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Vasque Grand Traverse - Women's Review

A comfortable shoe with great durability and hiking comfort at an affordable price
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Vasque Grand Traverse - Women's Review
Credit: Backcountry
Price:  $120 List
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Manufacturer:   Vasque
By Lauren DeLaunay ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  May 19, 2020
67
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Climbing Ability - 35% 6.0
  • Hiking Comfort - 25% 8.0
  • Support - 20% 8.0
  • Weight & Packability - 20% 5.0

Our Verdict

Climbing approach shoes made by a hiking shoe company? We had to try these out. Approaching is just hiking, after all. After weeks of testing the Vasque Grand Traverse, we confirmed what we thought on the first day we wore them: these are comfortable shoes. The midweight design provides all the support and comfort we need without feeling bulky, and the durable materials make us confident that this shoe will be with us for a long time. While it's true that this shoe doesn't climb quite as well as some of its competitors, for missions on established hiking trails with only small bits of technical terrain (i.e., almost everywhere), the Grand Traverse is a great option. And the best part? They have great value.
REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Supportive
Less expensive
REASONS TO AVOID
Less precise climbing ability
Heavy

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Grand Traverse is the perfect shoe for what a vast majority of climbers do: hike on established trails. Their sticky rubber is plenty to get you to and from most sport crags, and, truthfully, we'd even wear these shoes deep into the backcountry if we didn't have too much technical scrambling to do to get to the base of the route.

Performance Comparison


vasque grand traverse for women - taking the grand traverse out in the utah hills, where its hiking...
Taking the Grand Traverse out in the Utah Hills, where its hiking comfort shines through.
Credit: Lauren DeLaunay

Climbing Ability


This category forces us to reconsider everything we know about climbing and ask a fundamental question: do you need an approach shoe? Many popular climbing areas don't require any technical climbing to reach the base, which means you might not need the big thing that separates a hiking shoe from an approach shoe: climbing ability.


The Grand Traverse does have sticky rubber though, including an established edging zone at the front of the toe. The laces extend reasonably far down the toe, adding to this shoe's already snug and secure feel, which is great for terrain where precision is crucial, and where sloppiness could mean an accident or injury. This shoe is also pretty narrow, making it easier to stuff into cracks.

vasque grand traverse for women - an up-close look at the smearing capabilities of the grand traverse
An up-close look at the smearing capabilities of the Grand Traverse
Credit: Lauren DeLaunay

The only downside that we found for this metric was that the toe seems more upturned than some of the other shoes we tested. While this was way more supportive for logging miles, it also made smearing and edging a bit more difficult. The Grand Traverse doesn't stand out in this category, but we do wholeheartedly believe that its climbing ability is plenty to get you to almost anywhere you have to go. It scores far better than both the ultralight and ultra-burly shoes we tested while also receiving generous scores in every other category.

Hiking Comfort


Because the way a shoe feels is so integral to how it performs, we have two categories in this review that give us some information about how well the shoe can hike. The “comfort” metric was used to describe a shoe's upper, sizing, lacing, stiffness, and flexibility; the “support” metric, which we'll describe next, focuses more on the sole construction.


The Grand Traverse is a comfortable shoe-- there's no denying that. Our testing team loved its padded tongue and comfy heel. It was more breathable than some of the full leather shoes that we tested thanks to its purposefully placed lateral mesh. The Grand Traverse is one of the only shoes we tested that uses both leather and mesh to find the perfect balance between durability and breathability.

vasque grand traverse for women - the comfortable uppers and supportive, cushioned underfoot design...
The comfortable uppers and supportive, cushioned underfoot design makes the Grand Traverse a great shoe for approaching. While its climbing performance isn't totally there, it's ready for all kinds of mountain scrambles, with a modest price tag to boot.
Credit: Lauren DeLaunay

Our only concern with this shoe's comfort rating was that it does have a pretty narrow fit. This shoe is an excellent option for climbers with narrow feet, but we would not recommend it for those with wider feet. If the shoe fits you well, however, this snug feel helps eliminate sliding, rubbing, and blisters.

Support


While approach shoes take many of their traits from climbing shoes, they are still, at their root, hiking shoes. And whether you're walking half a mile to your favorite local crag or diving deep into the alpine backcountry, your feet are happier with more support. One important factor that we found in this review was that, in general, support and climbing ability are trade-offs. The more supportive (and heavy) an approach shoe is, the less likely it is to be able to climb technical terrain with precision. That said, we found an amazing blend of these two traits in the Vasque Grand Traverse.


The Grand Traverse is a moderately stiff shoe. We found it to be sturdy enough to handle tough terrain like talus and scree while still letting us have a bit of flexibility for comfort on trails. We found the sole construction to be more comfortable in the long haul than the flatter builds of some of the La Sportiva models. And while there were models with higher scores in this category, the Grand Traverse is significantly lighter and more agile.

Weight and Packability


Weight is always a tricky category for us here at OutdoorGearLab. It can be an instrumental part of a shoe's success, but it doesn't tell the whole story. It's hard to have, say, a super comfortable, cushy upper without a bit of extra weight. If you're looking to carry these shoes up a multi-pitch route with you, however, weight moves to the forefront of the discussion.


The Grand Traverse is on the heavier side of the shoes in this review, but it's far from the heaviest. At 22.6 ounces for the pair, it's nearly right in the middle of the pack. We do think anything above 20 ounces feels bulky when clipped to our harnesses, so if you're looking to carry your shoes up a route for a walk-off descent, we might recommend something else. That said, compared to the heaviest models we tested that are almost 30 ounces for the pair, the Grand Traverse is much more reasonable. Also, it does have some great comfort and support features for its weight.

vasque grand traverse for women - the grand traverse's blend of mesh and leather cuts down on weight...
The Grand Traverse's blend of mesh and leather cuts down on weight without sacrificing durability.
Credit: Lauren DeLaunay

Value


The Grand Traverse is one of our favorite shoes. Period. It has an amazing blend of traits, from its balance of weight, support, and breathability. It had one of the highest scores overall, and though it was beat out for the Editors' Choice by just a few points, its lower price made it a great contender for our Best Buy Award. We're confident that you'll be satisfied with the value in this all-around awesome shoe.

vasque grand traverse for women - adventuring in the grand traverse is no laughing matter!
Adventuring in the Grand Traverse is no laughing matter!
Credit: Lauren DeLaunay

Conclusion


The Vasque Grand Traverse handily takes our Best Buy Award because it was so well-rounded. With high scores in every category, this shoe is a strong contender for our overall favorite and only barely missed that mark.

vasque grand traverse for women - the grand traverse's comfy interior and breathable mesh make it a...
The Grand Traverse's comfy interior and breathable mesh make it a top scorer.
Credit: Lauren DeLaunay

Lauren DeLaunay