After reading the positive reviews here, I bought a pair of these for my wife and for me. For some reason, they seem to not fit my foot correctly in the heel. I worked with the folks on the hotline and followed their suggestions, but after 3 blisters, I returned the product. The odd part is that my wife really likes her boots and they fit her well. Overall, a good looking boot, solid construction, a bit stiff, but not for everyone.

Customer Service

Great people. All customer service should be this good.

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Lowa Renegade II mid

These boots are bonzer. They look smashing-full grain leather, thick vibram sole, creamy gussetted tongue, made in italy (still), what else do ya want. But they seemed pretty clunky and stiff. So I put on liner socks, thick smartwools, and went out and hiked 12 miles on rough terrain. They were perfect. waterproof, not too hot, great protection, not even a hot spot. My feet felt pretty hammererd, but I had also been running a lot. I've worn these to school, work, around, in a flood, no problems. they are just plain great. for what they are, they're also quite cheap.

Customer Service

What can I say. I've another story to add to the annals of L.L. Bean. I ordered these on Dec. 22 or so. L.L.Bean express air-mailed me two pairs, for free. (the shipping, anyway.) when these didn't fit, i ordered another two pair and L.L. Bean overnighted these to me as well, gratis. they were supposed to come for christmas but there was that big winter storm so fedex didn't get em here til after. I didn't care. the point is L.l.Bean overnighted two 10-lb packages for free. waddaya gonna want more than that?

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Montrail Excelerace XCR (LEAKED!!!) L.L. Bean mtn treads L.L. Bean Knife edge

Top quality product. Got mine brand new the day before Grand Canyon trip -- in other words, no time to break them in. No problem whatsoever. Highest recommendation.

Customer Service

n/a

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I have fairly messed up, hard to fit feet - narrow heel, extremely high arch, and very wide forefoot. After my boots gave up the ghost I was unable to find a boot that did not hurt. The bootfitters at both of our local outdoor suppliers gave up on me, and recommended I see a pro for custom orthotics. I did, got the orthotics and discovered that most boots would not accommodate them. My frustration level was way too high at this point. I started researching boots and found only good comments about the Cresta, so I figured, "why not?" With my footbeds in they are great. I wore them around the neighborhood for two weeks and then hit the AT. Got into some serious rain the first day out and it was no problem, I could have been wearing drybags on my feet. Two days of ridge walking were a breeze, and the long, steep downhill of the last day was no big deal. My heels never slipped, my toes were never mashed against the boot front, and had wriggle room all the way. A rubber rand to protect the toe would be a great addition to the boot, but for the money I've never had anything close to this good.

Customer Service

I haven't needed them for this boot, but with Bean it is a no brainer - if you don't like it send it back.

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Vasque,Merril, Danner, Asolo, Montrail

These are, quite simply, great classic boots like I remember from years ago. Well constructed and a pleasure to wear. Very durable, and a surprisingly painless break-in period. Stable with good ankle support. All that, plus the clearly-superior Italian construction, and the famous LL Bean customer service, mean you can't go wrong.

Customer Service

I'm not easily impressed by customer service these days. Heck, there really isn't much to be impressed about in most cases. LL Bean is as good as they've ever been. They bend over backward to build loyalty by taking anything back at any time, and going out of their way to keep the customer happy. You just can't do any better.

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Raichle

Excellent so far. Very short break in period. Made it to top of Kilimanjaro shortly thereafter. After I summited, I forgot that I was wearing boots that were 3 weeks old. Good warmth at sub-zero temperatures. Wiggle room for toes to keep warm, too. Did not like the shoestrings, so I changed to a more rigid one with better memory. I found the change in shoestring made it easier to get in and out of the boots. When breaking in, I experienced some rub at the heal, possibly due to socks. Problem was quickly resolved. Jury is still out on durability. So far, so good.

Customer Service

Duh. They replaced a cheaper boot with a more expensive one. My timeline was extremely short, so they expressed everything and paid all shipping. Incredible, especially since I was nervous about changing boots at the last moment.

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LL Bean Day Hiker Boot

As an ultralightweight hiker wannabee I have tried all options-sandals,hiking tennis shoes,trail runners, lightweight boots of other manufact. but I have come back to the Cresta over and over again. It has never failed, never given me a blister and we do an AT section monthly. I have two pairs, one never out of the box as of yet, just waiting for that sad time when the original pair gets hung on a wall.

Customer Service

Never needed them!

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Raichle Monta Rosa Raichle Palu Teva Wraptor The latest Nike ultralight weight boot

I needed new hiking boots anyway (after 8 years me trusty Meindl's needed replacement), so when I found myself wanting to do some hiking while I was in Maine for three months, I decided to look around for a good pair. After reading all these reviews, I decided to go for the Cresta's. So far they have proved everything I thought they would be in Hiking up Mount Blue in 4 inches of snow, or in sightseeing through downtown Boston. No blisters or friction at all.

Customer Service

Perfect. Great help in finding a pair that fit perfectly. After one hour of trying on almost every vaiation of size, width, men's/women's, I ended up with a nice fitting pair.

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Meindl Perfekt, Nomad

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Last year I bought two sets of boots as to have one pair as a backup in case the other pair failed. The vasque sundowners were my first pair. The LL Bean cresta hikers were the other. While breaking them in I was unhappy with the vasques. I had ordered them one half size bigger as to compensate for my thick socks and experienced, for the first time, a sensation called toe bite. Break in took a long time compared to the other hiking boots I have had and I had sore toes for a month. Thinking that they were to big I finaly gave them to my son who has bigger feet than me and I ordered another pair in my size. Well the same thing happened, toe bite, after using them for a month I finaly broke them in and am satisfied with them now, however, they will still bite my toes for the first few minutes when I start walking. The first boots I grab when I go backpacking is my cresta hikers. I quite simply like them better. I had a much easier time breaking them in and the foot pad dosen''t slip when going down a steep incline like the vasques allowing my toes to cram up against the toe of the boot. Bottom line is I would not by the sundowners again but would by two pairs of cresta hikers the next time. They are very comfortable, waterproof, and hold up well.

Customer Service

LL Bean has a great customer service, very helpful

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vasque sundowners, vasque clarion, high tec,

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I was researching high and low for my first pair of high dollar hiking shoes. Money was no object. I first looked at Vasque Sundowners and Raichle, but was turned off because their boots are no longer made in Italy, but China. I looked into Zamberlains, but they don''t come in wide sizes. Then I saw the excellent reviews on this site and in Backpacker Magazine. These shoes are made in Italy, are all leather (better be if I''m gonna shell out 169 clams), and come in wide sizes. They are fully Gore-Tex lined to boot. Add the outstanding customer service of LLBean to the recipe and I was sold. They have not disappointed. They fit like a glove, very snug in the heel and ankle, and roomy in the toe. The sign of a good shoe is you don''t have to crank up the laces to get it to fit snug, and when you untie (not loosen by pulling back) the laces, your foot slips out easily. The leather used is thick and luxurious. Fitting was a piece of cake. I normally wear a 9 Wide, and the 9 Wide fit perfect with the recommended heavyweight socks. As regards the toe guard problem, I put a layer of Shoe Goo over it. Doesn''t look pretty, but is functional. All in all, I think this shoe is the best bang for any buck.

Customer Service

The best there is.

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