travelnbhappy21 wrote:


Got them in November - will write a review in a few months.

Paid $300.00 for a pair of Vasque in December 2010 - they were so stiff that not only did I get major blisters - I fracured a toe that the Dr's in our area wanted to amputate it - A vascular surgeon in Philadelphia saved my toe - in our stats you will see a dry spell of 69 days last January - March during my recovery Now the $300 boots just sit here

Three hundred is a lotta bucks, even for Vasque.
Were these mountaineering or heavy weight hiking boots.
I don't know your style of hiking, but the heavier, stiff boots are usually for carrying more weight on longer trips, not normal, light hiking.
- They need a long time to break in, meaning they don't go on your feet and hit a five-miler + outta the box.
In fact, many manufacturers are making hikers too flexible for that very reason. Folks want to put 'em on an' go.
Living in Rocksylvania, I want a stiffer boot for ankle protection.
Did they feel stiff when you tried them on, walking around a bit at the store? Should have been an indicator that they'd need maybe a longer breaking in period. Didn't the sales staff say anything about care and wear?

Sno Seal...is that the stuff that smells so icky? I think we had that a couple of years ago.

Wow! $300 for a hiker sounds like it wasn't a hiker, but rather a mountaineering boot and probably a full shank at that. I have a similar pair and it took a dozen half to one mile sessions just to warm them up for an actual hike. I must have put 40 miles on them before I went more than 4 miles at shot.

I won't pretend I knew that starting out though, Fox warned me when I first considered purchasing them. There was a great thread in here a while back about boots and socks. Good socks are every bit as important as the boots you put over them!

I wish the sales people had at least some promotional information that show the difference between half (light hiker biggest current seller - usually trail shoe) shank, 3/4 shank (mid hiker - usually 4-6" upper looking like a work boot usually) and Full shank - mountaineering boots (look and feel like a ski boot half the time or made of leather almost totally inflexible and 2.5-3.5mm thick).

It took me weeks just to learn how to walk in a full shank boot because you use a different set of muscles, carry your weight differently and seldom flex your ankle even. The stiffness of the boot (particularly in the ankle and toes) allows you to put the total sum of your own weight and your carried gear weight into a tiny contact point giving you the highest friction point possible for better traction on unforgiving terrain.

Here's a good article for learning more...www.backpacker.com/backpacking_101_gear_boots/gear/12148

Whistlers wrote:
Sno Seal...is that the stuff that smells so icky? I think we had that a couple of years ago.

Original SnoSeal is pretty-much pure beeswax.
I've never tried an Atsko brand silicone based application, other than seam seal for the GoLite tent.

Sure you're not thinking of mink oil?
That stuff is pretty rank and probably the worst thing to put on todays footwear.
Having nothing to do at all with minks, it's made of cow fat. Think thickened lard.
Many years ago, mountain guys would smear bear fat or whatever they could find to keep water from seepin' in, but todays breatheable materials forbid it.
When Gore-Tex is in the boot, a light spray of silicone on the leather and Armor All on rubber parts is all that's needed.
Cleaning the boot after each outing is more important than any afterthought care put into it a week later.

I probably am thinking of mink oil. It was a vile, smelly thing in a black tin.

Black tin, it may have been Neatsfoot oil.
Kinda the same as "mink" oil, but it's from the legs of cattle ( we'll call it cow fat lite ) , making it stay pliable ( or more liquid) in colder temps and sometimes used as a leather softener.
As a kid (when God made dirt), we used to rub it into our baseball mitts to soften 'em up.

cerberus1 wrote:

As a kid (when God made dirt), we used to rub it into our baseball mitts to soften 'em up.

And probably to repel ticks, chiggers, and mosquitos from the smell of it!

cerberus1 wrote:
Whistlers wrote:
Sno Seal...is that the stuff that smells so icky? I think we had that a couple of years ago.

Original SnoSeal is pretty-much pure beeswax.
I've never tried an Atsko brand silicone based application, other than seam seal for the GoLite tent.

Sure you're not thinking of mink oil?
That stuff is pretty rank and probably the worst thing to put on todays footwear.
Having nothing to do at all with minks, it's made of cow fat. Think thickened lard.
Many years ago, mountain guys would smear bear fat or whatever they could find to keep water from seepin' in, but todays breatheable materials forbid it.
When Gore-Tex is in the boot, a light spray of silicone on the leather and Armor All on rubber parts is all that's needed.
Cleaning the boot after each outing is more important than any afterthought care put into it a week later.

I can never find the old SnoSeal, but I have tried that new silicon liquid from them on my mountaineering boots and it worked very well.

I use the "mink" oil on my workboots 2 or 3 times a year and it works well, but doesn't seem to old up in heat for a terribly long time.

I'll have to check again on the snoseal silicone liquid, but I thought I remembered them saying not to use it on real leather (or maybe suede?), but don't quote me till I find my package.

Any suggestions for a good brand of "wash in waterproof" detergent style additives for clothing? I have a nice woolworth shell that's really losing its repelling power in water weather. to be fair it's about 3 years old and seen some heavy use.

Woolworth?
I still remember having a sandwich and a coke at the luncheonette in the back. The regular hang out for kids after school. Lady in white uniform dress was always patient with us. We always left a dime tip.

Nikwax used to have a wash in called Polar wash. Never tried it. It was supposed to kinda enlarge the weaving, giving wool its natural tendency to shed water back.
I've worn my old man's Woolrich hunting coat (and it was his fathers) as is and though it gets wet, it still hasn't left me cold. Takes a heavy sleet/rain storm to really soak through though. It just gets dry cleaned.
Their newer version has "washable wool" and just needs to wash in delicate and hang dry - forever.
- It'll still shrink if you dry too fast by heating it. Sometimes a good thing if you're between sizes, since they use buttons and not zippers (often won't match up with zippers.)