Customer Reviews

Vasque Men's Wasatch GTX Hiking Boot

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I used these boots for about 10-15 hikes of about 10 miles each and they were very comfortable boots or so I thought. I really loved them at first.

Then quite suddenly the right and left boot developed a split across the ball of the foot. The right boot then literally fell apart underneath me. The leather uppers show almost no wear at all and the Vibram soles are less than half worn.

Vasque told me I was out of warranty so I should try the store (the hikes were over a 14 month period). I was very disappointed in their attitude overall.

I'm only sorry now that I recommended these to several of my hiking friends. The soft rubber under the sole makes them very comfortable boots but in my opinion it also causes the Vibram sole to split after it weakens at which point the end of the entire boot comes swiftly.

IMO, some of the "glowing reviews" here of these boots were done by well intentioned people who have likely done a few less miles in them than I have. Check out my photos of the boots that accompany this same review on other websites.

If you want boots that will last choose something else. Bob.

The Wasatch GTX is generally a pretty good boot. They are comfortable and maintain good support on the trail.
Generally they have held up pretty well in the two plus years that I have owned mine, but they have developed cracks where the rubber toe cap meets the upper near the sole* that will soon render them useless once the GTX liner is exposed. This happened WAY too quickly for a (nearly) two hundred dollar boot. It's sad, because other than this detail, the boots were pretty good. *I should note that this is NOT something that regularly happens with boots
that I wear due to sizing or foot anomalies.

The Vasque Wasatch lives up to its reputation for unusual out of the box comfort. I took a brand new pair on a hard hike and rock scramble last weekend with no blisters or other problems.

The boots managed to stay completely dry even though recent rains had transformed the trails into small brooks.

Be aware that the Wasatch is a little on the heavy side for a day hiker. On the plus side, that heaviness translates into superior ankle support. The quality of the leather uppers appears to be a big step up over boots costing a little less. Also appreciated is the fact that the soles are softer and stick better to bare rock than is usual for a heavier boot.

The claim that the boot runs true to size is probably correct, but also a little bit odd because no one will buy these to wear with thin dress socks on sidewalks. Thick hiking socks will add roughly one-half size, and a hiking boot should also be sized with extra space at the toe. The bottom line is that my size (United States) in a dress shoe is 10.5 wide, while my best fit in the Vasque Wasatch was 11.5 medium.

I wore these boots very lightly for about a year and was happy with the fit and weather protection they provided. They were warm and always kept my feet dry. This last summer, however, the instep of the boot ripped when my foot slipped off of a shovel doing yard work. I own a pair of Raichle boots that I purchased in 1996 that are way tougher than these $180 boots. I spoke with a rep from the store where I purchased the boots to find out that the warrantee period had expired, so I was out of luck. The warrantee provided by Vasque is very poor. There are companies like Land's End that will guarantee their products for as long as you own them, provide you with excellent customer service, give you a full refund if you're not satisfied for any reason---and then there is Vasque.

I purchased these for my husband, who has always worn vasque with no issues, for his birthday. He wore them around the garage and backyard putsying along and never had the chance to hike in them before they fell apart (3-4 month period). We are very disappointed with Vasque. I don't know if we received a bad batch, I have the women's version and have yet to have a problem. Amazon only warranties for 30 days and good luck trying to get ahold of anyone at vasque.

I've had my pair for two seasons. They have about 200 miles on them, maybe a bit more. The soles split on the left and are starting to split on the right. The soles seem to be made with three layers. It's the middle, more rigid layer that split. I bought mine at REI. I hope they will help me out with a refund or partial refund.

I ordered these shoes for a 3 day, 28 mile backpacking trip over the Lost Coast trail in Humboldt County, California. This trail is along the coast over sand, rock, and has numerous creeks to cross. I received these shoes exactly 1 day prior to the trip, so I had NO opportunity to break them in. These shoes performed extremely well over the entire trip, crossing small streams, walking through the surf, over wet rocks and logs, in the rain, and through gravel and sand.
I was somewhat apprehensive after reading reviews that these shoes slip on wet rocks, but I did not experience this at all. Over the countless streams I crossed, hopping on rocks and wet logs, the soles gripped extremely well on smooth, wet surfaces. By day 3, and 28 miles, I had no blisters and my feet were the driest part of my body. The shoes breathed extremely well and I never found myself with a sweaty foot.
I ordered a size 11 Normal, even though I usually wear a size 10.5 Normal. The shoe seems a little longer than I am used to, but has ample room for liner + 2 pairs of hiking socks. After 28 miles of use over rocks, sand and gravel, the shoes are in excellent shape with no damage.
I am curious as to why some other reviewers refer to these as "light day hikers" - these shoes really are heavy-duty backpacking shoes. I would NOT want to wear these shoes for a "light day hike" or around the house or to work at an office.
This would be my shoe of choice for overnight or multi-day backpacking or hikes into wet or rugged terrain.

I bought a pair of these in October of 2010 (The last pair I had lasted around 4 years before the mid-sole started to fall apart). I noticed a huge crack in the sole across the ball of my right foot. I contacted Vasque today and they gave me the exact same responce mentioned already in the reviews here at Amazon... Sorry, we have a strict 1 year warranty, blah blah blah. Everything besides the sole is in perfect condition, so now I have a useless 140 dollar great looking paperweight.... So sad that a hiking boot this nice has such a major flaw, make that two flaws, bad soles and bad customer support.

I have had a ton of hikers through the years and these seemed to rate pretty well at first;cool looking,light and fairly comfortable but after about 6 months the soles developed small cracks which very quickly became large cracks. After about 10 months these boots were ready for the dumpster, the soles started to separate from the rest of the boot and the leather upper had developed cracks that allowed moisture into the leather where it would stay trapped. My last two sets of hikers were Lowa's, the cheaper of the two took 3 plus years of terrible abuse before the soles wore through and the other pair were good for 6 years (eeewww!) For the money I think the Vasque Wasatch are a poor value, Lowa sells hikers for nearly the same amount and they are superior quality, perform great and are NOT made in China like the Wasatch.

the soles split across the ball on both feet after maybe 250 miles of sidewalk in a year. vasque replaced them after they saw the photos. I'm about 9 months into the second pair and the same thing is happening. I weigh 180 and wear size 12.

don't buy them unless you just want to display them on your mantel.