Vasque Shoes - Outdoor Thoroughbred!Vasque Shoes? Ever heard of them before? Don't feel bad if you haven't. Not a whole lot of people have. Funny thing is - Vasque has actually been around for over 45 years! It's a brand we love a lot for some pretty simple and very practical reasons. Vasque Shoes are what we call 'serious' shoes for outdoor recreation and mountaineering. OK. OK. We're not trying to get you into mountaineering (unless of course you really want to) but that just shows you these shoes are tough, durable and mean business. They last a long time! Yoko's worn her Vasque Sundowner Hiking Boots around the world for the last 25 years! Both she and her boots are still going strong! And for something really rare - this model is still sold and supported by Vasque! That sorta tells you why we love Vasque. A Wee Bit Of History Part of the Red Wing Shoe Company of Minnesota (itself founded in 1905), Vasque Shoes was founded by William D. Sweasy in 1965 when he saw the outdoor recreation and mountaineering craze sweeping Europe. He started designing outdoor shoes to get ready for when this craze hit North America. They have continually developed new shoes over the years and as they say in their company blurb, 'keep their eyes firmly focused on the trail ahead'. More Of Our Fave Bits About Vasque Shoes Our Vasque shoes get used for daily walking, trail walking and for the tougher trail when we 'head into the bushes'. These shoes aren't for everyone though. Most of the models we wouldn't suggest for just urban walking. You of course can use them for that though if you wish (and we have!), especially if you walk in a lot of 'interesting' weather. I love how mine handle in slush, snow, mud, loose gravel - that sort of thing. These shoes are designed to be worked! You'll get the most satisfaction from Vasque shoes when you do work them, otherwise it's sorta like using a Formula 1 racer to go to the corner store. Feels great but you know there's a whole lot more 'under the hood'! One neat thing we find pretty cool is that they are one of the few shoe guys that have extended widths and sizes (to Size 15) in some models. If you're one of those folks with hard to fit feet Vasque may have a shoe that fits you. This feature really helped us help our customers when we had our online shoe store. Check out their website for great info on their incredible shoe technology. Make sure to check out the 'Ultimate Fit' stuff there too for some really fun videos. Along with the fun, you get to learn a lot about what goes into making a good shoe these days. Their 'Fit Ninja' star is a tough task master but he really knows his stuff! Our Recommendation Vasque shoes are great for a lot of the outdoor recreation type of activities. Not so great for just urban casual walking. Great for the tougher going where you want a true champion. We do highly recommend them though for the more interesting trails and terrain. And of course if you think you might like to try that hiking stuff, you will love them. You may even end up having to include them in your will, they last so long! Finding Vasque Shoes You might have to look a little bit harder for the Vasque brand. Usually in the outdoors shops catering to the active person, the mountaineers, campers and hikers. You likely will not find them in the big box stores and be aware that in the specialty sports shops they may only carry a few models specific to their specialized focus. In that case you can just visit the Vasque website for more choice. Then take that choice back to your fave merchant and ask if they can bring them in for you. Better still, if you're comfortable shopping online, you're welcome to visit our favourite online shoe store here. Share Your Experiences Why not share your Vasque Shoe experience with us? We'd love to hear from you and share your story with all our visitors. Happy Walking & Beyond!
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