I work for a Federal Land Management agency and spend a considerable amount of time out doors. I have had many different brands of bots over my 30 year career including custom boots. The GTX is very comfortable right out of the box but within a couple of months the soles begin to crack on the ball of the foot. I have had 4 pairs now and every pair had cracked one pair within 3 months. I work with 3 other biologist and all of their boots have cracked as well.

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.

Well constructed boot but too narrow for my feet. Would be nice if the wide-width was more widely available.

I have been hoping that the same sole split would not happen to mine, I have had them for about 3 years now and I just found that the sole started to form the exact same crack as seen in others pictures. Oh well I guess I have gotten good enough use out of them. They are super comfortable and great for backpacking with a heavy pack. Just know that 1.5-3 years is all the use you will get before they crack.

This is a great midweight hiking boot. Very comfortable to wear - lots of great ankle support.
Tried several other brands of boots due to the retail cost, but kept coming back to the Wasatch GTX because of how they felt.
Local stores and other online gear shops had them for $160...this place had them for $98. What a deal!!

Have put about 30+ miles on them in the past month with no problems. They should last a good long time.

Great mid-weight boot for backpacking with 30-40 lb. pack weight. light weight and little to no break in. Since I have a wider foot, specifically in the toe box, these did not work out for me as they don't come in wide sizes. Otherwise, a great boot.

These boots have endured nearly all forms of abuse I can put them through: snow, clay, gravel, water, mud etc.

They did take a while to break in, though, which for some is an issue. Here is a link to a review that encapsulates it well.

http://www.ucdadvocate.com/blogs/vasque-wasatch-gtx-backpacking-boot-1.1723688

This is my husband's fourth pair of these boots, he loves them! He has the 10.5 Wide and finds them so comfortable for work. He wears them every day and they last about a year before getting a split in the sole, which means they leak when it rains... but otherwise wearable in dry conditions.

The boots are comfortable but the mid sole cracked completely through in three months of use. Customer serviceis also poor. Vasque is owned by Red Wing with little or no response to customer service requests. Relying on past good experience with Vasque boots I purchased a pair of Vasque Summit's as a replacement to the Wasatch boots. Same poor quality issues. One of the speed hooks fell off within the first four days of use.

I've had these boots for a couple months and I love them! These took no time at all to break-in. The support around the ankles is very good, but I found doing a double over-hand at the base of the shoe laces help keep the foot more towards the rear of the boot. This is a great product for the price. I have used them for everything, from a short day hike to bush-whacking to a full backpacking trip. I recommend them for anyone looking for a good boot at a good price.

These are decent quality boots, with many great characteristics. They are well padded, and provide reasonable ankle support. They are not that heavy, and yet filter out stones and other underfoot objects well. Love the toe-cap, should be on the Vasque Summit too. Heel cup JUST deep enough to hold heel well enough, however the heel is a little wide too (less than Lowas), may be problematic for some. 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 3.5/5, and would recommend to Vasque that improvements would include a slightly lower volume upper in the medium width - that's why there is a wide fit!

Great uppers but vibram soles cracked all the way through one boot at 4 months and the second at 6 months. Very dissapointed. Relative with same Vasque boots had exact same issue.

I've always been pleased with Vasque products and this boot is definitely more evidence for that argument. I wore these boots for work over a summer in which I must've put on ten miles a day for fifteen weeks and never had a blister or foot problem (I wore them for 12 hrs of work the day after I bought them). I worked at a nursery so there was a lot of water, mud and goofy terrain and they never got wet from my own sweat or from all the watering. They started to let water in over this winter when I would go snowshoing/camping in them. They take an incredible amount of abuse and still feel great. I like to beat boots to hell and I think they still have a lot more in the tank. Just need to waterproof them a little bit now.

I bought these shoes because I heard they were really durable and comfortable. I will admit, they were incredibly comfortable, they fit my foot really well, and was all around a great boot at first.

After about a month and 600 miles, the sole had cracked all the way up to the base of the shoe, and the rubber cap on the front started to peel off. Granted, not many people who buy this shoe is thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, but I still felt that wasn't acceptable. So, I e-mailed Vasque and got them replaced. About another month and 700 miles later, both of the new ones were cracked again. So, I told them I didn't want those anymore and they replaced them with the Clarion. They don't look as durable as these do, the leather held up really well and was a very comfortable shoe, however, at this point, if the Clarion don't hold up, I'll just go with a new company. I do commend Vasque on their customer support though!

mine broke so I showed them to a friend who does shoe repair. "Nope those should not have broken"
he said. Vasque said " too bad"
I really liked those boots.... No more Vasques for me. My wife almost bought me another pair til she read reviews. We're glad she didn't. Garmont has a better warranty.

