Owner Review of Vasque Nimbus Trail Shoes (for Women)
 
Name: Maria Jackson
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Height: 5'0" (1.52 m)
Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)

Shoe Size 7 1/2 - 8 US
Email: nitaiyi 'at' hotmail 'dot' com
Location: Shade, OH -southeastern Ohio
Date: 7 FEB 2005
 
Background:

    Although new to backpacking, I'm certainly no stranger to the outdoors and have enjoyed hiking, lots of 3 season car/tent camping since a child, and more recently, 4 season historical primitive camping and trekking.  We dayhike locally and plan some overnighters this spring - including a week-long section of the Appalachian Trail.
 
Product Information:

Manufacturer: Vasque
Year of Manufacture: 2004
Website: www.Vasque.com
Listed Weight: 24 oz in size 7 (.68 kg) [second retailer lists 32 oz per pair]
Weight per pair minus original insoles:  31.9oz  (.90kg) Size 8 ½
Description:  From retailer website -

"An inventive new Vasque category called Cross Trail blends the finest features of a light hiking shoe and a trail running shoe, resulting in the Nimbus. Whether you prefer to run or you'd rather hike, or you love both and can't decide which is your favorite activity, Nimbus was made for you. It's a light trail shoe, a light hiking shoe in water-resistant nubuck leather, with the comfort of a contoured EVA footbed, and the V-lug, sure-footed
traction of a Skywalk Trail Tred outsole."
Contoured EVA footbed cradles the heel and absorbs shock
Phylon midsole provide stability and rubber landing pad to soften heel strike
Skywalk® Trail Tred outsole with V-lug traction
Moisture wicking Nylon lining
Texturized rubber rand
Molded nylon V-shank,
Height 3"

Test Conditions:

    They have been used mainly in 60-95 degree F (15-32 C) temperatures day hiking on hiking trails and woods in the SE Ohio hills, ranging from very steep to very flat; in both dry and muddy conditions. Rocky and overgrown areas of trail were also encountered.  To break them in and get some cardio training for their first 10 mile (16 km) day hike adventure, I ran several times, from 2-3 miles (3.2-4.8 km) each on asphalt/grass and treadmill with variable incline. They did not even think about giving me a blister or even a single hot spot during training or hiking!
    They've also been privileged with navigating the maiden voyage of my new snowshoes in 19" (48.26 cm) of snow. I've worn them frequently in rain, wet and dry snow in 10-60 degree F (-12 to 16 C) temperatures in various areas including pavement, woods, grass, mud, water. You name it. They do dry quicker than a heavier leather boot would. Mud seems to clean off easily once dried. 

Considerations:

    I have never owned any trail runners or bona fide hiking boots before these shoes. The last 10 years have seen me in Frye engineer boots with Vibram lugged soles as my main foul weather and hunting boot or a cross trainer athletic shoe for general purpose outdoor activity and hiking. For historical trekking and hunting, I wore self made leather moccasins with 1-2 layers of blanket-weight wool liners.
    I like to hike fast and hard and have a tendency to run on declines instead of fighting gravity. I am generally sure footed and have good overall balance being that my center of gravity is only 31" (79 cm) from the ground. My gait is pretty even - no noticeable overpronation but tend to turn my ankles easily resulting in sprains. Since I am a bit heavy for my height, a well cushioned shoe is a priority to lessen ankle and knee impact.

Performance:

    In the dirt and mud and snow, the Skywalk® Trail Tred outsole with V-lug traction provided plenty of gripping power - as much as my Vibram soled boots had.

When running on trails, treadmill and asphalt, I will have to say they performed better than expected. I thought they would be really heavy, clunky, hot and stiff – like running in boots, but they were responsive enough that the extra weight didn't bother me. I've had running shoes that didn't perform as well. They stayed reasonably cool as can be expected in 70-95+ F (21-35 C) temperatures. I would say about like an athletic shoe sans mesh but the padded uppers that are so cushy in the Nimbus are also warm. At least the low tops which fall below my ankles allow for air circulation and heat control which is why I’m not yet a big fan of gaiters. Yes, my socks get filthy.

