I had a very good experience. Crossed many streams to my ankles and waterproofing was great. I was fitted properly by the store where I purchased them and after my foot measurements, was advised that I was should use a size 1.5 bigger than my normal shoe size. I use either ligth hiker spocks with liners or thick hiker socks with no liners. My feet definitely swell after a couple of hours, and the boots fit great. Breakin took about 8-10 hours of hiking but after that were great and had no blisters. Leather was supple yet offered good ankle support even after brakein. These boots are very waterproof and definitely keep the water out. Unfortunately, if weather is warm or fair, my feet were warm and the moisture did not breathe out. My feet were dry from the actual stream but wet from my own perspiration in warm weather. All in all I really liked these boots and they served me well in 2003

Customer Service

No experience

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None

I thought they were ugly, but the sales person claimed they were the best boot for my needs. Tried to break them in gradually with easy to moderate day hikes. They were comfy at first, but I soon developed heel blisters. I tried different insoles, thick socks, thin socks, red socks, blue socks...Bandaids, moleskin, duct tape(!), all to no avail. Did an overnighter in Goat Rocks area (Washington). Oh the pain! Thought I'd need skin grafts on both heels! Luckily we had a bottle of Bourbon awaiting us in our car. My friend and I had to share it as she was wearing the same boots and also was experiencing incredible foot pain. Our heels were shredded and toes were aching. Did we buy them too small? We both have narrow feet. After 5 months of frustration and agony I had no qualms about returning them.

Customer Service

REI gave a courteous refund

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Vasque

I have the green/gray model. I bought them in the winter of 2000 for an upcoming hiking trip down the Hermit Trail at the Grand Canyon. Living in the midwest, I thought features of this shoe would be useful as snow boots (Gore-Tex) and various day hikes, which they have been. I initially chose the shoes because they looked good (not typical of hiking shoes) and seemed to fit well (which you can't really tell until you've broken them in and taken them out). There was very little break-in time required - I thought they felt good from day one. On the trip, they performed very well. Carrying 30lbs, we traveled 8 miles and 4800 feet to our campsite. Going downhill was the biggest test, the shoes were very supportive on the rocky surface. Upon getting to the bottom, my feet seemed bruised on the balls of my feet, and I had one blister on the bottom of my big toe, but I attribute it to the weight, as much as the shoe - I'd never hiked that far before carrying that much weight! I tested the waterproof properties in Hermit Creek, but it was for a short time and just for fun. My feet stayed dry, but I don't know have valid the test was! Another thing I'd like to mention is that I encourage new hikers to heed the advice and buy them a half-size or size bigger (even though being female, it's the last think you want to do!) In my experience, your feet DO swell and you WILL need the space if you have long descents! From my experience, I highly recommend these shoes! I look forward to many hikes ahead...

Customer Service

No experience with their customer service

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None, this was my first pair of hiking boots. I have since bought a pair of Asolo Nomads (on clearance) but haven't had a chance to test them out yet.