Vasque St. Elias Review: Old-School Style Meets Modern Performance

We’re in a full throwback hiking-style renaissance. Nostalgia, sustainability, and market trends all play a part in the current zeitgeisty resurgence of Camp 4 staples like the updated Vasque St. Elias. This leaves heritage outdoor brands with a tough question: Do they lean into history or continue to innovate toward tomorrow? After all, the original gear had a function over form origin story and was designed not for an aesthetic sensibility but for performance potential.

Footwear might be the knife-edge of this debate. Technology has advanced from the stiff, heavy leather of the 1950s and ’60s to the synthetic, lightweight foams and knits of 3D printing and machine weaving. Vasque debuts a potential solution to this with its updated St. Elias, which combines the best of the old with the newest of the new.

In short: With little to no break-in time, a Vibram Megagrip outsole, a full GORE-TEX upper, and an EVA midsole for good energy return, the updated Vasque St. Elias aren’t your grandma’s hiking boots. These boots are ideal for a modest hike on a snow-packed trail or a stroll around town on a slushy day. If you’re looking for a winter hiking boot that looks sweet and performs well in mild conditions, the Vasque St. Elias is for you. For more serious winter outings, like mountaineering, ice fishing, or hunting, it’s best to look elsewhere.

To see how the Vasque St. Elias compares to the best winter hiking boots, check out GearJunkie’s Best Winter Boots Buyer’s Guide.

Vasque St. Elias

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Specifications

• Best for: Hiking in tough conditions or carrying loads
• Weight: 2 lbs., 14 oz.,| 2 lbs., 6 oz.
• Waterproofing: GORE-TEX
• Upper: Full-grain leather and Nubuck leather

Pros

• Comparatively lightweight for its burly construction
• Out-of-the-box comfort, little to no break-in time
• Extremely waterproof
• Good breathability

Cons

• Tight lacing system
• Leather scuffs and wears easily
• Not warm enough for mid-winter conditions

Matthew Medendorp

Vasque St. Elias Review

Midwest Is Best

Speaking of heritage outdoor brands, Vasque dates back to the 1960s in a little town called Red Wing, Minn. Yeah, that’s the home of Red Wing boots and the maker of the iconic and stalwart American boots for over a century.

Today, Vasque is part of the Red Wing Shoes umbrella, which also includes the eponymous Red Wing Shoes, Irish Setter Boots, Red Wing Heritage, and Vasque. Unlike other footwear conglomerates, Red Wing Shoes has stayed true to its regionality, and local manufacturing ties the brand to a specific place and state. Though Vasque announced that it is going out of business, Red Wing will “continue to operate the Vasque website for the time being.”

What’s New

This version is a major update for Vasque’s decade-old St. Elias. The world and footwear technology have changed significantly in the past 10 years, and Vasque has outfitted the new St. Elias with the latest and greatest in modern footwear technology.

First up is the dual-density EVA midsole. With a high energy return and a 20% bio-based sugarcane construction, this insole helps bring the modern era into the old-school silhouette. The EVA accounts for the boot’s relative lightness, coupled with a nylon shank and foam collar and tongue. The midsole also has an EVA support rim that adds stability without adding excess weight.

The full-grain leather upper isn’t the cowhide of yesteryear that took a full calendar year to break in. The St. Elias boots are comfortable out of the box. The brand claims zero break-in time, which rings a little false. Like every piece of footwear, the first few wears help you dial in the fit and tweak the factory settings. But compared to bulky boots I’ve worn and beaten up in the past, the break-in time was minimal.

In comparison, I’ve been rocking the Red Wing Heritage 6 in Moc Toe Boot this winter and spring, which is a handsome boot that’s fully old-school in construction and a different beast altogether to break in — like raw denim for your feet. The St. Elias’s are a slipper in comparison, comfortable from the outset.

While the previous St. Elias version featured a Vibram outsole, the new version upgraded to a Vibram MegaGrip compound. This provides unmatched traction, particularly on ice and snow. Combined with Vasque’s custom lug design, this boot is as steady as it comes.

Trail Tested

I’ve run the St. Elias through the gambit of conditions: slushy Midwestern sleet hikes with a toddler in the backpack carrier, snowcapped early morning jaunts in the Eastern Sierras, and sandy, windy trails in the high desert. Across multiple environments, it’s held on its own — and then some.

The boots particularly stood out in head-to-head testing scenarios in post-blizzard Mammoth Lakes, where we tested the finalist for our Best Winter Hiking Boots Buyer’s Guide. It excelled on the mixed terrain of hard-packed snow, slush, and mud.

The GORE-TEX waterproofing delivered on its promise of breathability. The boot’s grip was up to the challenge of ice patches and post-holing alike.

This boot reaches that tough-to-achieve balance of warm enough to wear in mild winter conditions, but is breathable enough not to swamp your feet. But it’s not going to keep you warm in frigid conditions, so this wouldn’t be our choice for below-zero peak climbs or standing around watching wildlife in Yellowstone in winter.

Like the rest of the boot, the upper’s combo of full-grain leather and foam is an excellent marriage of the old and new school. The leather provides excellent ankle support, while the foam of the collar and tongue allows for expansion and breathability. The combo results in a sturdy step that you can trust and the perfect foil to loose rocks and sneaky roots.

Room for Improvement

The biggest issue I had with the St. Elias was the lacing system. It took more than a few tries to get everything dialed in, and it was easy to overtighten and lose circulation in the forefoot. Even once that was properly adjusted, the first lace hook is sticky, making unlacing an occasionally difficult affair.

I’d much rather have a sticky lace hook than a loose one, but there were more than a few times it caused excess frustration

And be warned, the leather of the St. Elias scuffs easily and needs thorough care. Personally, I like a good scuff on a hiking boot, and I love busting out the saddle soap after a muddy hike. But there are less care-intensive boots on the market. Both Solomon and Altra make GTX boot versions of the popular trail running silhouettes that feature extra ankle support and none of the leather care hassle.

In general, if you’re the type of person who enjoys taking care of a cast iron skillet, the St. Elias won’t give you much trouble. If you’re the type that prefers to pop a nonstick pan into the dishwasher, maybe look for another option.

I’m also curious to see how long the EVA midsole lasts. It used to be the prevailing thought that EVA traded lightness for durability. Modern EVA has improved upon this reputation, but it still is the weak link in a chain of durable, long-lasting materials that otherwise make up the St. Elias. Of course, all that depends on how and where you use your boots and how you take care of them afterward.

One other point to note: While we deem this a winter hiking boot, there are different levels of warmth amid the ones we’ve tested. The St. Elias is waterproof and moderately warm, but it is not as insulated as many others we tested. The St. Elias is perfect for shoulder-season hikes where you will encounter slush or packed snow, but where temperatures will be relatively mild.

If you’re looking for a mid-winter hiking boot that will keep your toes toasty on fourteener summits or long snowshoe expeditions, we’d recommend our top overall, the KEEN Revel IV Mid Polar or our best budget pick, the Columbia Bugaboot III.

Final Thoughts

I spend most of my time outdoors in trail runners — the modern do-it-all footwear. But sometimes, they just won’t cut it. Excessively muddy days, deep snow, and heavy backpack loads require the sturdiness that only a hiking boot can provide.

Vasque’s update on the St. Elias addressed many of my issues with old-school boots: heaviness, break-in time, and bulky construction while retaining the features that set them apart: ankle support, durability, and weather resistance. So even as the weather warms up, don’t be surprised if we meet on the trail and I’m rocking the shorts and hiking boots look. That’s bound for a comeback, too.

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