Customer Reviews Vasque Sundowner GTX

Can't wear them out - I've had them about ten years, thought I only wear them in extreme weather. They never let you down for warmth and dryness!

Vasque Sundowner GTX - I ordered these for my boyfriend for christmas. We had been looking for this excellent boot in black and Zappos had them in stock! The arrived the next day! Excellent service - excellent product. We both have this boot in brown and they are of the highest quality. He needed a black pair for work and they are PERFECT.

Happy Customer - I ordered these boots for my husband. He already has a pair that he wears daily, so he wanted another pair so he could "trade off" on days when he was getting the other pair shined. And do they shine!!!! Military and Police men stop him to ask about his boots. They are just perfect.

This is a very comfortable Shoe. It fits my wide feet perfectly. I wear them to work on a construction job all day, everyday and they are very durable.

Very comfortable. Great ankle support. Minimal break in. Walked to and from work a couple miles each way a couple times and then wore them on 4.5 mile hike off trail through state game lands over rocky, steep, muddy terrain during steady rain. They performed beautifully and kept my feet bone dry. Very attractive as well, however, if used for true off trail hiking like I did, they get scratched up/gouged easily from rocks. Bought them for functional hiking and backpacking so don’t mind. But if you’re looking for something to stay looking nice, better stick to grass trails. Sole is a bit stiff for rocky paths as well, but not too bad. Overall, a great boot that I expect will last me many years and many miles. Maybe not keeping that nice finish, but keeping my ankles in one piece and my feet dry.

I've tried several boots over the last 15 years and I have not been happy with any that could be used in winter or wet weather until I got Sundowners. They are comfortable right out of the box. I get heel blisters easily and need lots of toe room. These have the room up front so I'm not banging against the boot on steep downhills. The heel just slides a bit as you walk and does not rub or compress your heel against the back of the boot on steep uphills, the fastest way for me to get blisters. The boot is designed so that it bends comfortably across the toe without pinching. These are also fairly light weight. One annoying thing is the tongue on one boot has a small lump in the seam where the leather and fabric is folded over, it ends up right under the riveted lacing hook and hurts unless I keep pulling the tongue over or lace them loosely at the ankle. I plan to just cut it out and restitch it by hand. I've been wearing them in snow and they have been very waterproof. If the outer layer of leather is waterproof, I'm not sure why they put Gore-Tex in them, why do they need to be breathable if the outside is impervious? This could be a problem for people like me who live in very hot climates. For summer I plan to wear my fabric-topped, highly breathable, and light weight boots. These will make my feet sweat too much.

These are good boots. I owned an Italian made pair for 18 years and wore them completely out. I was hesitant to buy the Chinese ones, but they have been fine. Time will tell if they last as well, but so far so good. They are waterproof, easy to break in, and comfortable.

Old standard, new problems... Well like many of the reviews I owned two pairs of these boots dating back to 1980! Not the same boot, sadly. Being made elsewhere shows its faults, the fit, the stitching, and regrettably the comfort. After wearing them for a day the crease above my toe knuckle was being pinched, it hurt to the point of making me limp. The world has changed and so the old standards. Thanks, and may you hike well and often.

A decent boot - Big fan of Vasque, this shoe has been a bit stiff and hard to break in, and doesn't have the "glove fit" other Vasques have had for me. But nevertheless, I'm happy with it.

Great with a few minor detractors - I previously had the model up from this, tack on another hundred dollars or so. That was a terrific boot although they both squeak like mad for the life of the shoe, don't try to sneak up on anyone and you'll be fine. Completely waterproof, first boot I've found that can live up to that. The sizing felt a little big, I'm hoping they shrink a little but I can live with it. I wish they made half sizes after 12... Breaking them in was hideous as well, had to take a break after a few days and let my feet heel. In 6 months I'm sure I'll love them to death and they should last 3 or 4 years after that at the least. :) I like'em!

Vasque Sundowner's - Nice shoes, pretty good price. The only complaint I have is that the ankle support isn't what I am used to compared to my old Vasque hiking boots. Otherwise, great value and service.

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.

Older version of this shoe better - The simpler model from 5-10 years ago was much better. All the backpacking brands seem to be doing this, but the the additional stitching and “improvements” in this one make it work for fewer people. I would say at this point you should have a narrow foot and high ankles...perhaps. It doesn't work for me now.

If it doesn't fit you must acquit - I used to own a pair of Vasque Sundowner GTX and for years it held-up excellent as I hiked along the Appalachian Trail. I put hundreds of miles on them. Then naturally the sole has just worn out and when I ordered another pair, wow was it awful. It turns out Vasque now makes these boots somewhere else and the fit is not the same as in the old days when Vasque made them in Italy. I really wish they would go back to the Italian version. Buyer beware until they make this boot back in Italy were it belongs. It’s sad to see a company regress.

