Review Title

By Jason Ranked #182 - Men's Backpacking Boots November 4, 2009

These are decent quality boots, with many great characteristics but some small but significant problems. The leather is of good quality, and should last a long time. These need a toe-cap, should be mandatory on these types of boots. These are poorly padded, and the edges of the tongue cut into my ankle bones even through thick socks. These provide good ankle support, but a lack of articulated cuff means they take a long time to break the ankle portion in, and rely upon the upper to flex in areas that are not ideal. They are not that heavy, and yet filter out stones and other underfoot objects very well. Excellent cushioning in the midsole, best I've ever felt in a mid to heavy weight backpacking boot. Heel cup not quite deep enough to cup heel well enough, too stiff, and the heel is a little wide too (less than Lowas), this may be problematic for some. It killed my heels after very short walks - it was almost as though the boot was pushing into the backs of my heels, something that would definitely become painful over longer walks and a deal-breaker for me. A higher volume fit, seem to fit a little longer and wider than true size - the medium fits like an EE compared to many other brands, and leaves lots of toe room. Order your street shoe size - I have a wider, low to medium volume foot, and and measure a 10.5. I ordered an 11 as I find I often need to go a 1/2 size up to accomodate thicker socks and insoles. A mistake, as they were a bit too long - about 2 thick fingers fit behind my ankle when my foot was jammed to the front - and a bit too much volume, even when wearing a good mid-weight and a liner sock while using superfeet orange insoles. Poor arch support, use aftermarket footbed if you need arch support. Overall i'd give them 3/5, and would recommend to Vasque that improvements would include a better heel cup with padding above to lock the heel without too much pressure from the instep, and a slightly lower volume upper in the medium width - that's why there is a wide fit!

View Details: Vasque Summit GTX Backpacking Boot - Men's

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