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Nice pun in the last line... :>)I am on my 4th pair of light weight Vasque boots (currently Breeze model) and swear by them. I believe in buying equipment from companies that specialize in a product. Vasque only makes boots and they do it well. FYI I have no affiliation with the company so my comments are based solely on personal experience.
Oh, my current boots and shoes are just fine.Can’t say anything about Vasque boots, but I’ve had a pair of Vasque shoes for about twelve years. Recently I bought another pair exactly like them - as replacements - and then realized that I could have had the old pair reheeled. Now I’ve got the old pair mended so currently I have two pair of Vasque walking/hiking shoes which I figure will last me the rest of my life. They are quite heavy but I don’t notice the weight when I’m wearing them. I couldn’t imagine being able to find a better pair of shoes. Sorry you are having so much trouble with your boots.
My guess is that the soles were quite stiff. If you're not used to that it can affect your gait considerably. Stiff soles are good for real mountain walking especially if it's rocky, partly because they give a lot of sideways stability, but on smoother ground it's not necessary especially if you have reasonably healthy feet and ankles. And yes, if you're not accustomed to that sort of boot they can put a lot of stress on your knees and lower legs.It seems a lifetime ago, but prior to my first camino I was dealing with the question of footwear and a friend had a pair of high end Vasque boots that were too small for her. Before she took them back to REI she suggested I try them as an option for my coming Camino.
The size seemed correct at the time (7), but I’ve actually sized all the way down to a 6.5 from a dress shoes of 7-7.5.
I tried them for about 4-5 days and concluded that nothing had ever hurt my knees and the tops of my shins so much as these boots. It felt like I had to work at keeping the boots going in the direction I wanted to walk. It is really the strangest feeling I’ve ever had in any shoe — and I used to dance pointe, which is a thought most people would find horrifying.
I felt like the sole of the boot had an idea about how I was supposed to walk and it was at odds with how I actually walk.
My knees, just under the patella to about a third of the way down my shins just ached like I’d been in a bar brawl. And when i walked I felt off balance, off gait etc etc.
I found my Keen boots and sandals that have been my primary go-to at the very small outfitter near to my shack in the woods, and aside from days 10-11-12 of my first Camino I’ve never had any more troubles. I also wear the Altra Lone-Peak trail runners and as long as it’s not a should season those are likely to remain my distance hike go-to Even though I wear through the backs of them fairly quickly because I have such a pronounced heel ridge.
Anyway, I don’t see much mention of Vasque boots on the forum, and so it got me curious…
Does @davebugg have an option of Vasque boots?
Has anyone else been told they are the Porsche of footwear, only to find them more like the Lada?
The person who loaned the boots to me still uses the brand, but I don’t really know why. They seem too hot and heavy to me for fieldwork in jungles and rain forests, but it’s her feet.
Oh, my current boots and shoes are just fine.
I was merely curious because I see very little about Vasque on the forum, and I was wondering why… when there are so many recommendations for this or that shoe/boot etc.
And I’ve never loathed the feel of a brand of footwear as I loathed those Vasques. It’s counter intuitive to me simply because with footwear there tends to be a correlation between cost and quality; the Vasques are about $70-120 CAD more than I pay for my Keens or Altras, coming in as the Vasques do in the high 200’s in CAD.
But literally: you could not pay me to wear them.
So I was wondering if they just aren’t right for anything *except* alpine hiking… or if people don’t talk about them much here because they are so costly…
I go through 3 pairs of boots per year, generally, with about 3500km per year on average on my feet. I would not want to go through nearly $1000 (taxes added in) on my boots unless they were magic.
As it turns out, Keens are my magic at a significantly lower price.
So, it’s really just a matter of curiosity for me…
Oh, my current boots and shoes are just fine.
I was merely curious because I see very little about Vasque on the forum, and I was wondering why… when there are so many recommendations for this or that shoe/boot etc.
And I’ve never loathed the feel of a brand of footwear as I loathed those Vasques. It’s counter intuitive to me simply because with footwear there tends to be a correlation between cost and quality; the Vasques are about $70-120 CAD more than I pay for my Keens or Altras, coming in as the Vasques do in the high 200’s in CAD.
But literally: you could not pay me to wear them.
So I was wondering if they just aren’t right for anything *except* alpine hiking… or if people don’t talk about them much here because they are so costly…
I go through 3 pairs of boots per year, generally, with about 3500km per year on average on my feet. I would not want to go through nearly $1000 (taxes added in) on my boots unless they were magic.
As it turns out, Keens are my magic at a significantly lower price.
So, it’s really just a matter of curiosity for me
Hi Faye...enjoyed your curiosity. When a pair of boots seem to have a mind of their own, it’s quite possibly the wrong pair of boot for your feet. As you already know, your feet will always tell you if it is a good fit and since it is the only part of our body to touch the ground, I listen to them closely. No one brand fits everyone, but my Ecco boots are very kind to MY feet...no blisters ever on any trail.It seems a lifetime ago, but prior to my first camino I was dealing with the question of footwear and a friend had a pair of high end Vasque boots that were too small for her. Before she took them back to REI she suggested I try them as an option for my coming Camino.
