Hands down the best pair of boots ive owned,purchased them about 4 years ago. Break in is rough, but well worth the pain. Probably want to invest in a decent pair of insoles,my feet couldnt take the stiffness at first, were fine after good insoles and some break-in time on the trail. A heavy boot, but bulletproof. Love em in the snow and summer, plus im a big fan of old school.You will have these boots for a while. Plan on using climbing cord for shoelace as these boots have an appetite for shoelaces.

These are just my honest opinions. Not everyone may agree. So here goes - The Mazamas are nearly bombproof! I normally burn out a pair of boots in 1-3 years. The Mazamas made it through year 5 and still going. My job takes me into steep, mountainous terrain 4-5 days a week from March through December. I'm constantly sidehilling on tallus slopes or through heavy deadfall. Quite often on the run. Weekend days are 10-20 mile mountain top hikes and runs, jumping through deadfall and sliding down avalanche chutes and talus slopes. These boots take it all! Your feet can wedge down between rocks or deadfall, and no injury to your feet. Stiff enough leather to prevent most ankle rolling. I've run a couple 10-15 mile mountain runs in them and loved the ankle stability in loose terrain, shale or switchbacks. I've blown out 4 other pairs of $200+ hiking boots in the 6 years prior to purchasing the Mazamas. The downside. These boots are heavy. But I think that just gets you in better shape for the next hike. They are very stiff! Mine are still very stiff after 5 hard years. This can be a problem on your heels if you're hiking straight up a steep incline for some distance. The toe doesn't flex so your heel tends to raise off the footbed and rubs against the back of the shoe. Solution = cut a piece of neoprene about 2x2 inches, stick a piece of folded duct tape to the backside, and attach it against the inside heel of the boot. If your feet don't sweat too much, an extra pair of heavy socks helps too. Also, get a thicker cushioned insole if you put on alot of miles. BUT remember to buy the boots in a larger size if you plan to do the neoprene, insole thing or heavy socks. Leather boots always seem to shrink a little after a few years of getting wet and drying again and again, too. Maybe the newer models have changed a few things, but the shoelace eyelets on mine are sharp on the edges and tend to cut through laces in no time. I use stiff climbing cord for laces to get a little extra wear time. Bottom line, I was surfing the web to look for a discount on another pair of Mazamas for a backup boot and noticed this review page. Thought I'd give my 2 cents. Hope it helps someone out. Now back to finding another pair of Montrail Mazamas. Merry Christmas! Todd

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2 pair of Montrail Morraines. Comfortable out of the box. Great boot for 99 % of the people. I highly recommend this boot to most people who want a stiff, quality boot for most any hike or backpack sh

i don't mean to be rude, but car-camping isn't what these boots are made for. if you plan to do a lot of lengthy hikes on rough terrain, with light to heavy loads, the mazamas are well worth a look. i'd actually wax poetic about them for pages, but those sort of reviews always come off as suspicious.

so, the mazama: extremely stable, impeccably built, and getting more and more comfortable with each trip. these boots are fine on-trail, a little stiff of course but that's appreciated when the pack load approaches 50 pounds. off trail, this is the most confidence-inspiring pair of boots i've ever owned. just superb on talus and big, bouldery ridges. find a crack big enough to rest a paper clip on, and these boots have the stiffness you need to stand on it.

fit and break-in: it seems likes you either love Montrail's integrafit, or you hate it, at least during the break-in period (check out the moraine AT reviews). i love it, but i'm lucky to have a foot that's close to the integrafit shape: normal heel, kind of wide near the toes, mid-to-high volume, average arch. my break-in has been pretty painless. however, if you and the integrafit aren't such a good match, you'll be in for some tough love. you might want to check out the reviews by people who use the moraine AT for tips, warnings, etc.

and my bias: i hate "designed obsolescence", which is what you get with the new molded soles. don't get me wrong, there are lots of benefits, too -- light weight, cheap, solid, feels like your favorite pair of sneakers -- but you really can't make an effective replacement of a non-stitched sole, so once you've worn off the treads, that's it, no matter what shape the rest of the boot is in. plus, norwegian welting: so classic! so euro! so alps-in-the-summer-of-1949! i'm a sucker for the old school.

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onesport moraine (owned + loved), montrail moraine AT (owned + loved), la sportiva m-hike and makalu, vasque montana (tried them on. constructed similarly to the mazama but i thought a little narrower. there are intelligent reviews below by people who use them daily.)

Nice boots for anything really. Good walking around in all day if you're working, good on the trails too. Not bad on snow and ice, the gortex helps on that one. Careful not to scuff them too badly before you polish them or reprotect them which ever you do. Deep scars will become darker from the protectant.

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