One of the most comfortable boots I've ever worn! Hiked 2 miles all uphill into basecamp (~40 lb pack) on an unmaintained trail and then struggled up loose scree and talus over 3 days - no problem with the boots. Awesome for scrambling, the boots smear well. Only wore them around the office for a couple of days for break-in. They were so comfortable during break-in that I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to handle rough trail, but that wasn't a problem. The leather is soft, so even though these are midcut boots, they don't offer very much ankle support. I wouldn't wear these boots for a longer backpack in, but they were perfect for the trip I recently took (short hike in w/ packs, then 3 days of scrambling, peak-bagging dayhikes). The only thing I didn't like was the lack of durability. At the end of the weekend, stitching on both boots were broken (way too many seams!). This could've also had something to do with all the scree-skiing I did. Under normal hiking conditions these boots wouldn't have had a problem. I ended up returning the boots to REI. I got another pair of Lowas, but next time I go scree-skiing I'll bring gaiters to protect the sides of the boots. I'm willing to deal with the durability issue because these are so comfy and the soles stick to everything!!

Similar Products Used:

Vasque Sundowner (soles too slippery)
Salomon Exit Mid