
I wanted to share some thoughts on these boots as I just got them recently.
I have bigger feet at 30.5 mondo and I had a LOT of trouble finding the right boots. My feet are also on a wider side as I am an E width. Its really hard to find boots with exact same mondo (30.5) as most brands only make 12 or 13 (30 or 31).
One very important factor for me is also a refuced footprint because lets face it, most brands don’t make boards wide enough and size 13 and above is problematic.
I tried a few different options.
Burton Ruler size 13 was way to narrow and gave me horrible pain. Footprint was ok. I bought them, used them 3 times and sold them.
Salomon Dialogue Dual Boa Wide size 12.5 (my exact mondo) were ok footwise but gave me pain in my right calf. Footprint was larger than Burtons size 13. I bought them and returned them.
Ride Lasso Pro size 13 were ok but I didn’t like the tounge tied boa. Footprint was even larger than Salomons. I tried them on in store only.
Then I bought Burton SLX size 13 which were comfortable and I liked them quite a bit but they were still a bit to narrow and gave me some foot pain. I didn’t like the speed lacing but footprint was by far the most reduced out of all boots I tried untill then. I am selling them now.
Finally I found a pair of Adidas Response in size 13 and I ordered them straight away. Your review was one of the things that convinced me to buy. I was literally blown away by these boots. They fit perfectly even though mondo is a bit larger (31 compared to my 30.5). They feel about as wide as Salomon Dialogue wide and that seems perfect for my E width. Finally the footprint is amazingly reduced! I measured them precisely at 32.9 cm which is only 1.9 cm larger than mondo. And that is including the beveled edges front and back. I’m blown away and super stoked on these. I imagine I won’t be buying any other brand other than Adidas ever again 🙂
Anyway this is my story and I just wanted to share as it might come handy for some.
Thank you for your reviews Nate! I bought 3 pieces of gear based on your reviews so far and they were all spot on. Keep up the great work man.
Hey Mat
Thanks so much for your insights. Great to get feedback like this. Really helpful for others in similar situations.
Hi Nate! Thanks for everything that you do. Quick question about sizing – if I recall you said that your foot size is 27.3 cm in a comment. That would be 9.5 on the mondo scale, so doesn’t that mean that Adidas fits true to size?
Hi Ridley
Thanks for your message.
In a technical sense, yeah I think you’re right. But I typically fit in a 10 in other snowboard boots and shoes, so I consider 10 as true to size for me. But I get where you’re coming from for sure. Also, I almost feel I could get into an Adidas 9. But yeah, if you’re typically a 10 in other boots, then 9.5 is likely the best size for this boot – or if you’re typically 9.5, then a 9, etc. Feet are kinda weird – even for the same length feet, different sizes fit, length-wise, differently (part of which is probably tolerance for how tight you can go). I get a lot of different comments from people with the same foot length fitting in a range of sizes that they find the best for them. So, I see “true-to-size” as being “typical size”. But generally speaking, for most people, you can go down half a size for Adidas versus your “typical size”. Hope that makes sense.
Yep makes sense! My bigger foot is about 27.8 cm and I have a pair of size 10 Burton Swath Boas and size 10 Adidas Acerra 3st ADVs. The Burtons feel slightly longer and Adidas slightly wider. My foot is about 4.2 inches wide (so quite wide for length) and I would have to pick the Adidas for comfort. The best part is the overall boot is about .5 cm shorter than the Burtons.