Vasque‘s newest line of hiking boots, the Horizon and the Horizon Mid, was built with an athletic-inspired, lightweight design intended to combine both performance and style while remaining comfortable. Style is not my strong suit, so while I felt like I looked pretty good in the men’s Horizon Mid in the Moonless Night color, I won’t go much further into the fashion aspect than that. I can say confidently that the Vasque Horizon Mid kept me safe and stable while out on the trails of Colorado.
I got the men’s size 12 in the Moonless Night color scheme. They came with black laces installed and purple laces in the box, so I switched them out for the flashiness of it all. The Horizon seemed to fit very true to size, though my very high instep made it so the laces felt just a bit short. I’m pretty confident that the laces would have been a great length if my instep was just a bit lower.
The Horizon features a multi-directional lug pattern on the outsole for traction, so I put the boots to the test on a multitude of different surfaces. From the well-packed trails of Colorado’s easier 14ers like Mt. Bierstadt to steeper, mud covered runs down less-trafficked routes, I felt like the boots were consistently gripping. I even had the opportunity to take the boots up some less-than-ideal class 3 routes full of loose gravel and flat rocks, and the outsoles didn’t let up. I couldn’t imagine being more comfortable on steeper routes without diving into approach shoes.
As for the VasqueDry® Waterproof technology built with 25% recycled materials that’s meant to keep your feet dry, I had no problems whatsoever. I stepped through some proper muddy patches, walked through a few streams, and found my feet at the bottom of some nasty postholes at higher altitudes. And while I might have gotten my legs a bit wet and cold, my feet continued to stay. If a boot claims to be waterproof you usually hope it performs as such, and the Horizon does.
I’ve got pretty weird feet with a brutally high arch, so a boot’s insole and midsole can have a serious impact on how my feet feel at the end of a day. The high-energy-return EVA midsole, made with 20% sugarcane, seemed to keep my feet comfortable through it all, even on the longest of days. Plus each step seemed to come with a little boost, keeping my momentum going.
The upper portions of the Horizon is built with durable, breathable nubuck leather. I didn’t put the boots through a grinder or anything, but after plenty of hiking around the Rocky Mountains, there’s hardly even a few scratches on them. Plus the combination of all the materials seem to keep the boots plenty lightweight and I never felt like my feet were suffocating or sweating too much.
Bottom line, if you’re in search for a boot that can cover a mix of terrain, whether it be city streets or mountainous trails, you won’t be disappointed with the Vasque Horizon Mid. It’ll keep your feet dry and stable while, in my opinion, looking pretty sharp along the way.
