Mike F. from United States, FL Public Profile

My foot loved this hiking boot from the first time I tried it on. It is lightweight, but also provides excellent support and structure for my foot. This hiking shoe is like the cross between a sneaker and a heavy-weight hiking boot. This shoe required very little break-in time - it was very comfortable right out of the box. I have fairly wide feet, so I was a little concerned that the shoe might be too tight. I went up a 1/2 size and found that the shoe is very comfortable. It provides plenty of room in the toe box while keeping my foot securely in place. I'm wearing a mid-weight merino wool hiking sock, and I still have some expansion room in the toe-box. The shoe offers great structure, and has a protective band of Kevlar around the base of the show to help protect the synthetic / fabric upper. I haven't test the water-proof performance of the Gortex, but the shoe seems to breathe and provide good ventilation for my feet. I'll be using the shoe on a segment hike of the AT in mid-May; hopefully it performs to my expectations. So far, I'm very happy with my choice.