It’s a two-hour slog up to the base of the day’s climb, so you need a shoe that can handle the approach hike, some loose talus walking, and maybe even a few easy pitches. Enter the Vasque Men’s Equalizer Shoe. The zonal closure system quickly adjusts the fit, and uber-sticky Vibram GM100 rubber sticks to everything from a root-infested trail to a smeary slab climb. The EVA footbed and midsole cushion your foot on brutal approaches, and the tough leather and SuperFabric upper bears a season’s worth of abuse with ease.
Bottom Line: Hike in, climb, and hike out in the Vaque Equalizer.
I bought these shoes thinking I would try something new after having a bad experience with some other approach shoes. Upon inspection, they look very durable and well constructed, but the "zonal closure system" just didn't seem to work out for me. Here are the issues I found: (1) The tongue is sewn to the shoe on the medial side (the side where the feet touch together). This doesn't allow for a whole lot of adjustment. While it keeps the tongue in place, for my foot, it was in the wrong place, causing some uncomfortable pressure points. (2) The top strap doesn't seem quite long enough. I have pretty narrow feet and I could barely tighten the strap down. In fact, getting the hook at the end of the strap into the loop on the shoes seemed like much more work than it was worth. (3) The lower laces were difficult to adjust. Once again, because the upper strap makes shoe adjustment difficult, it is hard to open the shoe up enough to grab the laces to tighten them down, and they don't slide through the eyelets very easily.
Unfortunately I can't say much more about the shoe, as I wore them around the house for a few hours and got so frustrated with the closure system that I decided to return them. Other than the closure system, they were quite comfortable.
Have complained about the laces on this, saying they are hard to use.
That may be entirely true.
Vasque likes to play with technology, and this shoe is one example of their desire to push and test and try new things.
Learn more about their BOA technology in this video.
http://www.vasque.com/technology/vasque-brand-technology-boa
