Vasque Summit GTX

These have been my go-to field work, hiking, adventuring and backpacking boots for two years. I have the 08 version, which features a rubber toe guard (more on this). They must have seen over 300 miles of bushwacking and technical trails with pack weights of up to 50 pounds (yeah, part of what I'm paid to do). They are, simply, the best footwear I could have for their role.
The leather is durable, but not overly heavy. They required the expected amount of break-in. I regularly treat them with Nikwax. As expected, they are 100% waterproof - even after long days. They have simple, but high quality support padding that dries quickly. The sole is a good, well-rounded hardness. It is slightly too firm to be perfectly confident while scrambling. I am just now thinking of resoling after 300+ hard miles.
In my travels I've found the rubber toe rand to add HUGELY to the durability of the boots. The durability of this boot with the toe-rand, compared with other all-leather hikers I've used in the past, is above and beyond expectations. I am truly sorry to say that I would NOT purchase a new pair at full price until they reintroduce the rubber toe rand.
I wear size 11 street shoes and size 11 boots. I have a mid volume foot, average arch and a medium width. No complaints with the fit of the boot, whatsoever.

I purchased a pair of these boots in desperation while waiting for a replacement pair of Raichles I destroyed while hiking the Adirondack 46's. I needed a good pair of boots to finish my last two peaks. I put these on and hiked Esther and Whiteface without a break-in and had no problems whatsoever. I was very impressed with the traction, comfort, support around the ankles and sturdiness of the shank. To be fair though, I have to add that the ones I purchased appear to be the previous version, as I see the pictured boot lacks a toe cap. The ones I purchased had a toe cap. I got them in 2007. I still use them today and love them even more than when I first slipped them on. They are severely worn but perform like new! I will most likely give this new version a try.

Incredible fit, right out of the box. Plenty of toe room, snug fit from the ball of my foot back, with a perfect heel fit. Ankle was properly supported without binding. Laces were exactly the correct length. My foot felt as if it was inserted into a form fitting cast. Toes wiggled and the rest of my foot was held in place without binding. Shifting weight from foot to foot you can feel the insole adsorb the pressure, perfect shape and support. Color was Coffee Bean, not the lighter shade shown in the picture. Somewhat concerned about the absence of a toe protection cap, but we will see how that works over time. Meanwhile, the lack of toe cap makes the boots useable in many more casual settings.

From Northwest Alaska where my boots get used. An overall good boot with good product reputation. Over the years I have owned (5) Vasque hiking boots dating back to my first pair of Vasque Monantas (which I still have). This pair seems to fit a little big (and wider than normal). The tongue is the weak link on this boot and needs to be just a little longer with just a little more padding. A working solution is to lace at the ankle then skip to the top, and then lace back to the second from the top to tie off. Still, Vasque...use them with your RD a bit before making such easy to fix problems.