Vasque
Blur GTX XCR Women's Trail Running Shoes
Owner Review by Jennifer Estrella
December 9, 2008 |
Personal Information
Name: Jennifer Estrella
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight: 140 lb (64 kg)
Email address: jennksnowy at yahoo dot com
City, State, and Country: Orange County, California, United
States
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Backpacking
Background
After getting
into the outdoors scene camping while 4-wheeling and day-hiking,
I switched to backpacking in the early 2000's. I have backpacked
extensively in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho along with California,
Pennsylvania and Nevada. I have slowly been cutting my base
weight to be able to go longer in duration and distance. I
have done so mainly by using better gear and dumping heavy
luxuries. (I also married a Sherpa to help.) I backpack year
round in all weather, and usually take a free standing tent
and a gas stove on all my trips. I love trying out new gear. |
Product
Information
Manufacturer: Vasque
Web Site: www.vasque.com
Product: Women's Blur GTX XCR (7671)
Year Manufactured: 2007
MSRP: $110.00 USD
Color Reviewed: Ash/Lichen
Available Colors: Ash/Lichen (only one color
available in this model)
Size: 8.5 Medium (Women's)
Sizes Available: Women's Medium 5-11 (also
available in a men's model and half sizes)
Weight Listed:
None listed on website for the GTX model
Actual Weight : 14.55 oz (412 g) each shoe
Warranty:
Limited 1-year warranty against defects in materials
and workmanship
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Product Description
The Vasque Blur GTX XCR are waterproof
GORE-TEX trail running shoes. They have microfiber, airmesh nylon,
and synthetic leather materials for the upper portion of the shoe.
The nylon mesh material has tiny holes in it and is designed to
be breathable. This material is light green in color and is found
on the tongue of the shoes and intermixed with the synthetic leather
on the upper portion of the shoes. I would say that a majority of
the upper shoe construction is the synthetic leather. This is single-stitched
to the shoes. There is also a reflective piece of silver material
on the lateral aspect of the shoes that is a single piece that wraps
around the back of the shoe to the medial area. It wraps around
the back and both sides of the shoe. On the reflective material
the "VASQUE" name is printed in green letters on the outside
of the shoe.
The shoes are lined with a nylon material.
The waterproofness of the shoes is due to the GORE-TEX bootie that
is located between the nylon liner and the outside shoe material.
This lining of the shoes is indented to keep out water and keep
my feet dry.
The shoes have a protective rubber-like
material to protect the toes and to prevent wear in this area of
the shoes. This same rubber-like material is found on the heel of
the shoes as well. The rubber-like material is double-stitched and
is a dark gray color.
The tongues of the shoes are almost
completely attached to the shoe body. This is to help prevent water
from entering in the shoes on the sides of the tongue. The upper
2 in (5 cm) of the tongue is not attached to the shoes. The tongues
are lined with nylon and have some padding in the upper 2 in (5
cm). The padded area is black in color. This padding is also found
on the collar of the shoes.
The shoe laces pass through 14 holes
in the synthetic leather. There is a reinforcement strip of the
synthetic leather where the laces pass towards the insides of the
shoe. Near the top of the lacing system there are two nylon webbing
loops (one on each side of the shoe) that the laces pass through.
These loops I believe are to harness the feet to the midsole of
the shoes. At the base of the lacing system there is a synthetic
leather anchor that supports and holds the laces in place. On the
tongue of the shoes there is some nylon webbing to pass the laces
through to prevent the tongue from sliding.
The shoes have removable dual-density
EVA footbeds. These footbeds have a black fabric overlay and are
5 mm (0.20 in) thick at the thickest point. They are constructed
of two different foam types. The black foam has more rigidity than
the orange foam. This black foam makes up about 3/4 of the length
of the footbed and supports the heel, portions of the medial arch
and the lateral arch of the foot. The orange foam provides cushioning
to the forefoot (metatarsal arch, metatarsals, and phalanges).
The Blur GTX XCR shoes have TPU shanks
(thermoplastic polyurethane) and nylon plates to provide support
and stability on rough terrain and protection from sharp objects
underfoot. The midsole is a molded dual-density type that has a
softer foam located at the heel to assist with cushioning during
heel strike. This softer foam is called the "Crash Pad".
The outsoles have aggressive traction with multi-directional lugs.
The lugs of the forefoot are angled to the rear of the shoes. The
lugs of the hind foot are angled towards the forefoot of the shoes.
