Tigerotor77W

I was going to give these shoes a 4 at first, but as I typed this review, it occurred to me that my expectations may be too high. The main attributor to a 4 rather than a 5 was the breathability of the shoe: I was hoping for something that was entirely breathable; these shoes are not.

I was looking for a pair of waterproof shoes that I could use mostly to wander around campus (I'm a college student). Whenever the sidewalks were wet, my old shoes would let water in, and I was getting a bit sick of having wet feet every spring day. That being said, I didn't want a full-out boot or something that looked like a rubber mold, and I had narrowed my choices down to this shoe and the Saloman XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX. I went with the Blur because it was cheaper and had just as good (if not better) a review. My criteria:

1) Some degree of waterproofedness. I know that "waterproof" carries different weight among different people, but I wanted something that wouldn't routinely let water in.

Rating: pretty darn good. I haven't splashed around in puddles just yet, but I went out for a photoshoot on a particularly slushy day, and no water ever crept in (maybe except at the ankle, but that's to be expected). I've had snowplay and a few other outings where the shoe was exposed to some water, and still very dry. Admittedly I haven't dunked the shoes in water to get a feel for drenching, but again, the shoe performs admirably.

2) Breathability. Gore-Tex isn't always that great, but for the waterproofing, it would be worth it. Still, some air would be nice.

Rating: eh, so-so. This shoe definitely breathes less than my Asics (2110 and 2130) do. That being said, in the month or so of pretty heaving use, my feet don't really complain much at the end of a day, either, so while I do feel like my feet aren't breathing, I don't have quantitative evidence that something's amiss.

3) Comfort. I should be able to walk around in this shoe my feet complaining.

Rating: Not bad for a trail shoe.

4) Traction. I tend to venture off the sidewalk, but even when on slippery surfaces (damp wood is notorious for slipping), I want a sure grip.

Rating: excellent. I have a series of wood steps outside my building that can be lethal when wet (there's some mold on them, too), and these shoes have done very well. They slip on ice and have slipped once on another floor (indoors, but I forget where this was -- I think it was polished stone), but on almost all outdoor situations, they've been outstanding.

5) Durability.

Rating: hard to tell after one month's use. Some threads are beginning to fray around the toe-box, but so far nothing has come undone and no separation of sole, say, has occurred.

Overall, I'm pleased. I think the price is a little more than I'd normally be willing to pay (I paid just under $100), but it's a good shoe. I think of it as a ruggedized version of my Asics, and even though I haven't gone running in them (or hit any trails), it suits the "general purpose all-weather shoe" pretty nicely.

Note that the green on my shoes is actually a little more lime than in the photo; the two green stripes on either side of the "VASQUE" logo (side of the shoe in the photo on the BC site) is a bit lighter and brighter and not, say, Hoh Rainforest-mossy.