Columbia Men's Facet 15 Waterproof Hiking Shoes - Lightweight Trail Running Shoes for Men with Omni-Grip Traction - Perfect for Outdoor Adventures, Mountain Climbing & Backpacking

My experience with Columbia clothing is that the sizes seem to NOT be according to American-sizing standards.I would normally take a size 30 in men's pants ( I am female but I often have to use men's active-wear clothes because they are more practically designed) but in the past I have had to get Columbia men's hiking pants in sizes 34 or 36. So Columbia's clothes can run small. In women's shirt and clothing too.However for their shoes, it can be a bit the other way around depending on the style . These hiking sneakers are actually good. They are comfortable from the get go. When I put them on my feet I did not feel any need to break them in. They are lightweight, soft and just feel good wearing overall. The style is good for the kind of footwear these are. It is hard for me to find sneakers, hiking shoes, trail runners (etc) that not only feel right but have a decent look to them. Too many of these kinds of footwear have tacky combinations of colors. It seems that manufacturers have only teenagers in mind when they make footwear to be active in. I like toned down colors. Earth colors, No flamboyant metallic colors or fluorescent colors. Also I think that sneakers or footwear with white soles are impractical and odd looking. The soles are going to get dirty and things from gum to tar to mud to dog poop ( human poop too pardon my saying so) would get stuck on the soles of the sneakers. It will definitely be noticeable on white soles or light colored soles. I think that dark gray soles would be best but it is very hard finding sneakers or active-wear footwear that do not have white or very light colored soles. It seems to be a trend that soles are white now a days. This particular style in this particular color is quite good, not perfect, but it is less outlandish for an older person who likes to be active and have comfortable sneakers.As for the cons, I picked a size according to the fact that I have had experience with Columbia brand footwear being a bit too big for the stated size. I normally would take a men's 7 and a half but I ordered a size larger (8 and a half). The sneaker fits nicely enough but there is a bit too much room in the toe box. I therefore am returning the ones I ordered and may try a size smaller. Of course sometimes I keep a pair of sneakers that are a size larger for when I go out in colder weather and wear thick socks. But also these hiking sneakers are a bit costly too for what they are and that is where I get into one of the other cons about it. The material is soft and good for comfort and the tip of the toe has some kind of "coating" or rubber piece on it which is better than knit fabric, but most of the top of the shoe is made of a thin kind of fabric which is good to keep the sneaker lightweight and flexible but I wonder if these are actually good for serious hiking. It does not feel rugged enough. It would be good for a short hike in the woods or in the park or if you are NOT going to spend time in deep bushes or mud or very steep hills .. That being said I once read an article online about how it is actually useless to wear large bulky clunky shoes to go hiking or camping unless of course you are going through really really densely wooded area and you need to keep thorns from penetrating your shoes, but the fact is that large clunky shoes are heavy and uncomfortable and limit your movement and the "Waterproof" "technologically designed' ones are actually an advertising gimmick and it is hard for manufacturers to actually make shoes waterproof as well as breathable and foot-wear technology only cost you more but still may not perform as you need it to, and you would best just wear some mid-weight sneakers like this Columbia -brand style for comfort and basic function.But as I was saying, It seems to me that these sneakers may not be for the most rugged kind of hiking but they seem to be good general use to moderate use footwear.It seems that the price should be less but also these are unusual in their own way for instant comfort and general use.So I think I have to rate them as high as possible mainly because other sneakers or shoes or hiking -trekking sneakers just are much less comfortable, useable, and practical than these.I think that these look better than other mixes of colors . Also I tend to like or dislike sneakers or hiking shoes or footwear according to how the shape of the shoe is contoured enough to the human foot . That would take me to a different discussion which I won't go into here but I have written to shoe and sneaker manufacturers and have made videos on how footwear has to be more practical not fashionable.