After much researching and on the advice of a mountaineering friend who's had his Cresta's for 10 years and wears them all the time, took the plunge yesterday and bought my first pair of hiking boots. At the store, the Medium width pinched my foot just a little after about 5-10 minutes, so the sales guy immediately recommended I try the Wide. I wore them later that evening and was afraid that my heel was slipping. But this morning, after re-adjusting the lacing, went on my first hike ever, and the boots felt fabulous! I have high arches and weak ankles, yet my feet felt totally supported and my heel was no longer slipping, all this while trudging through the snow and uneven terrain. I'm used to wearing heavy tall shaft boots with a rugged sole, so these Crestas didn't feel heavy to me. I ended up wearing the Crestas all day. Super comfy. So happy with this purchase!
The wide width is not wide - basically a medium. More importantly, the video clearly advertises the boots as made by AKU Italia. Italian boots are great which is why I ordered them for my wife. The boots we received were marked as made in Romania. I expect better from Bean. They are going back.
I have foot issues. It is very difficult to find hiking boots that fit me comfortably. Because I have a slightly wide foot, I sometimes go with men's boots. For example, I had to buy the Gore Tex Mountain Treads in men's 8 1/2 because the women's 10 didn't fit right. I wish I had bought these instead, but at the time I thought I didn't want a full leather boot and didn't want to spend $200 so I didn't even try them on.
Recently, I was at our local LLBean store and I saw these on sale! And lo and behold, there was a pair of 9 1/2 Wides sitting on the shelf. I HAD to try them. I put them on, they fit perfectly with plenty of room in the toe box. My feet did not pronate at all. The arch support was exactly where it should be and I could tell my foot would not slide forward in the boot causing "toe strike." To top it all off, there is a "rocker" in the front of the boot which makes forward movement much less fatiguing (my Mountain Treads do not have this and I experienced achilles tendonitis as a result.) They remind me of my favorite old hiking boots that I had to give up after my two pregnancies made the boots shrink ;-)
So far I have worn these to the store a few times and on one short hike (2-3 miles with some steep terrain.) These boots did not bother my feet at all. I am hoping that they will help give me stamina on longer hikes, since my feet usually give out before the rest of me does. I'm very excited to take them backpacking in warmer weather.
These hiking boots are top quality! Full grain leather, gusseted tongue, vibram sole. This kind of quality is very difficult to find anymore. The size was perfect, nice full toebox. I ordered my usual size, 8 1/2 medium. Perfect fit. The support is amazing! If you have any foot problems, give these a try. While, yes. they are a little pricey, in this case, you get what you pay for. I got the dark brown, it reminds me of Hershey Syrup, Beautiful. Also, they arrived in 4 days!
