I just did the Caminho Portugues, and bought these boots for that trip. I bought them over a month in advance and did tons of hiking to break them in. Sadly, though they felt extremely comfortable and fit perfectly, with extra toe room, sturdy ankles, etc. at first, after hiking one month, the leather was so loose around my ankles that there is literally no ankle support. They may as well be tennis shoes. Also, my feet have started slipping around inside, so I tied the laces extra tight around the ankle and it ended up injuring my tendons. Also, the soles aren't sturdy enough - they have no cushion, even less than most sturdy hiking boots, but you can actually feel rocks through the soles. These boots are dampening the high expectations I usually have for LL Bean.
I've had these for over a year now. We hike a lot, so they've seen a lot of use. We live in the Seattle area and hike every weekend. The mountains are pretty big here and the terrain may be more than what these can handle. These things have been on dirt, moss, boulders, talus, and scree; they've been used scrambling many times; they've crossed creeks and been used with snowshoes and crampons. I use them sometimes when mountaineering boots should probably be used, mostly because they are much more comfortable. I thought I should add all that as a disclaimer.
The traction is excellent. They take a few hikes to break in, but I never had problems with blisters or injured toes. I bought a better insole because the one that came with the boots isn't sufficient for 20-milers that climb a bunch of elevation.
My biggest problem is that the leather is pulling away from the sole. This started only a few months into use, and just got worse. Now they are no longer waterproof, which makes them basically summer-only boots. I ordered another pair a month ago (to assess whether this was a one-time thing), but it's already started with that pair too. So this is why they're getting only three stars. Otherwise I love LLBean and their Gore-tex pro shells are the best in the biz :-)
I'd still recommend these to a friend who hikes on regular trails and doesn't go overboard like me.
Comfy straight away, a little stiffness that quickly eases up. I live in PA, lots of rocks. These grip on all types of surfaces; ice, snow, rain, pollen saturated rocks, wet or dry gravel, wet/dry rocks, wet/dry leaves (better than any other boot I've tried), I even get pretty good traction in mud. They grip like no other hiking boot or trail sneaker I've ever worn. Purchased in an 8W, my usual size. I also wear an 8W in the other name brand sneaker that's been sold at L.L.Bean for years. These boots are waterproof. I spent 2-3 hours climbing up and down a waterfall in these boots, hiked about 4 miles through a stream (poor drainage on a trail), snow, rain, etc. Never had an issue with wet feet. My feet stayed nice and warm in the winter, but not hot in the summer (though its been a cool summer). My reason for 4 stars, they're falling apart on me within 6-9 months. The seems on side of the boot are splitting, the rubber from the tread is separating from the leather of the boot, not sure if this can be fixed without compromising the boot. Maybe mine are defective, I don't know what's going on because this is my 1st pair of crestas, no 2nd or 3rd pair to compare them to. I'm willing to try another pair, because they were that good while they lasted, to see if I can get more wear out of the next pair. I should add, I do a decent amount of hiking. I'll give an approximate, so you can compare. In the winter, regardless of conditions, I put in at the very least 15-18 miles up to 32 miles in a week. In summer 25 miles up to 40-48 miles per week. I hike quite a bit, nearly every day. I didn't expect to get 5-20 years out of these boots, since I hike so much, but I'd like at least 1 year at this price point. They perform exactly how I expect a boot to perform on trails, but they fell apart too quickly (no small matter imo).
I love these boots. They fit perfectly and are true to size. I had these boots on last night during a heavy rain storm and the only thing dry on me was my feet! I love them so much I bought them in black and brown.
