I have used Vasque Sundowner boots for twenty years, until now. My last pair was not holding up well. The front of the leather seemed very weak and was excessively frayed by a week in the White Mountains. The leather was cracking in a lot of places. The bad feature was that after a hike in a local park one day, I noticed a crack in the sole, about 1 or 2 inches long, that went clear through. I had had the boots for only a little over a year then, and returned them. The replacement pair came with some cracks in the leather, so I returned them also. This is a very comfortable boot, and I am sorry that I had to switch to another manufacturer.