Like everyone has said, These boots are bombproof! They are very comfortable and extremely durable. I would recommend these boots to anyone without hesitation.

I purchased my first pair of Sundowners to fit my feet. My first couple of hikes with them were not great. I had foot surgury and had to purchase a new (larger size recommended by my doctor) pair of boots. I went up from a 10 1/2 to 12. I've been on three 30mile desert hikes with them and they've done me very well. The extra length from the larger size keeps my toe's from hiting the front on down hills. The leather has kept its rigidness, yet has broken in to be comfortable. I treat my boots before each hike and that keeps them water proof and flexable. I've always considered trying anyother style or brand, but I'm not going to fix something that isn't broken.

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If you get it to fit your feet, than this is the best back packing boot you can buy in my opinion. I have had no leaks in the Gore Tex and no other problems in this full leather boot. Every backpacker should consider this great boot. The only thing I didnt like was how long it took to get to the store where I bought it.

Customer Service

Takes a long time to get here. Plus they sent the wrong size the first time.

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These boots have been with me for 4 years (my entire college career).

They have been:
- to jail
- to the boundary waters
- 1/4 of the way across Wyoming
- to Germany, twice
- hiking in Britain and Wales

They are amazing. Nuff Said.

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These are simply an amazing boot. I work in the footwear dept. of a camping/outdoors store, and after seeing how many people came for Sundowners, refusing to buy any other boot, even selling other customers on them, I decided to get a pair. As is true with all one-piece leather boots, they do need a good 30 days to break in, but after that, they feel like they were custom made for your feet. Vasque's Skywalker sole seems to work well for me so far, much better than Salomon's Contagrip on wet surfaces. And the boot can definetly hold up to more than the 1-week backpacking trips it's recommended for. I'll be placing another review after I give 'em a good thrashing this summer, but as i far as i can tell, in a few years, I'll probably be one of the guys coming in for another pair.

Customer Service

Vasque has been great with our customers regarding boots that fell apart. If you do have any problems with the boots, Vasque backs their merchandise.

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These are durable boots that are great in the Fall and early Spring. Caveat...they are warm and they have a large volume, which requires heavy socks that can pull the sweat up to your calf to let it evaporate. They do not breath well in the summer, which is attributed to their full leather construction. This can lead to blisters if there is even the slightest bit of play in the boot. The Campbrelle lining helps, but is not good enough. In defense of the leather, it is strong on abrasion resistence and bruising is minimal when working on talus fields. I have had my pair for four years and they are proven durable and continue to be waterproof.
If you want an all weather boot...this one is not it.

Another problem with leather is its propensity to stretch. The leather stretched on my pair and just about everyone that I have seen wearing Sundowners has their laces tied very tight to overcome the stretch and volume. Mine have stretched so much that they start to become uncomfortable in the tongue area due to increased material bunching up in the gusset area. I would recommend these boots for most hikers. They will open up...and they may open up too much. These boots are ideal for someone who walks on level ground and does most of their hiking in cooler temperatures. They are great looking and require minimal maintenance and will provide years of duty for the normal hiker, even under modest loads of 30-50 pounds of gear. However, once they strecth...the comfort is ruined.

Customer Service

N/A.

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Other Vasque Approach/Light Hikers.

Back in June 2000 I reviewed the venerable Sundowner, after happily owning a few pairs. When I was about to replace them, all that was available was the really substandard import model. Shame on Vasque. I have really wide feet, and I almost made the plunge as the 13w is the only boot that actually fits me (or sort of, regarding the Chinadowner). Enter the Sundowner MX. Just as good as the Sundowners of days gone by...though I miss the old tongue and sole design. Kudos to Vasque for coming to their senses, shame on them for hocking a crapola import boot (that only resembles the classic in name) to unsuspecting buyers.

Customer Service

Vasque lied to me both via online customer service and on the phone regarding the "new" Sundowner...aka Chinadowner. As good, if not better than the old they said...they were also horrible about the warranty coverage on the pair I was about to replace. I honestly didn't want to do business with them, but with my wide feet (sadly Danner's wide isn't wide enough) I'm kind of a captive audience. Any kind recommendations from anyone would be great. Until then, I happily trod about in my new boots, and will laud them with a clear caveat regarding the dubious direction that the company has taken.

Similar Products Used:

Asolo, Raichle, Salomon, "old" Coke, "new" Coke, "old" Vasque Sundowners, "new" Vasque Chinadowners, and the new Vasque Sundowner MX.

I gave a 4 star rating to these boots previously. Last year I wore them on a trek in Nepal and the inner toe box seemed to seperate from leather and dug into the top of my foot causing exteme pain. Thankfully I had a pair of trail runners as I was 50 miles from the road. I contacted Vasque via email and they told me I might get a prorated credit if I took them back to the place of purchase. I no longer have the receipt and the EMS I bought the boots at has shut dorwn so it appears these boots may have been an expensive lesson. Too bad, cause they worked well for a while.

Customer Service

I contacted Vasque via email and they told me I might get a prorated credit if I took them back to the place of purchase. I no longer have the receipt and the EMS I bought the boots at has shut dorwn so it appears these boots may have been an expensive lesson.

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These boots were an expensive mistake. I bought the made in China boot in a narrow width. It is not narrow at all compared to the older style (about pre 1995). The heel is like a big stovepipe so does not work for narrow feet. They seem to be durable, but the design is antiquated, with only two eyelets placed badly so that you can't get them tight enough at the heel. They are way overpriced compared to other better boots on the market. I find the goretex makes the boot too hot in the summer and clammy and cold in the winter. Save the cost of the goretex insert and buy quality leather boots.

Customer Service

I asked Vasque to take these boots back with no wear at all on them and they refused.

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I have had all styles of boots. These have by far been the toughest and most comfortable (although my first pair gave me blisters when I worked them in).
I only had to buy a second pair because I'm a contractor, and I got sick of my stupid work boots that kept me wet, cold and sore. Yep, I wore my Vasques and they took me through a whole fall, winter and into spring until I finaly cut a couple holes clean through the leather and gortex when my beam saw kicked back (only a miracle my foot didn't have a scratch). I like these boots so much I felt like a member of my family was gone when I saw the tortured twisted mess I made of them... If you can find a pair your size that someone else has worked in, then returned, you got the best of both worlds!!!

Customer Service

REI has always been great.

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Nike hikers, Kmart specials etc.