I'm on my second pair of these boots because the soles cracked the first time. The soles are now cracking on my second pair. I bought my first pair almost 1 year ago. So I've worn through 2 pairs in less than a year. The seal on the front toe is also coming apart. I probably walked only 100 miles in this 2nd pair so far. My friend is also on his 3rd pair of these shoes because the soles cracked on him twice. I think Vasque needs to recall this boot and fix the problem.

I am very hard on every boot I've owned but these have managed any and all abuse i have given them. They are a bit on the heavy side as far as hiking boots go. However the comfort and minimum break-in time make up for it. Great boots for the price! buy em!!!

I had a pair of these before that lasted 8 years. I don't do big mountain climbing, but I live around 7500 feet in elevation and twice a day walk dogs around the golf course and other areas that are generally snowy and mucky 6 months a year. After the great use I got on the initial pair I'm disappointed to report that both soles have cracked completely through in less than 8 months. Obviously they have changed their product and quality isn't what they are after any more.

If you need something that will last for more than a year - you need to look elsewhere

I've worn nothing but Vasque and would have never switched. I've had a pair that just went in the trash. They switched a half dozen years ago to the glued on sole, which just disintegrated with about 50% of the sole dangling. Oddly enough this pair has been pampered compared to the first pair which are still solid (hiked a chunk of the Continental Divide in those and still good, circa 1980). The last pair (from China) 6 years ago are trash not repairable and 1 year warranty (as was pointed out). So I’m looking to find the best brand.

I have narrow feet and I have to lace boots up very tight so I've had problems in the past with blisters because of friction with the heal lift in many boots. (Thank goodness for Moleskin) These boots have a more straight vertical heal lift without that normal bump curve. Combine that with a more restricting lace pattern and these feel like walking on clouds!! I have yet to have problems while taking these babies on hikes ranging from a mile to a long fourteen mile day hike to Hunt Peak in Washington state. These are wonderful! Plus, the traction is right on par with any other mid range hiking boot and the Vibram sole has been very sturdy. I strongly recommend these boots to anyone with narrow feet!

these boots have been the best boot i have ever had, but now after 8 months of wearing them, they leak badly around the inside edge of the ball of my foot, a simple walk in 2 inches of snow and my feet are wet the rest of the day, I do like the boots, just wish they would make it a year.

These are the second set of Vasque boots I've owned now and they're just as comfortable as the first set. One thing to note is they seemed to be about a half size too big versus the first set of Vasque Breeze boots I purchased four years ago.

Live in tropical northern Australia and it's 40c virtually everyday so feet are overheating a bit, but comfort level is amazing !!!!!! Put em on fit like a glove luv em !!!

Even though I had to return these boots due to a separation of the Gore Tex lining, I went right back to another pair of them.

After about 150+ miles on them, they were really broken in well. However, during a recent 40-mile AT hike, I started to have some problems with the right boot where the lining seemed to be separating from the outer ankle support area, causing an unfortunate rub/hotspot on my right ankle.

The Wasatch GTX is a really great, comfortable boot - best I've ever had. I asked Backcountry about getting the boots replaced under warranty and they did without hesitation.

Backcountry.com is a great place to shop, and I'll continue to buy from them in the future. No worries on what you get from them - they stand behind their merchandise 100%.

So I didn't want to trust the reviews on this boot so I put em through the ringer myself. I did the break in, then worked on 2.5 acres of fallen trees, and I gotta tell ya the boots had amazing comfort. Then I tried beating em up on random surfaces, and could not get these boots to slip even if I tried. Then I overstuffed my pack and took em on a hike, great comfort all over, no hot spots, no blisters. Then the final test, the "waterproofness." I stood in a creek with water up to just below my ankle for a little over 30 seconds. No wet socks. Overall great boot, last test is the test of time...

Went on a 13 mile hike yesterday with my new Wasatch Boots. Absolutely the most comfortable hike of my life. I had about 20lbs on my back. There was no need to switch to my broken-in boots as these were so comfortable.
I have heard now of more than one story, in three days, of hikers having split soles and Vasque not taking them back. I hope this doesn't happen to me. I will enter the wilderness with that insecurity in the back of my mind and on the tip of my toes.

