Very top notch old school heavy duty hiker - Zamberlan Latemar NW Backpacking Shoes - Men's

an amazing boot in that it is a top of the line old school backpacker/hiker that, with new technology, may be on its way to a phase out. i love these old classic style boots, probably because i love classic older things.

as a photographer, mostly cities, i don't climb the Eiger or other peak to put these to the test, however, i wore these for a weekend of night shooting around San Francisco, which has steps, dirt paths, ups, downs, concrete, fields, museums, etc. also the airport and flights in and out.

the boot is called a 'high volume' last by technical types, meaning it is for a full foot. well, i have a narrow runner's foot, so i just laced up a bit tighter and these wore fine. as for the landscape of the SF, these were great on every terrain, including miles and hours of concrete. and, note, this was their breakin wearing, and there was no discomfort waiting for leather to start to conform...i'm sure they'll get better with age, but they worked no hassle right out of the box.

admittedly a poser when it comes to hiking, my main experience as mentioned is heavy duty city treks, hours at a time, to shoot, though i do hit rough graded dirt and such. so, while these are a classic from hiking's past, functionally they are excellent. as well as remarkably comfortable out of the box for a boot that looks like it would take years to break in.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.