Vasque Juxt Review

The Vasque Juxt holds a special place in my heart, it was my first pair of actual hiking shoes.  Always before I would just throw on my pair of Nike street runners that I used for everything from playing soccer in to going to a bar in the evening.  As I started to get more into hiking I realized that I needed an actual hiking oriented shoe with lots of grip, but without the bulk of a full fledged hiking boot.  Basically I wanted the feel of my Nike runners with the grip and durability of a hiking boot.  After shopping around some and reading way to many reviews I finally settled on the Vasque Juxt.  It provided me with everything I wanted on the surface.  It was rugged looking, light, and had an aggressive tread pattern.  Since I purchased the Juxt I have put about 400 hiking and trail running miles on them.  Here is my assessment.

Durability

This section is one of the most important to me.  A hiking shoe has to hold up to everything I throw at it, especially for the money I usually pay for them.  With that said the Vasque Juxt is durable.  Very durable.  Over 400 miles have been put on these shoes and the only part to wear out on me is the tread (naturally).  I was so impressed with how this shoe held up that now it has became something of a benchmark that I measure my other hiking shoes durability to.  All the stitching on the side panels

(as the photo shows) are still holding strong.  There has been no separation of the sole from the shoe.  The laces have never frayed or broke and the insole has held up decently.  Durability score: 9/10

Grip

The Vasque Juxt has adequate grip.  The shoe makes you feel secure on all terrain types but the shoe does break loose occasionally on wet rocks.  The tread pattern is not to aggressive.  This allows the shoe to be very versatile and capable of being worn anywhere and not just for hiking.  Grip score: 7/10

Comfort

The Juxt's insole comes out the box a little hard.  I ran the original insoles shipped with the shoes for all 400 miles I've hiked in them.  The insole will eventually break in some, but don't expect it to become very much more comfortable then the way it feels out of the box.  The shoe also fit me a bit loose.  I was worried about this after the first few hikes, but the shoe didn't seem to produced any blisters so I eventually became accustomed to the feel.  Overall I never had an issue with my feet hurting during prolonged hikes.  Comfort score: 7/10

Long Distance Performance

By long distance I mean anything over 12 miles continuously in one day.  The Juxt has carried me for over 20 miles a day several times and dozens of 15-18 mile day trips.  The shoe holds up great and feels good for long hikes, but I do have my complaints.  The Juxt in general does not breath good.  On hot summer days my feet do tend to sweat more so then in other shoes.  Also when the shoe gets significantly wet, such as being plunged into a creek after a misstep on a slippery rock, it takes a long time to dry.  This again has to do with the lack of air flowing in and out of the shoe.  Also around miles 12-14 the Juxt has a tendency to start rubbing the bottom of my heel.  Again I believe this is due to the loose fit of the shoe, but oddly enough this low heel rubbing never resulted in a blister.  It actually calloused over the spot.  Although I've used this shoe to hike long distance many times, it wouldn't be my shoe of choice now that I have moved on from it.  I definitely wouldn't recommend the shoe for any long day hikes over 14 miles or thru-hikes such as the AT.  Long Distance Performance: 7/10

Overall Summary

The Vasque Juxt is an amazing shoe that's capable of doing almost anything you aim your feet towards while wearing them.  Its a shoe that does a lot of things good but nothing great.  My recommended uses of the Juxt would be as a day hiker or an everyday adventure shoe.
PROS:   Amazing durability.  Extremely versatile "multi-sport" shoe.  Can find relatively cheap online.  Cool toe-lace design.
CONS:   Not a long distance hiker.  Poorly ventilated.  Bad traction on wet rocks.  

Overall score: 7.5/10