No break in time at all. One day from box to a week-long trip on the PA AT. This section as most people who hike eats lesser boots before you're through the 142 miles. They performed awesome. No Blisters, no hot spots at all. The tamed the PA rocks with a 60 lb pack with no support issues at all. Love the Vibram soles too. I have had these boots for 6 months now with about 300+ miles on them.

Replaced my Asolo AFX 520 GTXs in Feb 07 with these Vasque boots and have been happy ever since. Fit perfect out of the box at my normal size, no break in time needed and very comfortable. Have been birding with them in all different terrain including the Sierra Nevadas, Indiana upland and bottomland forests and West Cork Ireland. Have held up great and hope to get many more miles out of them.

My first pair of hiking boots were made by LL Beam. Though LL Beam provides great service the boots were uncomfortabled. My last last three pair were by Vasque. THe first two pair were comfortable and lasted 2-3 years each. I do some short day hikes and used them for every day wear on occasion. Overall, I was very pleased with them.

My last pair was mainly used for everyday wear, I probably put less than 1/4 mile per day on them. In less than 1/2 year the heals were worn out. It could be than my stride has something to do with them wearing out but I doudt it.

The other pairs lasted a several years. In fact the last pair was not broken when the heal worn out. It seems as if the soles should wear out after the boot is broken in not before.

I have noticed that the newer sole designs of Vasque are thinner than they were a 3 -4 years ago. I wonder if this new design is the cause of them wearing out sooner? Also I wonder if the new design is used since it reduce the cost of producing them.

Although I have been a loyal customer of Vasque, I beleive I will purcase another brand next time.

I agree with other opinions I have read, I am afraid Vasque is hurting its reputation.

i can not say enough about how this company operates.
when they told me they want my 100% satisfaction, they meant it. to me, the boots are great--but how they do business reminds me of many years ago when the customer really mattered. thank you backcountry!!!

I've been a true Merrell owner but tried the Vasque based on a friend's recommendation and reading all the positive reviews. I decided to buy the Vasque Wasatch GTX boots last fall and have since taken them on several snowshoeing day trips and four weekend backpacking trips (with around a 30-40 lb pack). So far they have held up great and required almost no break-in period. My most recent trip was a winter weekend camping trip to Paradise at Mt Rainier and the boots kept me very warm in the snow (wore wool-blend socks with a separate coolmax liner) while the three other people in my group all complained of cold feet after a few hours of snowshoeing. Would highly recommend and looking forward to using them on longer backpacking trips.

I have been looking for a good "light" hiking boot, and have had a variety of Vasque boots, so I wanted to keep with this company. These are a good, intermediate weight, comfortable boot.

For those of you concerned about sizing, Vasque's are a bit dicey to get right. I have had 4 different Vasque models (Catalyst, Sundowner GTX, Kota and another one I can't remember the name of), and I have had both 11 and 11.5 fit me. The Sundowner was an 11, as was the Catalyst and Kota, the un-named (similar to the Clarion) was an 11.5, so I was really worried about the Wasatch.

It turns out that the 11.5 is right on. My foot is a bit wider than normal, and I have a high arch, and normally wear an 11 in street shoes. The Wasatch has a wider, higher toe box than most, which is great for me, as I have had terrible "black big toe-nail) on hikes down the Grand Canyon. The 11.5 allows my toes plenty of space, while the rest of my foot is held snugly by the lacing system (using Ultimax socks).

I'll re-post after I break them in fully, and we'll see how they do in the Wy. Badlands this summer (my Clarion-like were destroyed by the harsh terrain last summer!). If you are forced to buy online w/o trying these on first, my sense is a 1/2 size larger than your normal shoe size is the way to go!

I have worn these everyday for 4 months, working and week-end hiking and the soles are about 80% worn. Today the sole split all the way through on the ball of my foot.
I am just disappointed in the soles as Vibram is supposed to be the best (only 4 months??).
On the other boot (the one that is still good) I see the the shank is splitting, maybe this is causing the sole splitting problem.
But I LOVE the traction of these boots.
Backcountry.com has excellent customer service and will exchange them, no problems except that I live overseas and they will not ship to where I live . Also on my initial order, backcountry.com was super nice and did everything to help me get these bots before leaving the country!

