Customer Reviews Vasque Sundowner GTX

I wanted these boots to work. They are a nice, clean style, something I could wear in my suit on the long winter walks through the elements on my daily commute. But I could see after wearing them around the house for a few hours that they wouldn't work for me. The boot has a seam in the upper portion that crosses my interior ankle bone, causing pain. The leather is thick and unyielding and I figured it would take many years before they were comfortable, if then. A friend had recommended these and when I told him of my problem, he said he encountered the same thing. He solved it by fashioning a thick piece of foam to protect his ankle bone. He wears it along with the boot. I think the right solution is to make a better boot. I'll try another brand. Zappos' shipping and return policies make this an easy fix.

It is with a heavy heart that I say Vasque Sundowners are no longer what I expect. This has been my exclusive boot for about 16 years, and I am now shopping for another brand. I keep one "nice" pair for casual/dress wear, and another for working in the garage, yard, etc. There is a rotation every year and a half or so. The first China manufactured pair I purchased had the sole split across the bottom rendering them useless as they are no longer waterproof. Prior to this I would wear them until the treads of the sole were completely worn and I had no traction in the snow. Unfortunate that even Vasque could not escape the perils of Chinese manufacturing.

For 20 years, my old Vasque Sundowners were shoes that I loved. I wanted to replace them with the same thing. But these new Sundowners jab into your Achilles tendon at the top, whenever you take a big step, with nearly zero padding or "give" around the top. I would never get used to hiking in these.

These were a letdown. I had a pair of the classic Sundowners which were amazing. These seemed well built but I had issues with the eyelets near the top digging into my ankles. To the point where it was actually painful, regardless of how I laced the boots, wore extra socks, etc. It's almost as if the tongue wasn't cut wide enough to provide padding against the eyelets. Expensive boots that I ended up having to sell.

I will preface the review by saying I am a UPS driver and am hard on boots. I was a little disappointed in the boot. It looked nice, felt nice and was very comfortable out of the box. However, the boot leaked at 3 months of hard winter in Montana. The soles had to be replaced after a 2 years (boots only worn in winter months). Realistically I only received 3 months of waterproof boots and 6 months of wear and tear before the soles had to be replaced. At this cost I expect more out of a boot.

I owned Vasque shoes in the past, and was looking to get a pair of good quality waterproof hiking boots. After reading recommendations online, I decided to go after a pair of Sundowners. They broke in easily, were a good fit and looked great. Unfortunately, the leather on one of the boots actually acted like a sponge, and absorbed more water than it repelled. I later heard that the problems followed the Sundowner after Vasque moved the manufacturing of the boot from Italy to China. So, here I am...looking for something to replace these boots after about a year. I can tell you that they will not be replaced with another pair of Vasque.

I'm very disappointing after wearing for about two weeks I started to to get pain on both sides of my feet. I added another insole made by Spenco I did get some comfort but at the end of the day the boots was making me feel fatigue. Also the height doesn't feel like 6" I wasn't getting proper support around my ankles. I'm 6 feet tall about 280pounds maybe these boots aren't for me. I'm in my boots from 7am sometimes until 12midnight 6 days a week

Yet again Zappos fails me. These are advertised as wide E, and lo and behold, just like the ten other "Wide" shoes Zappos has sent me over the past year, they are too narrow. Not a little, but foot binding, torture device narrow. I am so discouraged that Zappos sells shoes as wide and they come thru as narrow. I think the next time I am tempted to order from Zappos, I will have my wife poke me in the eye with a sharp stick so I come to my senses. If you have even slightly wide feet, look elsewhere

Both shoes of this pair leak badly when placed in water 1.5 inches below the lowest opening (paper towels inside were sopping wet). Total failure of GTX waterproof membranes. They also pick up a pound of water when wet (excluding water that leaks inside).

New Sundowners lack quality. The ratings are high probably because the boots are still very new to the customers. At one time they were fantastic. My first two pairs lasted 18 years, enduring all types of terrain. The next two pairs I bought fell apart within one year. The soles split. I too had the "biting of the ankle," but that's temporary during the breaking-in phase of the leather. Zappos rocks and their service is great, but these new Sundowners suck. If you're buying Vasque, make sure the sole is vibram or another of high quality. I went with skarpa this time around, they're doing okay but I have not worn them long enough to provide a review.

Having read the reviews I decided to try a pair. These are decent shoes at best. They are in no way the same shoes that I purchased in 2000. Skywalk is no longer even on the sole. The uppers are no longer leather and turn a almost white shade when scuffed. These boots are still comfortable and have not fallen apart but the quality is not there. I read the reviews, took a chance and wasted the money, "the shoe that built the brand" to me has ruined the brand.