Vasque Trekker

got a great deal on these online, and decided to give them a go. previously did not try them on in a store, as they have been discontinued. my feet are wide, and these came in 9.5 W, perfect for my feet. static fit (just lacing them on) was like a dream. fit my foot perfectly. however, due to thick leather, and laces that go all the way to the toes, walking them caused the leather to crease and dig into top of toes. painful beyond words.

bottom line....alway test your shoes before you buy. anyways, was hoping to break them in and after 5+ months with them on about 2-3 hours a week walking (can't stand anymore than that) they are starting to soften up, but still wouldn't take them out in to the field yet. maybe in a year or two. i'll write this one off as bad biomechanics and going for the deal instead of playing it smart.

about the shoe however. if and when it fits, i wouldn't want any other type of boot. my feet sweat a lot, so no gore-tex to keep in the moisture, and the rough thick leather should last forever. sole tread seems very adequate and the only caveat is this double tongue thing which while it alleviates lace pressure, the end near tops of toes can sometimes be felt where it's not velcroed down. all in all a very well constructed boot that will see plenty of years.

i've tried other boots such as vasque sundowner, asolo meridian, raichle spirit II, and although this is a boot for more packweight, i wouldn't hesititate to use this all the time for any application even with it's heavy weight.

These were the first high quality boot I ever bought. Before these I had only used the basic 40-80 dollar boot that any average joe would wear to the record store. There is no doubt that you don't want to take these boots out of the box and immediately go for a three day hike, but just give them some time. After wearing on short day hikes and on trips to the store they definitely showed me why they were worth the dough. Going on my first good hike made me kick myself for waiting as long as I did. They made the trail feel as easy as the proverbial walk in the park. I have yet to have a problem with them, although I experienced slightly sore feet after walking a hard packed forest service road after twelve miles of forest trails. I attribute that to bad feet more than the boot, however, since the problem never arose again. These boots will surely stay a favorite of mine for weekend hikes. For boots in the $150-$180 range, I would recommend them. They seem to become more comfortable each time I wear them.

I have owned Vasque boots before (Sundowners) and have found them to be excellent boots. I used my sundowners for close to 5 years prior to retiring them. I have also owned the old One Sport Moraines(now called "Montrail") which I found extremely comfortable out of the box. The only complaint I had on those was the sole delaminated after extensive usage.

They did change those soles on the new Montrail Moraines. The reason I am giving my prior experience of other boots is so that you can understand when I say these boots are worth the money you pay. There is a little breaking in period, but after that this probably are one of the most comfortable boots I have ever owned. I only have used them on short trips so far and have no complaints. Please make sure that you take the time and break these boots in and you will definitely benefit from it.

I wear these every single day as does my husband. We work construction and my husband also hunts in his. These are without a doubt the most comfortable boots we have ever owned. We have Merrills, Rocky Mountains, Mendals, Timberlands, etc. but there is just no turning back--we will both wear nothing but these from now on!!!