User Review: Vasque Sundowner

Vasque Sundowner
Above: The current Sundowner, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed May 26, 2007 by Daniel

Rating:
Materials: leather
Use: month long backpacking through mountainous terrain with heavy pack
Break-in Period: 1 week
Weight: 3 pounds
Price Paid: $170

I've been reading a lot of negative reviews of the Chinese Sundowners. I just bought a pair four days ago.

In a week I leave for a month-long backpacking trip through Greece. These boots that I plan on using for my trip were very stiff for the first 2 days. However, breaking them in quickly was easy. The best way to break in these boots quickly is to wet them completely with water then wear them during a run or workout until they dry.

Do this every day, and they will be broken in within a week. My Sundowners feel like different boots already. My complaint so far is that they have an obnoxious advertisement for GORE-TEX sewn into the seam near the lacing eyelets.

I would have liked to try the Italian made version; I hear they are pretty nice. However, for $170, I am happy with the Chinese Sundowners. I will be carrying about 60 pounds on my back during my upcoming trip. I will write a follow up when I return from Greece in July.

Happy Hunting!

Daniel