Vass Evo Thermal Winter Boots review
Posted: 17 Mar 2013, 17:14
I purchased a pair of Vass Evo Thermal Winter Boots at the start of the 2012/13 winter fishing season, and now after a few months of using them thought it was time to pass on my findings.
The first thing you notice about these boots is how solidly made they are. They certainly look the part, with rugged armouring reinforcing the historical weak/stress points of the toe, ankle and heel areas
The reinforcing of the lower shin area cleverly helps the flexibility of the upper boot too
I opted for the studded version for extra traction over wet slippery rocks, and to hopefully reduce wear of the sole.
Vass have incorporated a ladder grip on the bridge of the sole to gain extra traction and to protect the bridge of the foot
The tread of the soles themselves are solid and deep. This is quite a heavy boot as you will tell when picking them up and comparing them to their rivals. No doubt this is due to some degree to the thickness of the sole. I initially thought the weight might be a problem when using them, but once on you don't notice at all, and to be honest the weight adds to the feeling of quality.
Reinforcement of the toe area, a usual culprit for excessive wear and tear
A nice little touch was incorporating a chunky heel kick which makes the boots easier to get off....
Being a thermal boot for use in winter the boot has a thermal lining. This is my one small gripe about the boots. The lining seemed to be a bit of an afterthought and a bit cheap. It only appears to be Felt or a similar material and is oddly out of place with the quality of the rest of the materials used.
For comfort you need to make sure the seam of the lining fits snugly into the internal edges of the boot. Having said that, it didn't pose any problems rubbing wise for me, even after a long trudge over the shingle at Nethertown
Also, the thermal qualities of the Felt material wasn't brilliant either ( I will add though that I do suffer badly from cold feet). Though it was adequate in most of the cold conditions I encountered with just a pair of normal socks on, I found it necessary to put an additional pair of thermal socks on if the forecast was for a really heavy deep frost. Not a big deal, but as they are marketed as thermal winter boots, I would hope this is something Vass would look to improve on in the future.
The boot uppers are cut for a wider calf and foot to allow trousers to be tucked into the boot.
I've used my pair quite extensively over a variety of terrains, including long walks out to low water marks and yomps across shingle. However, the ultimate test I gave them was a night time mission onto St.Bees head in January. As anyone who has ever fished there will tell you, it's not a place for the faint-hearted, with a long walk over fields followed by a steep scramble down slippery rocks and even stream beds, followed by the same again on the return journey. The boots passed with flying colours, being comfortable and hardwearing. What turned out to be a godsend though was the studded sole which saved me from crashing to the floor on more than one occasion. One of my companions was not so lucky and broke his arm.
summary
Overall, a solid well made and well thought out comfortable boot which should last you a few good seasons. The lining was a slight disappointment and Vass need to improve the quality & thermal properties slightly of this, but this doesn't detract from the general feeling of quality and value for money. You will probably find boots cheaper, but they won't be of this quality or as durable........ buy cheap, buy twice as my mum used to say, and she was right!
You can purchase the Vass boots at Gerrys of Morecambe or any other good stockist
The first thing you notice about these boots is how solidly made they are. They certainly look the part, with rugged armouring reinforcing the historical weak/stress points of the toe, ankle and heel areas
The reinforcing of the lower shin area cleverly helps the flexibility of the upper boot too
I opted for the studded version for extra traction over wet slippery rocks, and to hopefully reduce wear of the sole.
Vass have incorporated a ladder grip on the bridge of the sole to gain extra traction and to protect the bridge of the foot
The tread of the soles themselves are solid and deep. This is quite a heavy boot as you will tell when picking them up and comparing them to their rivals. No doubt this is due to some degree to the thickness of the sole. I initially thought the weight might be a problem when using them, but once on you don't notice at all, and to be honest the weight adds to the feeling of quality.
Reinforcement of the toe area, a usual culprit for excessive wear and tear
A nice little touch was incorporating a chunky heel kick which makes the boots easier to get off....
Being a thermal boot for use in winter the boot has a thermal lining. This is my one small gripe about the boots. The lining seemed to be a bit of an afterthought and a bit cheap. It only appears to be Felt or a similar material and is oddly out of place with the quality of the rest of the materials used.
For comfort you need to make sure the seam of the lining fits snugly into the internal edges of the boot. Having said that, it didn't pose any problems rubbing wise for me, even after a long trudge over the shingle at Nethertown
Also, the thermal qualities of the Felt material wasn't brilliant either ( I will add though that I do suffer badly from cold feet). Though it was adequate in most of the cold conditions I encountered with just a pair of normal socks on, I found it necessary to put an additional pair of thermal socks on if the forecast was for a really heavy deep frost. Not a big deal, but as they are marketed as thermal winter boots, I would hope this is something Vass would look to improve on in the future.
The boot uppers are cut for a wider calf and foot to allow trousers to be tucked into the boot.
I've used my pair quite extensively over a variety of terrains, including long walks out to low water marks and yomps across shingle. However, the ultimate test I gave them was a night time mission onto St.Bees head in January. As anyone who has ever fished there will tell you, it's not a place for the faint-hearted, with a long walk over fields followed by a steep scramble down slippery rocks and even stream beds, followed by the same again on the return journey. The boots passed with flying colours, being comfortable and hardwearing. What turned out to be a godsend though was the studded sole which saved me from crashing to the floor on more than one occasion. One of my companions was not so lucky and broke his arm.
summary
Overall, a solid well made and well thought out comfortable boot which should last you a few good seasons. The lining was a slight disappointment and Vass need to improve the quality & thermal properties slightly of this, but this doesn't detract from the general feeling of quality and value for money. You will probably find boots cheaper, but they won't be of this quality or as durable........ buy cheap, buy twice as my mum used to say, and she was right!
You can purchase the Vass boots at Gerrys of Morecambe or any other good stockist