****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Shoes and my feet have had a long history of disagreements. With my very narrow heel and wide instep, very nice shoes give my feet the come hither look, my feet slip them on, and another uncomfortable relationship begins to play out. So, when I find a brand that caters to my foot's shape, it's a grand relief. Literally.Especially boots. As my 20+ year old, 3-times resoled, Asolo 520 GTXs' were starting to convince me I needed something else, I began trying lightweight options. Carrying unnecessary weight--in the pack, on my body, on my feet--makes long days longer, so as I lightened things in my pack--and the pack--I focused on my boots, too.Low-tops? Nope. My feet never quite locked into the 3 different brands I tried, and downhills were increasingly painful. Really light ankle highs, light being 2 pounds or less per pair? It would seem the first way to make lighter boots are the outsoles, and I could almost count pebbles on the trail through some of these boots. Second thing is fabric construction: as in, to go light means to not really lock the foot in place, so downhills aren't much better than in low-tops. After good brands and good boots, I gave up on lightweight.A trip into and through Grand Canyon before COVID clamped things down was the last straw for light weight boots, I came back to search anew and came up with both these boots and enough reviews to pique my interest. I bought them as the world closed down, killing a few trips where I could try them out, but have since backpacked in the San Juans and done day hiking in Texas, and from the first try these boots fit my feet.In fact, after years of clamping laces tight to lock my heel, and my foot, in place, having to only snug these down properly was almost a revelation. The locking lacing--the top lace loop--is exceptionally helpful, and I skittered down some pretty steep and dicey trails, and my feet were secure and protected and comfortable. And, comfort is a word I'm not able to use with most shoes and boots, and these came out of the box pretty comfortable and got more comfy as I broke them in around the house.Note: I swapped the OEM insoles for my Superfeet Trail insoles. I've had very good luck with these, and that continues with the Tatra II. I also looked far and wide for non-GoreTex boots. I very much agree with the idea that better breathability for most of us non-professionals is better than the rarely needed waterproof liners--I would also agree with the idea that well maintained boots are plenty waterproof enough. I couldn't find them and bought these, and notice my feet even in fairly cool weather do sweat more than they might without the liners. But, it's a tradeoff I'll gladly take for such comfortable, well-made boots.