The size seemed correct at the time (7), but I’ve actually sized all the way down to a 6.5 from a dress shoes of 7-7.5.
I tried them for about 4-5 days and concluded that nothing had ever hurt my knees and the tops of my shins so much as these boots. It felt like I had to work at keeping the boots going in the direction I wanted to walk. It is really the strangest feeling I’ve ever had in any shoe — and I used to dance pointe, which is a thought most people would find horrifying.
I felt like the sole of the boot had an idea about how I was supposed to walk and it was at odds with how I actually walk.
My knees, just under the patella to about a third of the way down my shins just ached like I’d been in a bar brawl. And when i walked I felt off balance, off gait etc etc.
I found my Keen boots and sandals that have been my primary go-to at the very small outfitter near to my shack in the woods, and aside from days 10-11-12 of my first Camino I’ve never had any more troubles. I also wear the Altra Lone-Peak trail runners and as long as it’s not a should season those are likely to remain my distance hike go-to Even though I wear through the backs of them fairly quickly because I have such a pronounced heel ridge.
Anyway, I don’t see much mention of Vasque boots on the forum, and so it got me curious…
Does @davebugg have an option of Vasque boots?
Has anyone else been told they are the Porsche of footwear, only to find them more like the Lada?
The person who loaned the boots to me still uses the brand, but I don’t really know why. They seem too hot and heavy to me for fieldwork in jungles and rain forests, but it’s her feet.
‘Porsche’ quality boots work very well if you have Porsche feet.
I wear Zamberlan ultra lite GTX boots. I currently have two pairs well broken in (two different sizes depending on whether I’m planning cold-weather thick socks, or not. A third pair has just been unboxed and is in use for short dog walks. Three more pairs are in my store. I’ve been wearing the same design for over 30 years.
More rigid boots like vasque ( I actually use Scarpa Freney) simply cannot be broken in - they either fit well or they don’t - mine are only used in serious winter conditions.
More rigid boots like vasque ( I actually use Scarpa Freney) simply cannot be broken in - they either fit well or they don’t - mine are only used in serious winter conditions.
My guess is that the soles were quite stiff. If you're not used to that it can affect your gait considerably. Stiff soles are good for real mountain walking especially if it's rocky, partly because they give a lot of sideways stability, but on smoother ground it's not necessary especially if you have reasonably healthy feet and ankles. And yes, if you're not accustomed to that sort of boot they can put a lot of stress on your knees and lower legs.
One of the reasons I had my walking boots made to measure was that I could specify a much more flexible sole that most off the peg boots provide. These days I walk in the lightest trail runners I can find that are wide enough for my hobbit feet, without any correction for pronation or stability.
I wonder if Zamberian shoes run true to size and width?‘Porsche’ quality boots work very well if you have Porsche feet.
I wear Zamberlan ultra lite GTX boots. I currently have two pairs well broken in (two different sizes depending on whether I’m planning cold-weather thick socks, or not. A third pair has just been unboxed and is in use for short dog walks. Three more pairs are in my store. I’ve been wearing the same design for over 30 years.
More rigid boots like vasque ( I actually use Scarpa Freney) simply cannot be broken in - they either fit well or they don’t - mine are only used in serious winter conditions.
My 1st pair of vasque were great. Made in USA. 2nd pair sole delamitated, bad glue. Moved production overseas. Rei would not honor. Over 1 year old. Mailed to vasque on my dime. They did send a replacement pair.It seems a lifetime ago, but prior to my first camino I was dealing with the question of footwear and a friend had a pair of high end Vasque boots that were too small for her. Before she took them back to REI she suggested I try them as an option for my coming Camino.
The size seemed correct at the time (7), but I’ve actually sized all the way down to a 6.5 from a dress shoes of 7-7.5.
I tried them for about 4-5 days and concluded that nothing had ever hurt my knees and the tops of my shins so much as these boots. It felt like I had to work at keeping the boots going in the direction I wanted to walk. It is really the strangest feeling I’ve ever had in any shoe — and I used to dance pointe, which is a thought most people would find horrifying.
I felt like the sole of the boot had an idea about how I was supposed to walk and it was at odds with how I actually walk.
My knees, just under the patella to about a third of the way down my shins just ached like I’d been in a bar brawl. And when i walked I felt off balance, off gait etc etc.
I found my Keen boots and sandals that have been my primary go-to at the very small outfitter near to my shack in the woods, and aside from days 10-11-12 of my first Camino I’ve never had any more troubles. I also wear the Altra Lone-Peak trail runners and as long as it’s not a should season those are likely to remain my distance hike go-to Even though I wear through the backs of them fairly quickly because I have such a pronounced heel ridge.
Anyway, I don’t see much mention of Vasque boots on the forum, and so it got me curious…
Does @davebugg have an option of Vasque boots?
Has anyone else been told they are the Porsche of footwear, only to find them more like the Lada?
The person who loaned the boots to me still uses the brand, but I don’t really know why. They seem too hot and heavy to me for fieldwork in jungles and rain forests, but it’s her feet.
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