Review: Vasque Arrowhead Ultradry Boot

Functionality ★★★★★
Whether you’re an Arctic adventurer or backyard winter explorer the Vasque Arrowhead Ultradry boot will not only keep your feet ultra dry but also ultra warm. There is nothing worse than wet socks on a cold day. Fortunately, the Arrowhead is completely waterproof and therefore, no more soggy socks. And these aren’t just some fancy orange boots with tin foil on the inside. This boot is the 4×4 of the hiking world, it can thrive even in the toughest conditions. The one down side is that if you don’t take them off when you go inside, your feet start to sweat but if you think about it, that means that they’re doing their job.

Design and Aesthetics ★★★★★
The Arrowhead is designed with 200g of 3M™ Thinsulate™ insulation making it warm and toasty all day long. It is important to keep the heat in once you have it in the shoe Vasque knows that the ground sucks heat out of anything warm so they used a ColdHold Vasque Venture sole to stop this heat siphon dead in its tracks. Another weapon on the war on cold is the heat reflective lining that is throughout the boot. One of my favorite features of these boots is the flap that covers the laces. It keeps them from freezing so you can take them off at the end of the day.

Durability ★★★★
Vasque has a wide range of shoes but their build quality is very consistant. I’ve had a pair of the Vasque Grand Traverse for a few years now and I haven’t had any problems. They are my hiking shoe of choice for a day of light hiking and have been used very heavily without showing much wear. I expect nothing less from the Arrowhead. I’ve had them for a month or so now and they have put up with a good deal of punishment. The only potential problem I can see is the laces breaking. But after contacting Vasque, I learned that the laces are actually made out of kevlar, so there shouldn’t be any problem with them breaking.

Value ★★★★★
Everyone in the office was extremely surprised when I told them that these “Everest style” boots were under $200. While similar boots can cost upwards of $500 the Arrowhead boots are sitting at a modest $170. This doesn’t mean that they were made cheaply. Vasque makes all of their shoes to a standard that is above and beyond. The Vasque Arrowhead gives you the most bang for your buck in the high performance boot department.