I use them for work every day (construction) and love them. On the weekends we do a lot of hiking and they are awesome in that terrain also.
The only thing is that they are pretty heavy. I don't mind, but others might.
The Backcountry store is also great. They said that if any time during the life of the boot that I am unhappy, just let them know. This confirmed for me that I bought them from the right place!

I wore these boots every day for 8 mos in Iraq, often walking on fist sized gravel or peanut butter mud, and was very impressed with the comfort, support to my ankles, and waterproof/sandproof ability. I am buying another pair for hiking and city tourist walking because they were so great.

Wow, can't say enough about these boots. I love the feel, love the look, and love the durability. Make sure you keep the leather conditioned (maybe this is obvious to most people). I found a little crack in my left boot when I let them dry out too much (maybe a few months of neglect). Waterproofing leaves my feet dry and not overheated. The boots take a bit to break in but now they feel great. I wore them the whole weekend last week and they left my feet feeling fresh. I'll be buying the same boot after I wear these out. I have a feeling that will take a while!

I am a big guy and have walked my way through many pairs boots over the years. These Vasque Wasatch GTX boots are the best. I have one pair that are a few years old and are almost broken in...lol.
I bought a new pair last year and I am using them for day hikes a overniters this year till I get them trained. Super comfortable right out of the box and my older pair are still waterproof and in great shape. I highly reccomend these boots for backpacking in all weather.

I read about every shoe in this category, and read every comment too. I chose this boot because I wanted to use it for work at the ski mountain and for summer hiking. The inner sole is really comfy, totally waterproof outside. Did a 4,000ft "ice hike" first week I had them with no break-in time and didn't have a blister nor issue with tread. This is first time I ever spent a considerable amount of money on a hiking boot, I'm pretty satisfied.

I'm only to the point of break-in so far and the only place I've used them is Colorado on a ski vacation and they seem to have plenty of support. My main reason for getting these boots was for side hilling on steep terrain and the support around the ankle feels like these were an excellent choice.

Awsome boot! I have been wearing my new hiking boots for about 4 weeks now. They broke in fast and very comfortable. I wear them indoors and outdoors. The tractiuon is awsome on the snow and ice, they keep my feet warm and breathing just right, and I can't get over the comfort and support. Great product and will expect many years of use and the price was good. I did try them on at Dick's Sporting Goods and they were priced about $160 there.

I have owned these boots for a couple years, and they have seen me through many hikes ranging from the desert to the Sierras. I have been very happy with these boots. They have been very comfortable and offered good support under the load of 60lb packs. I rated the boots a 4 due to the fact the sole on the right boot split completely across the ball of the foot, and a hole developed in the leather at the edge of the rubber that covers the toe of the boot. Overall it is an excellent boot that I have recommended to friends and colleagues.

Perfect all-around medium-duty boot that performs great on short and long trips alike. It is super comfortable, with a short break-in period and good ankle support. The Vibram sole gives this boot just enough stickiness and durability. All-in-all the Wasatch GTX is an AWESOME boot!

I spent a long time in search of the right hiking boot for my needs. I was looking for the boot that I could hike anywhere in and also wear for everyday use. Online searching produced all kinds of results but I had questions and it was hard to really know which to choose. I was impressed by this website and the availability to chat live with a rep. These boots are the best I've ever had, and they are completely waterproof as advertised! They are also the most comfortable boots I've ever owned. The Sales rep made shopping online an awesome experience. Thanks.

Fits true to size. Very short break-in period. Comfortable and Supportive.

I agree with most of the reviews here. The boots were comfortable right out of the box. There were no defects in them. I have worn them most every day for about a month now, although I have not had them out on the trail yet. I think that the few bad reviews seen here are isolated events that should be taken with a grain of salt.

Now a few more months - I can tell you that while still happy with them, I have become aware that they are a whisker too small for me on the right foot. Toe aches after a few hours of bumping up against the tip of the boot. I am reluctant to buy an 11 for fear that it will be too large. I have gotten a pair of the Summits and they seem to be more generous in length.

Took no time to break-in. Excellent vertical support. The soles and uppers held up excellent against Nevada Limestone, which is known to destroy boots. These boots come with metal lace hooks, not the plastic one's Vasque has put on their XCR's. Looking for great boot, buy the Wasatch!