[at-l] Vasque Sundowners

[Mara Factor]

Hi Jeff,

A long time ago, I used to have a pair of Vasque Skywalk IIs.  They are the 
fabric and cloth version of the Sundowners.  I wasn't much of a hiker when I 
bought them but Vasque was one of the few manufacturers who made boots in 
widths.  As boots they were good, but with my hard-to-fit feet, they only 
worked OK for me - certainly better than the available options, though.

The general concensus from thruhikers was that it would take two pair of 
Sundowners to go the distance on the A.T.

Since my thruhike where I wore custom Limmers (heavy!) and midweight Asolos, 
I haven't worn boots for any of my three season hiking.  New Balance shoes 
are now my shoe of choice because they come in long sizes, many widths, and 
a variety of lasts.  They also have almost no break in time.

Have you considered using trail shoes or running shoes for hiking?  It 
doesn't take long to get used to shoes but once you do, you'll never want to 
go back to boots.

If you're interested in considering shoes instead of boots, I've got a whole 
writeup on boots versus shoes at:

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/footwear.html

Hope this helps,

Mara
Stitches, AT99

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit my Travels and Trails web site at:

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>From: "Jeff Drake" <slurpylizard at gmail.com>
>Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:00:37 -0400
>
>In the process of trying to decide on a new pair of hiking boots.  Mine 
>have
>had it and I've got to replace them.  The ones I have are not that great 
>but
>they are what I had so I've used them. Now, I must get rid of them because
>the support is shot.  Someone recommended Vasque Sundowners to me.  They 
>are
>certainly not the cheapest nor the lowest in weight.  I was wondering if
>anyone had any experience with them or would recommend any other options I
>might try on.  I have good pricing access to North Face, Vasque,
>Solamon(sp?) and Merrill so I'd like to choose an option from this list if
>possble.  I tried on the Sundowners and they felt pretty good for a new 
>boot
>but I'm assuming the leather construction is going to require much more of 
>a
>break-in than a more fabric type boot.  Wasn't sure if they would breath
>well either.
>
>Any feedback from those who are much more experienced would be appreciated.
>
>Jeff
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