Juxt Water Resistant Hiking Shoe (Men)

Been a Vasque customer for decades, back when they were made in Italy, I was a bit hesitant to buy the Asian made sundowners I’ve grown to love from the mid 90’s. I was pleasantly surprised, they still have the perfect fit out of the box as they did in years past, to be honest I’ve never owned anything other than the sundowners, the juxt was the first different Vasque product I’ve bought, and I’m not disappointed! I may buy a second set for “date night” and another set for the trails!

The heels of these soles fell apart in 14 months. These were moderately used for day hiking and the heels fell apart. As you can see the rest of the soles have minimal wear. I have been hiking for over 45 years and have had plenty of hiking shoes, these are defective. Vasque would not cover them saying this damaged was caused by either chemicals or heat, wrong in both cases. If there was chemical or heat damaged wouldn't the rest of the sole look the same? In my experience you can only trust a hiking shoe with a Vibram sole. These are a Vasque branded sole even though the specs say they are Vibram. Vasque never again.

they are decently comfortable out of the box, but they are also not so comfortable on longer hikes with a daypack for 8 hours. The main weakness of the Juxt is the Vibram Off-the-Grid (OTG) outsole, which lacks gripiness in mud and wet conditions. The outsole does provide good protection on rocky and rugged terrain, though. The other weakness is breathability. There suede upper provides good protection in rugged terrain, but it also doesn't breathe well in hot weather. The suede upper isn't very water repellant either. The shoes do well in dry, rugged mid-temperature climates, for shorter duration, lighweight daypack hikes. They are more comfortable with different insoles, which can up the comfort over longer duration hikes/backpacks. One complaint in reviews I've seen concerns the exposed stitching between the bicolor suede seams, which cut easily when rubbed against over time or sharp objects like rocks, but that stitching appears more for aesthetics rather than function. Vasque should have just omitted it and saved a half an ounce. I haven't suffered a split where that stitching has fraid or been cut. The stitching where it matters use either double stitching or heavier duty thread. I still like the Juxt, but it isn't the wide range of applications shoe as marketed in the features, especially when things get a little drizzly.