Vasque Men's Breeze Gore-Tex Hiking Boot

This review is only about the size and fit of the boot, as I did not get a chance to wear it on a hike.I noticed other customers had mixed advice about what size to order - some said go a half or full size up from your normal shoe size, others said they ordered the same size as their shoes and it fit perfectly. I normally wear a 10.5 shoe, and my width is between D and E (normal and wide). I know this because I went to the shoe store and had my feet measured before I placed my order. I decided to order a US 10.5 D.When I got the boots, tried them on and dragged my foot on the ground as if going downhill. Noticed my toes were getting jammed up front. Also, the shoe was uncomfortably tight. Felt like there wasn't enough room in the toe box. As I noted above, my feet are between normal and wide, but I'd have to say they are on the wide side. I returned the boots and ordered a size 11 D......thought that maybe going up a half size would increase the width just enough to accommodate my foot. I was wrong. The new boots did have enough room at the toes to keep my toes from jamming when I simulated going downhill, but the width was still too narrow. My foot and even my toes started to go numb from being squeezed. Didn't seem like a lot of room in the toe box.I am just reporting my size experience - the boot looked like good quality and the soles had great appearing tread on them that looked like it would get great traction without getting clogged up with mud. But just beware that I found I had to go a half size up to keep the tips of my toes from hitting the front of the shoe, and you should definitely order a 2E if you have feet that lean on the wide side.I returned the second pair of boots and because they didn't have a 11 2E in stock, I ended up ordering the same brand but different model boot, in a size 11 2E. Waiting for those to arrive now.happy trails......

I'm on my second pair of this style of Vasque boots (with Gore-Tex and Vibram soles), and they are the only kind I ever plan to buy again. I don't hike, but I get around by foot a lot, and these boots are wonderful.I recommend buying at least a half size bigger than you usually wear. I also recommend coughing up the extra money for the Gore-Tex version if you want your feet to stay cool.Positive:* built to last - My first pair I wore to an industrial job every day for five years, where they took a lot of abuse and had all sorts of crap spilled on them. The boots and the Vibram soles held up great, and because of the color, they didn't show any stains and always looked brand new. By the fifth year, some of the stitching finally started to give out.* keep your feet dry - They can handle handle deep snow and puddles without a drop getting through, as long as it doesn't go over the top of the boot.* comfortable - Super comfortable from day one - neither of mine even needed to be broken in. They can be little warm in the summer, but they're surprisingly cool for boots.Negative:* Soles don't do well on smooth, wet surfaces like ice, wet tree roots, etc. It's mostly not a problem, but they slip more easily than I would expect from a hiking boot.* Getting in and out of them takes a while. You have to lace the top couple of laces and double knot every time so they don't come untied.

I initially thought I found the ideal boot for backpacking through the roots, rocks, mud, and muck-holes of the Maine (and NH, VT) mountains and trails, but unfortunately its durability and wet weather traction performance did not live up to the test. The poor durability may be due to my particular usage, but the wet weather traction was just flat out poor in my experience and is the main reason I (originally) rated this item only 2 stars. If I was rating this boot as an "occasional day hiking boot for dry weather only" I would consider rating it 5 stars.For the last 12-13 years I've loyally worn (and happily worn-through) many Vasque Clarion GTX boots, so my primary perspective and point of comparison is to that particular boot. They have consistently served me well, but constantly dealing with bad heel blisters during the break-in periods combined with the desire to lighten the weight of my footwear made me decide to try a pair of the Vasque Breeze GTX boots.I got them a couple of months ago, and here are my observations after wearing them very briefly around town and then for approximately 100 miles of Appalachian Trail hiking in Maine during the last month:THE GOOD:1. Fit is true to size (but one half of a size larger than all of my Vasque Clarion GTX boots). I wear a size 9 for the Clarion boot, but a size 9.5 for all other shoes and for the Breeze boot.2. No (or negligible) break in period. I wore these boots only very lightly around town (streets, sidewalks, office carpeting) before taking them on the trail. While carrying a ~40 pound pack I got absolutely no blisters or hot spots on my heels with the Breeze boots, whereas with the Clarion boots my heals were always a complete mess for the first few days. I did initially get some minor hot spots between my first and second toes (perhaps a tighter toe box than the Clarion?), but nothing that required attention.3. The boot is just simply comfortable. As noted in other customer reviews, these boots fit like a glove and it feels like the material molds to your foot almost immediately. The reason I wore these boots around town at first was because they were simply more comfortable than any of my shoes.4. Waterproof and breathable. The inside of my boots (and my socks) stayed remarkably dry when stomping through muck-holes and crossing streams on submerged rocks (with the water level below the tops of my boots and low gaiters, of course). Note that the exterior of the boot does take a long time to dry, even in direct sunlight. However, I didn't really notice any additional weight because of this.5. Superior DRY Traction. When descending from mountains, I found myself actually walking down granite rock faces that I would normally slide down on my rear due to the steep grade. I also got great traction on dry bog logs, dry roots with bark (but not smooth roots), dry dirt, and wet mud. Smaller rocks and boulders with particularly smooth surfaces were not great for traction, even when dry.THE BAD:1. Inferior WET Traction. In my opinion, the traction in wet conditions is dangerous. It feels next to impossible to grip any wet, flat surface. This makes crossing wet bog logs, stream crossings, and descending steep grades from above tree-line hair raising events. I found myself having to carefully and painstakingly plod and pick my steps through wet sections of trail, and found myself over-relying on my hiking poles for slippage prevention and balance support in sections of trail that I would normally truck right through without a second thought. This was never the case with my Clarions, or with any other shoe or boot that I have or currently use for shorter day hikes. In fact, the wet traction was so treacherous that several days in Maine's wet 100-mile Wilderness I actually considered hiking in my Crocs simply for the improved traction.2. Durability. To be fair and open minded, Vasque categorizes the Breeze boot as a "Hiking" boot and not a "Backpacking" boot, and I do flail around tough trail with 40 pounds on my back. That said, these boots have not lived up to my expectations. After the very first day-hike (10 pound pack) up a mountain in them, the outsole had already started to peel away from the boot in places (particularly the toes). After about 65-70 miles of trail, the stitching was already started to come apart in places. Also, small chunks of the outsole on the bottoms of the boot have started to rip away where there is abrasion with rough rocks. I never had these problems with any of my Clarion boots, but again, they are categorized as a more rugged boot.In conclusion, there was a quite a lot to like about this boot and I will continue to use it until it completely falls apart as my "completely dry trail conditions only" day hiking boot.UPDATE 8/1:Despite my concerns about inferior traction in wet conditions and durability when carrying a heavy load, I must admit that I just now ordered another pair of these boots as a backup for when my original pair fails. I am unable to quickly find any other waterproof boots in this general price range that match the pure, lightweight, blister-free comfort and breathability of the Breeze GTX - particularly right out of the box. For the price and "no break in period" convenience I believe that they're worth having around as my "fair weather day hikers or overnighters" and I'll keep a sturdier boot with better wet traction on hand for extended backpacking trips where weather conditions are less certain. Consequently, I think it's only fair to bump my overall rating up to 3 stars (from a 2 originally).