What Are They For?
Simple, the Vertigo GT is a waterproof approach shoe. Haglofs says it's 'lightweight' but it's not really. Rubber toe and heel bumpers should cope with rockier terrain.
The Techy Bits
There's nothing particularly complicated about the Vertigo. It gets an EVA mid-sole for cushioning, long, rockbooty-style lacing for fit and support and a stiffish FlexFrame chassic for underfoot rigidity.
Like all Haglofs footwear, it also comes complete with a pair of the excellent SOLE heat-mouldable footbeds, that you fit yourself using a domestic oven and are definitely a serious cut above most OE footbeds. See our review for more details.
How They Performed
Approach shoes seem to be coming from one of two directions, either lightweight, running shoe derivatives or more stable, sturdy scaled-down boots. The Vertigo GT is definitely in the latter camp. It has stiff underfoot, sturdy, stable feel to it that's almost clumpy, though the EVA mid-sole means it's more cushioned than you might expect.
Fit is northern-European generous, which is great if you have gurt big British feet. That works well with the high volume SOLE footbeds, which definitely add comfort and support and are a great bonus in our opinion.
Long lacing set-up makes for easy, secure fastening and the sole unit is excellent on rock and hard surfaces and dry grassy terrain, though shallow tread means it's not ideal for soft, muddy stuff, though the XCR membrane will keep your feet dry regardless albeit at the cost of cool in warmer conditions.
Stability is excellent thanks to the wide footprint and torsionally-stiff mid-sole chassis, though the pay-off is that comfort is stable and sturdy rather than soft and slipper-like. After some initial doubts though, we found them great on our UK-esque feet and extended walks were no problem.
The combination of Nubuck with reinforced rubber toe and heel areas is holding up well so far and the shoes have a quality, solid feel to them. They look good with jeans too and have been pressed into service for daily casual come active wear.
Verdict
Sturdy, stable approach come walking shoes with waterproof liner that work well with typical UK wide feet, though obviously you should try before buy ing. Decently cushioned too, though not particularly light. The SOLE footbed is an excellent bonus feature and well worth having.
Buy if... you want a sturdy, boot-style walking shoe with great stability and underfoot stiffness rather than a more flexible, trail-running style one and they fit your feet.
