Vasque

Awesome fit right out of the box for my wide feet--love them.

Awesome for hiking! Wore these for the first time on a difficult hike to a glacier in the Cascades. So comfortable with no breaking in needed. Totally waterproof through several rushing water stream crossings. Completely happy with them and worth every penny! Feet stayed warm without getting sweaty. Paired them with Darn Tough socks. Great ankle support and very grippy. Limited sliding inside shoe when going downhill.

10.5 M was too narrow for my 10.5 N foot.

11M was too narrow for my 10.5-11 N foot

Wow. I never thought i'd see the day when my primary choice hiking boot would disappoint. I've worn this boot for decades. I wrote a review which is no longer here, praising it. I can't do that again. Hiking is a huge part of my job, and I take boots seriously. Vasque has changed this pair too much. They run smaller and don't have the traction the previous ones had. My feet also jam into the toe box down hill. Traction, stability & comfort are most important to me. I bought another style from Vasque, that has the traction these boots used to have, and my toes don't jam into the toe box when going downhill. However, I'm not able to use my boot socks with them. Don't know what I'll do. Maybe a different brand is in order. I left pictures of the botton., so you can see the traction of both. The pics. & videos here don't give a good view of the front of the sole. The gray ones have better traction.

I love these shoes! Originally purchased my usual size but had to size down 1/2 size. Comfortable from day one.

Most comfortable boots I've ever worn.

I ordered the Gargoyle/Damson color, which looks like a true gray in the photo. It is actually more of a khaki, sort of a greenish beige. Otherwise, these seem like well-made boots. The toe is a little narrow.

I tried the 10 Narrow (usually I am a 9.5-10 Narrow) and my toes were very cramped at the front of the shoe to the point of being sore just walking around the house. The color is also not accurate at all -- it's much of a cool "putty" brown than the warm cognac color in the image.

These seem like they would be comfortable hiking shoes...cushiony but still supportive, decent arch support. But they were too small. I usually get a size 7 in hiking shoes and in these, the 7 felt like a 6.5. I'm willing to give them another try in a larger size to get a better idea.

Exactly what I wanted - a solid firm platform that protected arthritic feet from the grind of walking.

As someone who has been wearing Vasque’s for close to 20 years, I was excited to get these shoes...only to find the size incredibly small. I order the largest size (14) and they feel like a 12. I’m really sad to return them. My other Vasque boots were true to size. What a shame.

I looked at dozens and dozens of hiking shoes before landing on these. They wear like a sneaker but have the support of a hiking shoe. I have a very high arch and I knew upon putting them on that I would need to pop an insole in them. They don't have arch support really at all. But that's workable. They are very lightweight and Im excited to see what they can do on the trails.

Nice light-weight boots but at premium price. Comfortable but not for heavier serious hiking. Cool for warm weather use, but have not yet tested waterproof claims. Downside: Designers should be fired for laces (not round or that don't work with hooks) and upper hooks that are too small and don't hold laces when lacing up and beyond, except when very tight. Would return if possible, but always takes some outdoor ware to assess.

I really tried to like these shoes, but just cannot do it. They are so over-cushioned that they are uncomfortable. They make my feet Hirt, my knees hurt and feel totally un stage. I could not imagine trying to hike or run on a trail with them. I would return them but have worn them several times, to work. Too bad Zappos return guarantee isn't like other companies the guarantee your satisfaction after wearing. I would send them back in a minute, but now they will sit in my closet. Wasted money...

First pair had a defect, promptly replaced by Zappos. One of the better waterproof shoes I can recall. I work in a wet environment and need good footing. I usually go through shoes within a month or two. These are still holding up great and are still dry 6 months later after heavy daily use. Impressive traction as well. Recommended as I’ve bought another pair.

Too small...guess I'll try a 1/2 size larger and see. I also got the wide since I'd read reviews that they ran narrow. Got that part right!

This is my son’s 5th pair of Mantras. He is 17 now. He loves them on and off trail and has worn them for 100s of miles backpacking. He wears them year around as his primary casual shoes as well.