End of an era - For those previous owners of the Vasque Sundowner--if you purchase a new pair of "Sundowners" expecting to get the same quality boot that made the Sundowner name famous, then you will be sadly disappointed and possibly angry. The management genuses at Vasque have succeeded in producing a boot that looks like the original (save the padded cuff) but is merely an average boot. Yes, they managed to ripoff their own product! The leather they now use is inferior to the original and whatever materials go inside the upper provide significantly diminished support. I suspect that they recut and padded the cuff merely to reduce the amount of leather used. The laterial stiffness the owners of the previous Sundowner liked so much is gone. The Vasque "Sundowner" is now an average boot that should be priced 30-40% lower--a real "downer." This is a classic example of why old people are always bemoaning the loss of the "Good ole days." I have had my new boots about a month and I can tell by the way they are breaking in that I'll be lucky to get two years out of them. What is the same? Well, the soles seem the same. But the only things that I know for sure are the same are the laces and the Gore-Tex tag. I have purchased my last pair of Vasques.

9.5 wide in burgandy - The very top buckle digs into my ankle--can't really walk in them...thinking about putting a sponge or something on it... I'm keeping it cause it's Goretex and I got it for such a good deal.

Be Careful!!! Be careful when buying these boots. I have now owned two different pairs of these. My first pair was the Italian made version which lasted me more than 8 years of very hard use. I loved them dearly. When it finally came time to replace them, I purchased another pair because I thought I could not go wrong. I did not know at the time that Vasque/Red Wing had move the manufacturing of the Sundowner from Italy to China. Boy does it show. The China made pair never felt quite right. I fitted them with custom insoles to make them more comfortable, which helped, but I did not have to do that with the Italian version. I have had the China made pair for less than two years and the sole on the right boot just peeled off from the toe all the way to the middle of the arch. What a piece of junk! Vasque should be ashamed of themselves for selling out and taking a wonderful, time tested product and reducing it to garbage. If you search the net, you will find many similar complaints. If you are lucky enough to find an Italian pair, go for it. Otherwise, buyer beware.

New design has problems - Bought a new pair on recommendations. Excellent boot (fit, traction, waterproofing, and reputation) but the redesigned top of the shoe cause the shoes to bite into my ankles. If I use for any serious mountain hiking I get bruises around the front of my inner ankle bones. Vasque needs to address this. Am now in the market for a different brand.

These shoes used to be a lot better - I have an older pair of Sundowners that I have had for many years which have worn like iron, are unbelievably comfortable and with care, still look great. The shoes were sufficiently dressy, so I could wear them to work. I ordered a new pair because the heels on the old pair were getting too worn. Unfortunately, the new pair also had a redesigned padded area around the top of the shoe that cause the shoes to bite into my ankles. After over a month these shoes have still not broken in and are still unbelievably painful. In my opinion Vasque should go back to the original design. I would be extremely hesitant to purchase another pair of these shoes, as they are currently designed. My wife's dog just ate one shoe from each pair of these Vasque shoes, so now I have a mismatched set of one old brown shoes and one new black shoe and am without a decent pair of shoes. I have looked everywhere and can't find anything, even on Zappos, that is comparable to the old pair of Vasque shoes.

I absolutely love the Vasque Sundowners. My feet are wide and so I do well with my regular womens size but in a wide (d) width. I've owned Vasques for over 50 years! Including the Sundowners since they were first made. (And before that Vasque Whitneys - a similar, heavier version). Only reason i'm replacing is my feet have grown a half inch! They are comfortable, extremely long lasting (literally do not wear out), and full leather uppers give great support. I've used mine for winter mountaineering, long canoe trips, day hikes, and heavy duty back pack trips in harsh terrain. Hope they never stop making these! :)

Definitely worth the price. Very comfortable and waterproof during the snowy winters.

First ordered 12D, very narrow even with thin socks. Returned for 12E, OK with thin socks. perfect with thick socks. My feet are slightly narrow - this is the first pair of wide shoes I have ever had. Arch support is noticeable, certainly not excessive. After reading reviews indicating soles cracked, etc, for the boots made in China, was happy to see mine are VietNam sourced which appear to be more durable. Leather is soft and (IMO) medium to thick. They were comfortable out of the box, although I wouldn't start on an extended hike without some break in miles. Overall excellent boots, after resolving the initial fit issue.

Vasque always fit me perfectly. This is the most comfortable boot I’ve owned, it’s probably my 5th or 6th pair. I’ve tried others but always come back to these.

i had to order one full size up after returning the size 13’s i had originally ordered. i have only had these a few weeks now. they are a well made, sturdy boot, and fairly lightweight. it feels like they are going to take some dedication to break in. the soles are heavy lugged and tend to cake in mud. i like these boots so far, especially for the price range they are offered in. looking forward to seeing how these boots evolve and hold up over time.

Great boots, im a plumber and I am really hard on boots. Kicking a shovel, constant squatting and being wet often wears boots out fast. I buy them for work boots They hold up better than any other brand that i have tried. Very comfortable