User Review: Vasque Sundowner

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

Reviewed October 28, 2002 by Pat Corry

Rating:
Materials: leather medium-weight boot
Use: trail w/ heavy pack; rugged off-trail field work
Break-in Period: about 1 month
Weight: about 3-4 lbs
Price Paid: about $200

I've used Sundowners for decades for long-distance trail hiking as well as outdoor work (tough off-trail conditions w/ light to heavy pack). I thought I'd never have to search for another boot in my life; they fit my difficult-to-fit feet (very wide forefoot, very narrow heel) perfectly, broke in quickly, and lasted long. However, the past few years their quality and fit has declined dramatically. I've had to turn in two pairs early due to quality control problems and an apparent change in the fit, resulting in serious chewing-up of my feet. These were the models now being made in China, and the boot fitter I go to told me he's been hearing more complaints about Sundowners since the switch to China. He told me some of the more expensive Sundowner versions are still made in Italy and seem to be of better quality, so I traded for a pair of those. They are better than the China-made ones, but it still appears they've tinkered with the fit. Now they are very sloppy in the heel, a problem I never had with Sundowners before. While people's feet can become wider with age, I doubt my heels have become narrower! They also take much longer to break in than they used to-- perhaps they are using a new (cheaper?) process, or lower-quality hides.

My husband, who also used Sundowners happily for years, bought a new Italian-made version recently and the sole wore out in less than year despite the fact that he doesn't use them heavily.

Sundowners were wonderful boots for decades but in my opinion they are losing it big-time. Vasque needs to get the production back to Italy from China and go back to whatever methods and fit they were using in the past. I think they are trying to keep the cost down, and I realize that's important for many people, but I can't do my work properly if my boots don't fit and wear well. I am willing to pay more for good quality and fit. It's with great regret that I am now searching for a different make of boot and will never go back to Sundowners unless Vasque goes back to the good old days.