Love these hikers - took them for a five day, 46 mile hike on the AT and they performed well. I will comment that I have narrow feet, and these shoes definitely run narrow (one of the reasons that I purchased them). I agree that they seem a bit short - I bought a 13, but really need a 14 based on the amount of blisters I had on my longer foot. Overall, I will buy these again, and am purchasing a pair for my father in law. Very nice shoe!

My foot: Bunions + tenancy to Plantar's Fasciitis. Standing on ruler, I am 10" long and 4.25" wide (at bunions). Heel and ankle are narrow, foot is slim on top. I have wide calluses on the big toe, and seek a wide toe box to minimize corns where the bunioned big toe presses in against the 2nd toe. I use a cork-supported custom orthotic for arch support, but occasionally find enough arch support in some shoes (Dansko). I ordered and compared three shoes: **Vasque Mantra 2.0 (10W) **Oboz Sawtooth Low BDry (10W) **Dansko Paisley (more of a sneaker, but I love the Dansko foundation) (40) I wasn't looking for a hard-core hiking shoe so much as I was looking for a trail shoe: I walk about 4 miles a day (dogs) on dirt roads with moderate ups and downs. I had begun to develop Plantar's again, and had discovered the reason: my old Patagonias were entirely flexing in their middle. I have learned that a shoe that will not flex in the middle is the shoe that prevents Plantar’s. I had to immediately dismiss the Oboz 10W (photo, left), as it FULLY FLEXES IN ITS MIDDLE. End of story for those of us with Plantar's. Even in its wide iteration, it is less wide than the Vasque 10W (touched the sides of my 4.25” bunions) without socks. But it was far more attractive than the Vasque, and I was sad to see it go. It appears to have lots of nice ventilation at the top, and the four tones of colors make it a spunky-looking shoe. I do note that the lace sides are very close together, which means there is little room for actual width adjustment. It has solid arch support (I might not need my orthotic insert) and the heel is narrower and nicely collared for less slip. The sole is not marked as Vibram, but the treads are deep—about 4mm. I also had to dismiss the Dansko Paisley 40 (photo, middle). It is not wide enough, although I considered ordering the 41 or 42 to see if I could gain enough width that way. Other Danskos have been wide enough for me, so this disappoints. The sole is by far the least flexible of the three in the middle, which is good news. It is also the best of the three for making the foot look smaller. Its arch support is not as full as I would like, although it accommodated my orthotic just fine, and thereby became acceptable in that way. From an aesthetics standpoint, this shoe is strangely laced far forward into the toe box, which I think makes it look less attractive. Not sure why Dansko made that choice—unless it is a nod to making it possible for the shoe to become more narrow than it already is (which seems to fly in the face of Dansko’s core fan base—people with foot problems like bunions). Its Vibram sole is not deeply treaded (2mms only), which surprises me. This makes it a city-only shoe, really, and significantly reduces the tread life—especially for those of us who are vigorous walkers and tend to strike harder on the heel. There is less padding at the heel, but it snugged my narrow heel comfortably. I ultimately chose the Vasque Mantra 2.0 (10W) (photo, right), despite its being the least attractive of the three. Its bunion area is generous (does not rub my 4.25 in SmartWool socks), and despite its slightly larger ankle, it (alone of the three) has double grommets in the ankle area, so I was able to lace it well enough there to achieve no slip. I notice that it has more fabric and less leather in the area that surrounds the ankle, and I wonder if this will result in more (or less) give in that area over time. The Vibram sole is 5mm deep. On my foot, there is a slight pucker at the bunion area, which tells me this shoe can accommodate a wider foot than my 4.25-incher. The shoe really only has two tones of color, as the tiny touches of lime green at the back and in flecks in the laces are so minimal as to not count, and even the two tones are barely distinct from each other. Sucking in my vanity (which wanted a more attractive shoe), I took it on my 4-mi. walk, and it did beautifully straight out of the box. Comfort and support reign supreme, after all, and this shoe delivers best out of the three.