Hiking on lava rock in Hawaii
Product
Use
Let me just say that
I wear these shoes almost every day. Since April of 2008
I have worn them for hiking, backpacking, around town, traveling,
and on my daily walks. I have recorded over 205 mi (330 km) of use
during fitness walking, hiking, and backpacking. These miles do
not include daily wear such as to run errands or traveling. I have
worn thin wool and synthetic socks with these shoes. I have also
worn mid-weight wool socks. The mid-weight wool socks do make the
shoes slightly snug, but it is tolerable.
For day hikes and backpacking I have
worn the shoes in the states of Utah, California, Wisconsin, and
Minnesota. In Utah I wore them in the Wasatch Mountain Range and
Maple Canyon. In California they were worn in San Jacinto State
Park, Newport Foothills hiking trails, Whiting Ranch, Cleveland
National Forest, and Joshua Tree National Park. In Minnesota I wore
them on a muddy, rainy day hike in a wooded area with a large lake.
In Wisconsin I wore them on day hikes in Nine Mile County Forest
Recreation Area. I also wore them in Hawaii on the "Big Island"
on day hikes to remote beach locations (scrambling lava) and walking
into town.
For daily walks while in my hometown
in Southern California I wore them on the Huntington Beach/Newport
Beach path and at Mile Square Park.
I also wore these while traveling,
on work assignments, and walks at local parks and around town in
Tennessee, Minnesota, Utah, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Taking it easy in Hawaii with
the coffee beans
Impressions
and Performance
I noticed that these shoes run small
in size. I have had to size up a half size with all the Vasque shoes
I own. I generally wear a women's size 8, and with the Vasque Blur
GTX XCR shoes I purchased a women's 8.5. This size fits me perfectly.
Initially I found the shoes to be slightly tight and stiff. They
easily broke in after about 10 mi (16 km) of use. After the shoes
were broken in I found them to be extremely comfortable and very
waterproof. I removed the insoles that were provided with the shoes,
replacing them with a more rigid aftermarket footbed. I found that
I needed more medial arch support due to the lack of arch support
I have anatomically.
They seem lightweight on my feet and
I like the mesh material on the upper portion of the shoes to assist
with breathability. The soles of the shoes are thick, especially
in the heel area. The outsoles on the heels of the shoes have a
slight flare out on the base.
These shoes have been worn in mud,
dry land, concrete, lava rock, and downpours of rain. In Hawaii
while hiking and scrambling over sharp lava rock I had no feeling
of the lava rocks poking the bottom of the shoes. While wearing
the shoes in Minnesota in extremely heavy rain and cold temperatures
my feet remained dry. I wore rain pants that covered the area of
the tongue that is not attached to the shoes. I was very impressed
(and still am) with the waterproofness of these shoes. I have found
that the traction is limited on wet concrete and cement. I tend
to slip and slide easily on this type of wet surface. The shoes
worked well in wet dirt and thick mud. However, I lost traction
in very thick mud as the shoes had nothing to grip. The mud was
so thick I could feel the shoes being pulled away from my feet.
I also had a loss of traction on wet grass that was on a down slope.
With the loss of traction I experienced it is minimal and I really
only need to be more observant on wet concrete and cement.
The synthetic leather and nylon mesh
have held up well. There is no cracking of the leather and the stitching
has not frayed or come undone. The only cracking on the shoe materials
is on the reflective strip in high flex point areas. The nylon mesh
has held up to abrasion and there are no protrusions in the material
from the bony areas of my little toes. The laces have not frayed
and are completely intact. The lacing holes are still reinforced
by the synthetic leather. The lining still fully covers the inside
of the shoes. The upper portions of the shoes are in great condition
while the outsoles have shown wear on the lugs and the rubber, especially
on the hind foot section. The lugs on the bottom of the shoes are
green in color and some of them have worn down to expose some black
rubber.
While wearing the shoes with the aftermarket
footbeds I have not experienced any foot pain or discomfort during
short and long distance hiking and walking. Long distance hiking
is about 10 mi (16 km) a day for me. My feet do eventually get tired
while hiking and walking, but that is typical for me.
To clean the shoes I used a damp cloth
on the upper materials of the shoes. To remove the thick mud I encountered
while in Minnesota and Texas, I had to use a wet toothbrush to clean
it out from the lugs and the crevices in the rubber soles.
Things
That Rock
- Comfortable
- Actually waterproof
- Synthetic leather and nylon mesh holds up well to abrasion and
stress points
- Stitching and materials are durable
- Nice wide heel base
Things
That Are So-So
- Need break-in time
- I found the footbeds did not give me enough
support
- Traction not good on wet concrete or cement
- They run small so I had to go up a half size
Summary
I am very happy with the performance of the Vasque
Blur GTX XCR shoes. However, now that the outsoles are wearing
out I am going to use these shoes for work purposes. I most likely
will purchase another pair of these shoes in the future. They
are extremely durable, waterproof, and fit me well.
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