HikeArizona.COM

Today, parent company Red Wing Shoe Company announced that the 60-year-old stalwart would halt production.
https://www.backpacker.com/gear/footwea ... s-no-more/

@Pivo
Apparently, beloved primarily by people who do not purchase shoes

@Pivo
I backpacked the GC for over a decade in Vasque's... (the heavy leather ones from the 70's). They served me well despite their weight.

chumley wrote:Apparently, beloved primarily by people who do not purchase shoes

Or the footwear lasted too long.

I have a ~40yo pair I look at occasionally but haven't tried them on in ~30yrs. At the time of purchase I liked them better for trail/mountain walking than the heavier mountaineering boots of that era.

Tough time to be in the outdoor industry. Had a pair of Vasque Breeze's once that I pretty much wore out of the box into the Grand Canyon the next day with zero issues.

They may have abandoned their roots or maybe their early customers hike/backpack less. Clear to say that the 'new' hiker doesn't prefer their brand. https://thedaily.outdoorretailer.com/ne ... ar-trends/

hikeaz wrote:Clear to say that the 'new' hiker doesn't prefer their brand.

Maybe it would have helped if they embraced some woke policies not previously represented in their marketing?

Their newer models seemed to appropriate from some Hoka designs.

I wore them for hiking and another pair was my duty boot for work for many years. My feet grew in length and width and did not offer a size that would fit.

I think a lot of people are just starting to look at results and science and realizing that older/traditional style of shoe is not only not needed, but can be harmful even (yes, obviously trail runners aren't getting you up everest but that's the minority of people). It's tough, because I'm a huge fan of the parent company but that "traditional" style of boot and shoe just isn't what people are buying for the most part. They were then just way too late in pivoting to what people are looking for today so the writing was on the wall. If they had adapted earlier, they could still be around like Merrell (not as old as Vasque but still "old" by the standard) who still makes some of the favourites but also recognized what people were buying and made an okay version that has kept them relevant.

@xsproutx
Agreed, unless I am in snow, I wear trail runners.

@Pivo I'm not a runner, nor a trail runner, but I do enjoy doing things in the snow when I can, and it's actually surprising to me how often I see other people trail running ... in the snow ... in trail runners.

Does Timberland still make big leather boots? Are they used as trendy wear in the city now?

chumley wrote:Does Timberland still make big leather boots? Are they used as trendy wear in the city now?

I do believe 'Tims' are still Urban trendy. Not to be confused with the Western boot brand.

@xsproutx
Dinosaur executives failing to recognize shifts in the market until after it's too late is a tale as old as time. See: Motorola, Blockbuster, etc.

I wore out several of the all-leather pairs, back in the 90's, because they came in my size, long and narrow. After they started making them in China, they discontinued the narrow eventually, and the last pair I had, which were not all-leather, were labeled "narrow" but actually were a medium width. Plus, they went up only to size 10 in women's. I tried many many kinds of shoes after that, had to quit serious hiking because I couldn't find a pair to fit, until I got into some Altras. That's all I wear now. Heels are narrow, front is wide and square. Works for me.

azbackpackr wrote:at's all I wear now. Heels are narrow, front is wide and square.

Exactly. The whole barefoot running thing gained movement 15-20 years ago and it really got people thinking about what they need/want/what might work that's "different". Over time, it's evolved to be less "zero drop is the only way" to "minimal drop is pretty good and a wider toe box that keeps me snug to prevent blisters is nice".

I have really dumb feet and I hate how I usually only get 300 miles tops out of Altras, but they just fit my idiot feet so well that it's still worth it.

@xsproutx
Ditto. The high top Timp is on sale at REI and I decided to get a spare pair because they are one of the best fitting high tops I've ever worn. I can't wear the low tops for hiking because my feet are so narrow they will just slide right out of the shoe. The laces around my ankle keep my feet from falling out of my shoes. It's not for ankle support, it's to keep my feet in the shoe!

@azbackpackr
I have the opposite problem where I have the flattest and widest feet ever to be known to mankind so its funny that the same shoe works for us both

I usually will try each/every other version of the lonepeaks to see how I like them and then when fall hits and they go on sale, I'll buy 4 pairs just so I know I have one I like for a while. One day altra might stop making things worse but I try to plan based on the fact that they won't.

@xsproutx
It's good to buy extras if you find one you like. That's why I bought those today. My current pair are still fairly new. And I like them.

Kyle Rohrig, author of many books about his thru-hiking adventures, was unhappy with one of the changes that Altra made to a shoe awhile back. He was in the middle of a hike, and got the newer pair and they didn't work out for him. I don't remember what model it was.