Vasque boot sole repair?

[benchasephoto]

How funny, I have the exact pair of Vasques. Same issue, only both my soles are split.

I have a 20 year old pair of Vasques that are absolutely bombproof, really heavy duty. If they really moved to China then I guess I will look at another manufacturer versus getting them repaired.

 

[Ramjet]

How funny, I have the exact pair of Vasques. Same issue, only both my soles are split.

I have a 20 year old pair of Vasques that are absolutely bombproof, really heavy duty. If they really moved to China then I guess I will look at another manufacturer versus getting them repaired.

Most of your boots are manufactured in China now. There are a few USA made companies left though. I know it sucks, but China has superb manufacturing and the quality of the product is really good. I would be questioning the actual manufacturer for using inferior materials on their product. Look at La Sportiva, most, but not all, of their products are made in Italy. Good Luck.

 

[sixbennetts]

I always buy Norwegian welt boots because they're so easy to resole. I wear Alico Guides, which are heavy tanks but once broken in and you're used to the weight, you can go all day.

The beauty of the Norwegian welt is that it's so simple to glue a new Vibram Montangna sole onto it.

 

[Ramjet]

I always buy Norwegian welt boots because they're so easy to resole. I wear Alico Guides, which are heavy tanks but once broken in and you're used to the weight, you can go all day.

The beauty of the Norwegian welt is that it's so simple to glue a new Vibram Montangna sole onto it.

Those are a thing of beauty. Thank you. I'm ordering a pair now.

 

[huntsonora]

I had a pair of the Vasque Wasatch boots and they were very comfortable but the durability sucked. I had them for 3 months and both soles split at the ball of my feet. I sent them back to Vasque and they sent me a new pair. I then took the new pair back to the store where I bought them and explained that their saleswoman sold them to me and how they failed catastrophically and they took the pair that I got from Vasque and gave me store credit.

The boots sucked but the customer service was fantastic

 

[Jr_Explorer]

I love the comfort of the Vasque boots. I wear them daily as work boots. Unfortunately the shoe lace "hooks" cut through the shoelaces in 6 months and the soles ALWAYS crack right across the balls of the foot at about a year. had a pair resoled at REI and through them in the trash ofter one try to wear them. The resizing went poorly and the boots where too tight across the foot. That may have been just one bad resole but at $50 (I think) that was an expensive test.

 

[breitung1]

I was in the same boatith the boots. I cleaned the area real good and used 3M 5200 Marine grade caulk. So far after many miles, the soles are still on and going strong. I did buy a pair of Bitterroots as a replacement. I wanted the cloth style but read nothing but bad reports on the soles. I just hope the Bitterroots last as long as my first pair Vasque, 15 years. It took 5 years just to break them in. They were the best boot I have ever wore. 15 years ago they were $185, The new ones I just bought were $219. I hope they are a good investment. Try the caulk!!

Capt Eddie - - (or anyone else that's tried the 3M 5200 marine caulk:
I spoke with the folks at 3M, who indicated that the 3M 5200 attacks rubber and shouldn't be used on it. I'm curious to know if after a year or so of use, whether the marine caulk repair is holding strong. 3M recommended a different product (2-part epoxy DP 100+ or the thicker and longer wet working life DP 110). They claimed these are still flexible after curing, but i attempted to replace the rotted polyurethane foam from the heal with the 110, which was about 10mm thick, and while it cured nicely without access to moisture, it wasn't very flexible. In the heel, it might be fine, as the heel doesn't need to flex that much. For anyone considering using either glue, I highly recommend using a wire brush or some other method to remove ALL of the PU foam so that the glue is attempting to adhere to rubber rather than a failing foam on both sides.
Anyway, I'm curious to know what your experience has been.