Vasque Velocity GTX

Summary

Awesome shoes, great brand.

As a member of Gore MountainTechs, I have the opportunity to field test GORE-TEX gear in some of the harshest conditions. I absolutely love these shoes and have worn the heck out of them.  

They are super comfortable and fit my foot perfect. Lightweight, waterproof, and low profile. They have decent traction, nothing amazing, but still good.  

I wear them more for around town and short hikes, not backpacking or long hikes (and I actually do not wear them for jogging...they seem a little bulky for that IMO). The abuse I've thrown at these shoes is crazy, and they've held up through it all!  Very waterproof and breathable.  

I am sold on Vasque as my go-to brand, I just sometimes have a hard time finding the exact style I'm looking for.  (I also bought Vasque M-Finity ice climbing boots and they're the best boot I've ever worn, bar none!).

Can't go wrong with these shoes in my opinion.

I recently got these shoes at a steeply discounted price at an REI used gear sale. They were as close to being brand new as you could hope to find. The reason they were returned was because the toe box was too narrow. I have to agree with this assessment- I wear an 11 in Nike and these shoes feel a half size smaller in length and are quite a bit narrower up front. I have wide feet, and this shoe is as small an 11 as I have run across.

I have the gore-tex model which is not listed here in the review column. Same looking shoe just says gore-tex on the side.

I find these shoes to be well built. They are not light, but I can tell they are tough. I just returned from hiking in Yosemite and found the shoes to be comfortable even while a bit snug. The have a strong, stiff sole that grips incredibly well on rock, dirt, and in mud. I was able to wade out about 5-6 inches of water to retrieve a tin can lid someone had thrown into the lake without getting my feet wet.

At first I was skeptical about hiking in a snug shoes- but I went for two days w/o discomfort and found the shoe to be light enough and plenty tough. Recommended!