100 Day Perspective: Vans Veil

14 Jun, 2010


Last summer I purchased a new pair of 08-09 Vans Veil to be my main snowboard boot this winter and they just recently surpassed the 100th day on snow which means they get 100 day perspective to see how well they’ve held up through countless days on snow riding.  Most snowboard companies make products that last for the average rider…giving about 30-50 days on snow.

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The Vans Veils (used to be Omni’s) have been my main snowboard boot since 02-03 and I’ve always gone back to them because I know the stiffer flex will last a whole season, the quality of Vans and BOA will work for the 100 day rider and the fit is exactly what I want in a snowboard boot.

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The major wear damage to my Veils is on the left inner liner where the inside liner material rubs up against velcro and over 100 days has worn down the inner liner to basically nothing in that one spot.

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The Vans Veils feature a dual BOA system which is what I prefer on the mountain, lower and upper BOA to keep it how I like it.  The BOA on my boots took some beating this year which required in putting in a new BOA cable on one of the boots after the cable started to split (it was still intact but the 18 weaved cables were splitting in the reel).  We re-laced the BOA with a new cable and it’s been good to go since.

There is some wear from the cable contact points and tightening where the cable has broken down the boot material.  Nothing major and just noticeably worn down in certain areas.

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I love when the straps to carry your boots last the whole winter and stay intact with no damage

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One of the first things to be replaced in the Veils is the footbeds which I replaced with Remind Insoles for the season.  The generic footbeds just don’t cut it for the season and I prefer using other footbeds whether it’s superfeet or snowboard brands like Remind or shredsoles.  The sole of the boots have remained intact with no bad wear/tear damage which is great to see that I still have good traction for the slopes.

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The liners have taken a beating in the smell department but the seams have held up and the material is good throughout the liner with the exception of the velcro issue.

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I’m hoping these boots will make it through the summer at Mt Hood, I’ve been riding them well over 100 days now and will buy the next set of Veil’s for the upcoming winter season.

8 comments

About the author

Shay

From the beginning of time, I was Shannon. From the beginning of snowboarding, I was Shay. From the beginning of online communities, I was Shayboarder. In the end, I’m the writer, photographer, editor, publisher, guru of sorts, product tester, curvy girl, and most importantly the snowboarder behind it all. Follow me on this journey through snowboarding, mountain biking, traveling and fun experiences!

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8 Comments

  1. Migs
    June 14, 2010

    Some people complain about Vans durability….I got well over 100 days on my last pair of BFBs. Just broke out a new pair and they were comfy right out the box!

    reply
  2. martin beran
    June 16, 2010

    Most stuff is made to last only 30-50 days?!?! What a lame deal by those companies.

    reply
  3. Garett Graubins
    June 16, 2010

    Great review, Shay! Wow, you really put those boots through the wringer. Just for your information (and all of your readers), Boa launched its Dialed In for Life Guarantee last winter. It basically guarantees the reel and laces for the lifetime of the boot. If you log enough days and the lace starts wearing, all you need to do is visit the website, fill out a quick form, and we’ll send you the goods. The parts come with instructions and there are also videos posted to the website. Pretty sweet deal, really.

    reply
  4. Shay
    June 19, 2010

    Migs, rad to hear you got over 100 days on your vans as well!

    Martin, if the average snowboarder does 8 days a season then they are golden but not many products are built for the 100 day rider.

    Garett, thanks so much for the comment…definitely put them through the test this year and still riding them out here at Mt Hood. Rad to hear about the dialed in for life, thanks for the heads up!

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  5. Shay
    August 28, 2010

    To follow up with this blog post…these boots have over 150 days on them now and the wear/tear is still the same but holding up strong. Definitely going to replace them soon with another pair of Vans.

    reply
  6. Angel
    November 03, 2010

    I’m researching new boots for this year since I’ve decided I need something stiffer. The Vans have definitely caught my eye and would be my first pair of BOA boots. Question – I’m a solid size 8 but size down due to boots packing out and essentially adding a half size anyway. Do you feel like that’s a wise thing to do with a stiffer boot like the Veil or should I go with my street size?

    Thanks! :)

    reply
  7. Shay
    November 07, 2010

    Angel,

    Sweet on the new boots and awesome on trying out BOA for the first time! From my experience with Vans is they take a while to pack out. I wear a size 8 which is always right on the cusp in vans, meaning they are quite tight for me until they pack out and then they are the perfect size. When I get them my toes touch but aren’t curled and by the end of 50 days they have more space there, by 100 days there is probably the half size of space and more movability.

    reply

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