These are fairly good boots. i have had them for about a year and a half. i got the non waterproof and just put some water proofing on. i hhave backpacked many weekends with my scout troop done trail clean ups and wore them backpacking on the AT for a week in maine. they are soon going to need retired but they were good for the price( i got them on sale)

Similar Products Used:

other vasque boots and variious other brands(i forget exactly what)

I bought two pairs of these boots while hiking the Appalachian Trail. I had started out with a pair of Nike Krakatoas. Those boots creased uncomfortably in the toe-box. The Clarions never gave me problems in the toe-box. However, they wear a little bit quicker than they should. My first pair lasted about 1200 miles. While this is OK for lightweight boots, it seems to me the Clarions are in a slightly higher class. They shouldn't have lasted the whole trip, but they should have made it a little farther than they did. Another problem I had, related to the first, was with support. I pronate sometimes. While some boots prevent the problem, the Clarions were not strong enough. Eventually, the boots had pronated so far that they became uncomfortable, and the soles wore quickly. I've never worn out the second pair of Clarions because I moved on to the Nike Air Ratic, of which I've owned four pairs (one pair dead, one pair semi-retired to the streets, one pair in present backcountry use, and one pair in reserve--such became necessary when they were discontinued).

Similar Products Used:

Nike Air Krakatoa
Nike Air Ratic

This review is for the Gor-tex model. I recently had to buy a new pair of boots just before a trip to the Adirondacks. I found a closeout at Campmor on these boots for 100 bucks. They were great, I only had two days to break them in before the hike and I had no blisters. I also loved the confidence the Gortex liner gives, after a couple of long day hikes I was just splashing through the puddles and my feet were pefectly dry. The only drawback is the boots have limited traction on wet -slick surfaces, but on the flip side since the rubber is firm they should last a long time.

Similar Products Used:

None

I bought a pair of these boots in May of 98 and used them daily for 1 summer of field work. There was not hard rock use only daily hiking in hills, forests and in/along creeks. I took very good care of the boots by using leather protectors and SnoSeal and kept them as clean as possible. Within 2 weeks the front rubber seal on the toe of the boot began to peel. I tried to repair it with WaderRepair (that's all I had) but that didn't hold for more than a month. The boot was fitted to be tight but the insides took a beating and the padding started to rip. The poorest thing was the leather. About 2 months in it started to crack (even though I used the recommended leather protector) along the toe/mid of the boot. Sure I was getting them wet but the Sno-Seal protected the outside of the boot from moisture and they were always dried quickly. This was not abuse in any part for a $200 boot meant for hiking. About 2 months after my field work I wore them in the snow for about a week and noticed the a chunk of leather fell from the boot producing a hole! I didn't wear the boots for a few months and decided I better take them back to the store I bought them from. They have a year warrenty but I haven't heard back from them after 2 weeks as a Vasque rep had to look at them to decide if the warrenty covered the damage. I had a friend that bought a pair for this field season. We'll see if his wear out prematurely. I bought a pair of used Army boots the summer previous for $15 and abused them to the max on much tougher terrain and these came back for more. The only reason I bought the Vasques because the Army boots didn't have a good insole. I'll think I just will try to buy a good insole for these ones and forget about the Vasques, Merrels ect out there. I (and my friends who have bought similar boots are not impressed - though my one friend bought a $150 pair of A-Solos and there're holding up great)

Customer Service

Took the boots back to the store which I bought them from. Sent them to Vasque to get evaluated 2 weeks ago and have not heard from them yet. Why doesn't Vasque give the seller the responsibility to decide whether the warrenty is covered and save a lot of headache and waiting around.

Similar Products Used:

None

I have used mine for moderately difficult, sometimes strenuous, hiking in rough terrain in Colorado, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. I have had them about five years. They are comfortable, but they also developed leaks after two years and I got my feet wet when wading streams. Not the boot I will buy again, and I have to buy another pair soon.

Similar Products Used:

None

I have had these boots for two years now and I find them to be good for some backpacking but not when trekking through water. They totally soak my feet. They are good for dry days.

Similar Products Used:

None

Bought the older style, 2 years ago, and was intially happy with the shoe until I took a trip to Itlay. At that time, I was able to find out how they would really do. Support wise, they are great, but traction wise they are lacking. Going up hills, they are great, but going down hill, dry or wet surface, you start to slip due to no real heel block. Even the newest designed boot(1999), still does not have a clearly designed heel block. Also, even with a after market insole, my feet still shift/moved around in the high volume boot.

Similar Products Used:

Zamberlin Civetta Boot

Bought a pair of Clarion Impacts in '98 and they are still going strong after many miles of dayhikng and a couple week's worth of mountain/desert backpacks. Good fit and the leather has been durable in my experience. Vasque really should start using Vibrams or come up with a better outsole, since their sole does not have a lot of traction, especially downhill. This seems to be a common issue with Vasques since they don't put heel blocks on many of their soles for some reason. Also, one the of the rubber toe rands has start to come loose from the leather, which has happened on every boot I've ever owned that had toe rands. Support is good but this is not a boot for 60-pound loads--the sole is too thin and flexible. Overall, a decent boot for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Asolo 520, Timberland Fastpacker, Merrill Grand Traverse

This is a follow up to the review I posted her in 1999. At that time I had returned my pair of Clarion's back to the store where I bought them from and they subsequently returned them to the distributor in Canada.

Please note: my review was originally for the Vasque Clarion (that's all they were called with no subtitle) but this site now has my origianl review under the Clarion Impact category. The closest thing my boots are is to the Clarion All Leather as shown on the Vasque website.

Customer Service

Well almost 2 months later I got them back (thankfully it was winter and I wasn't using them). They were so beat that I assumed they would replace the whole boot due to the premature wear (see previous review). Boy was I wrong.

The boots came back with a cheesy little leather patch over the hole in the leather. While the patch is durable it looks terrible. To help with the extensive cracking on the toe they coated the boots with a of finish which lasted about a month before I had to apply more Snoseal. I sent a letter to Vasque (the distributors in Canada) politely telling them I was not happy with the warranty service and got no reply so I sent another letter and got no reply. Nice customer service, now I tell many of my friends and collegues who ask my opinions on boots to never ever buy a pair of Vasques as they are $%@&.

If anyone wants my advice, go to MEC and buy your boots there. My friend bought two pairs of Merrels and both fell apart within four months (sole came off one and the stitching fell apart on the other). He returned them and got store credit with no questions asked. Sorry for the rant but I'll say it one more time: I didn't think a pair of boots and the associated customer service could suck and blow at the same time.

Similar Products Used:

Just purchased a pair of Raichle Kootnay III's from MEC, will review them after I used them for awhile.

I was looking for a good lightweight boot, picked them up on sale, and have really liked them. Havn't had any problems with fit, though they do seem to wear a bit faster than others I've owned. For the price, a fabulous value.

Similar Products Used:

Asolo AFX 535