Vasque Breeze GTX XCR

A close friend of mine bought this boot and after testing it for a couple months on all kinds of terrain. She raved about the grip of the vibram soles and the great ankle support it provided as I struggled to stay stable on some slippery rocks on one of our short day hikes.

I went out and bought the boot shortly thereafter and attempted to break them in on a slow moving treadmill at the gym. Unfortunately, my foot is shaped in a way that left just enough wiggle room near the heal such that the constant rubbing caused the thin-skinned inward curves above my heals to blister in less than an hour.

It's a great shoe but I wasn't it's Cinderella; good fit is important. Luckily, I had bought the boots from a place that allowed me to return them.

Summary

For how much support these shoes provide, they are super comfortable, very breathable, and surprisingly lightweight. Would def recommend these for backpacking or for a hiking novice who isn't sure what they want from a hiking shoe yet.

Bought these gently used at an REI garage sale. I'd had my eye on them, but since I'm not much of a boot person, was hesitant about paying full price. For how much support these shoes provide, they are super comfortable, very breathable, and surprisingly lightweight. Would def recommend these, even at full price, they are worth it. 

I'm an average sized woman, size 10, but 10.5 in boots. I've taken them out on a few backpacking trips in the Catskills, N.Y. One of those trips we had a pretty crazy river crossing, and my boot ended up under the water and water rushed over the top of my foot. Feet stayed 100% dry, and the fabric on the boots dried surprisingly quick.

Since I bought them used, I can't speak as much about the break-in time, since they were already pre-broken in a little. My understanding of the boot, however, is that the break-in time is quite reasonable because the uppers are so soft and pliable out of the box.

All in all, a great boot, that I absolutely recommend, even if you have to pay full price for them!

I just bought these boots last week at EMS. They are amazing! I wanted a boot with a really good grip, and it had to be waterproof. I got the best of both worlds with this boot- AND they are incredibly comfortable.

I broke them in last week, although they really didn't need much breaking in. I just did it for precautionary measure since I had an upcoming hike.

During my hike I splashed in puddles and walked through streams and mud without a single drop soaking through (and I did not waterproof them before this hike). I walked up and down steep vertical rocks with no problem. And I had NO blisters, no hot spots, no problems. These boots give good ankle support without any stiffness. I jumped around in them quite a bit- on and off of rocks- and they did not loosen.

The Vibram soles offer great gripping power and the heel provides reliable braking action.

I am very pleased with this purchase and glad that I decided to go with these boots. My feet were warm, dry, and comfortable for my entire hike. I bought some Microspikes that fit perfectly over these boots, and I will try out the combination of the two this weekend on an icy peak. Will update.

I have had a very hard time finding boots that fit me well; I need a wide toe box and a narrow toe and when my Hi-Tecs (I didn’t like them either) completely disintegrated after only 800 miles (my local store sent them back and I received a total refund!). I was desperately seeking a 'great' boot with a perfect fit and sadly, I ended up just buying these Vasque boots as an interim boot.

I have had them for about 8 months and have probably hiked about 800 miles since I live in the mountains and can hike 4 days a week. I bought them in the fall and hiked in all weather conditions with gaiters and even with the heaviest Smartwool trekking socks my feet were cold and breezy as they are probably best in the summer, but luckily I have found Alicos and Asolos to replace them for the upcoming summer and I doubt I will be wearing these soft slippers many more times. They have very little support in rough terrain and a couple times my feet have even started to ache because of too much flexibility in the sole and my ankles have bent in them many times. The sole is already starting to separate and the stitching is coming undone in a couple places and the netting is torn (but I expected torn netting).

They are very light, soft and comfortable, like a soft-cloud hiking boot, and they were comfortable right out of the box. They are not very waterproof and even the simplest hiking through a marshy area will encourage seepage, even before they started to fall apart. Probably these boots would be great for infrequent hikes on smooth trails on nice days.

I found these boots very comfortable and sturdy. It took some time to get used to the 'rocking motion' created with this style, but apparently this is very good for the foot.

The only problem I had with these boots was the incredible slipperiness on metal grates, rocks and wet wood. Not practical for west coast hikes unfortunately, so I have switched from the Vibram soled boots to Salomon Exit Peak hikers and I love them!

My wife and I both have the women's model boot, her's a size 8 while I take an 8.5. After a 5 day hike over the famous chilkoot trail we could not be happier with our footwear, not one blister or wet cold feet. Love them.