    Manufacturer claims of moisture wicking nylon and mesh seem to be right on. I’ve not had trouble with excessive sweat, heat, or funk since the materials allow for moisture evaporation.

    After about 10 miles (16 km), I noticed the surface of the lugs had begun to smooth out and the tread began to show more wear than I expected. I couldn’t help wonder if the outsoles weren’t too soft of rubber. After approximately 50 miles (81 km), with a just a little more noticeable wear on the lugs, they seemed to be holding steady.

    I really dig the slick metal eyelets that allow the laces to cinch the shoe in effortlessly.

Water Resistance:

    Even though advertised as water resistant nubuck, there is a certain amount of exposed water loving mesh. My feet got wet very easily in the rain. One splash in a puddle and they were soaked; and after about 15 minutes of snow, here comes damp socks! As long as water or snow was not allowed to fall on top of the shoe like in splashing, precipitation, or rolling down off of pants onto the mesh, my feet stayed dry. 

    Waterproofing is always an intelligent decision for longevity of leather footwear and I would recommend it for on the nubuck even though these shoes should not be considered waterproof. For the most part, they do dry quicker than all-leather boots. Leaving them indoors overnight or outdoors on warm nights will usually render them mostly dry by the next day unless completely soaked. After becoming wet, wearing them for several hours without rewetting will allow enough evaporation through the mesh for them to feel dry again, and by the end of the day, should feel completely dry minus normal sweat. 

Cleaning:

    Spraying wet mud out of the lugs with a water hose works quite well. Whatever amount of dried mud that won't be knocked off by banging them together a few times, seems to loosen and fall off by the act of wearing and I have had them completely covered in mud more than just a couple times. Even the mesh loses the dirt while wearing them. Usually a walk through damp grass is sufficient to make them look spiffy again, but really, how clean are hiking shoes supposed to be? Only once I’ve had to use a water hose on the insides to clean out red clay soil (and this could have been prevented if I would have worn gaiters). I’m happy to report that the lugs do shed regular mud better than my Vibram soled boots with the exception of clay-rich soils which will cake and gum up anything (especially combined with pine needles).

Fit:

    The first thing I did was to inspect the manufacturer's insoles which looked pretty beefy and seemed decently comfortable -- but not as beefy and comfortable as the green Spenco Hiker insoles I have been accustomed to. The heel portion looked and felt fine but the forefoot portion of the insole seemed a little lacking per my higher-than-usual standards. For extra cushioning, I promptly replaced them with Spenco insoles and with that I'm well satisfied.  

    I got them about a half to one size larger than usual on advice from seasoned hikers so have to wear heavy socks or two pairs of regular socks. The extra large fit, I believe, has been the key to comfort here. But, I've got a few problems. I have to lace it so tight that it
crinkles the material up at the laces at the toe of the shoe. I guess that might just be a cosmetic consideration but I noticed it collects debris after a time, mostly dirt and pebbles. No problems experienced with briars or sticks. Maybe I’ve been lucky but from the look of the mesh, it seems as if a loose briar could work its way in through the fabric. That being said, my problems with debris inside my shoes comes from the Nimbus having low tops and me not wearing gaiters for which I take full responsibility.

    Also, from the first time I put them on, the tongues wanted to slip to the outside of the shoe. If that wasn't annoying enough, the tongues wanted to slip downward toward the toe as well. To top it off, the material of the bellows bunch up and feels as if someone stuck a couple of pencils down on each side of the tongue. That was a difficult adjustment but after a few hours, I forgot all about the 'pencils'.

Summary:

    I found the Vasque Nimbus to be pretty much what I had been intuitively looking for in a light hiking shoe. It is soft and flexible enough that they didn't really need to be broken in but stiff enough in the sole to provide stability. They have some weird quirks in the issues with the tongue, but I think I'll probably wear these out before I look for a replacement.

Very Cool:
Cushy enough with added insoles to run several miles without knee/ankle pain
Lightweight, breathable, but gobbles up broken terrain like it wasn't even there
Didn't need breaking in

 

Things That Make Me Go "Hmmm":
Bunching of the tongue bellows
Tongue slips down and to the side too easily
Are the soles wearing down too quickly?