An Iconic Hiking Brand Is Being Shuttered, and That’s a Damn Shame

After 60 years of making outdoor footwear, Red Wing Shoes has decided to sunset its struggling hiking-focused footwear brand.

A straight ahead look at pair of Vasque Sundowner boots showing the boots red laces contrasting with the boots grey colored upper and light tan leather base.

By Ben Bowers

Published October 14, 2024

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Updated October 14, 2024

I will never forget my oldest brother talking with pride about the hiking boots he wore virtually everywhere in college and grad school. Back then, he saw himself as a serious backpacker and world traveller – and the gear that supported these passions was a core part of his identity and image.

The boots were Vasque Sundowners and they might as well have been soldered to his feet. At the time, they were one of the best pairs on the market and even today are still considered a classic by those in the know.

My brother’s love and passion led my dad to buy me a pair for one of my first significant backpacking trips as a Boy Scout. I then wore Sundowners for years through high school and college, too.

That’s why for personal sentimental reasons alone, the recent news that Vasque’s parent company, Red Wing Shoe Co., has officially decided to discontinue the Vasque brand comes as a disappointment.

A pair of Vasque Sundowner boots in brown shown at a angle shot against a light grey background. — Vasque’s iconic Sundowner model was the first pair of serious hiking boots I ever owned and has remained beloved by outdoor enthusiasts everywhere.

“We have…made the difficult decision to sunset the Vasque brand and our outdoor business as we know it today,” Red Wing shared in an official statement provided to outlets including Backpacker and Gear Junkie. “In the end, we do not believe that there is a viable path forward.”

“We have…made the difficult decision to sunset the Vasque brand and our outdoor business as we know it today,”

According to same official statement, the decision was largely in response to changes in consumer behavior and interest. “This market has changed dramatically, particularly over the last several years. What consumers seek and how they want to both shop and buy has changed dramatically,” explained representatives from Red Wing to several publications. “These changes have forced us to re-evaluate our business proposition and opportunity.”

A pair of Vasque Breeze waterproof hiking boots in grey and brown being worn by a hiker on a slippery mountain trail matched with lime green hiking socks. — More modern models of Vasque hiking boots continued to rack up recognition from online product experts. *The Wirecutter* called Vasque’s Breeze Hiking Boots a “more flexible option” to its best hiking boot pick in June of 2024. We praised the same model for having “the best comfort out of the box” in our own hiking boot buying guide.

The company clarified the specific changes they were responding to directly with Gear Junkie. “Consumers have shifted from traditional hiking activities to [a] broader set of casual outdoor activities, which resulted in different product needs and requirements.”

It’s not hard to spot examples of other brands filling the consumer trend gap Vasque seems to have missed. Hoka, a brand that’s increasingly dabbled in hiking and racked up praise from outdoor reviewers everywhere, saw 30% year-over-year net sales growth in Q1.

And while the ultimate choice to shut down the brand feels dramatic, knowledge of Vasque’s struggles wasn’t exactly a secret. The brand had publicly discussed undergoing a ‘multiyear reset’ in response to slowing sales over the last several years.

In 2020, Vasque president Bryce Wernsman was hired to help lead a brand turnaround. Throughout his tenure, he conducted several interviews with industry news outlets to discuss how the company was responding—mainly by cutting out SKUs and focusing energy on fewer key new models.

An image showing three Vasque Re:connect shoes in different colors aligned in a staggered patter n to show the heel portion of the shoe. — Vasque launched the Re:connect collection back in 2023 in an effort to better align the brand with the lifestyles and needs of modern consumers. Our outdoor editor Hayley Helms had plenty of positive things to say about the new line in her first impressions.

However, as with virtually all consumer products, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the brand’s next moves. In response to the supply chain and demand shockwaves the event had on Vasque’s business, the company shut down its online direct-to-consumer store for roughly a year to focus on servicing wholesale accounts.

This year was also supposed to be a major milestone according to comments from Wernsman to Outdoor Retailer’s industry trade publication The Daily back in 2023. “Roughly 65% of Vasque’s product is new for 2024,” Wernsman told the publication. “We think 2024 is going to be a turning point for the brand.” 10 months into 2024, it appears the company’s hope for a turnaround didn’t pan out they way leadership had hoped.

Thankfully, Red Wing is working to retain employees who worked on the brand

Thankfully, Red Wing is working to retain employees who worked on the brand, according to the same comment clarifications provided to Gear Junkie.

Red Wing has also confirmed to Footwear News that while the brand will immediately stop new product development, marketing and purchasing, the website will stay live for the time being and any open orders set to ship before January of 2025 will be fulfilled.

So fans interested in stocking up on pairs before they disappear for good will still have a window to buy them.

We’ll also hold out irrational hope that the brand will come back one day when consumer sentiments invariably shift.