These boots are beautiful and well-made, and fit! (I was nervous about buying boots without trying them on, but I ordered my normal size 11's and these fit perfectly.) They are a lot heavier and higher than what I've been wearing lately and my ankles aren't quite used to them yet. But they also provide better protection, and make me feel nearly invincible when I hike off trails, as I have to do for my job.
I have been using Cresta Hikers for over eight years and I absolutely love them and will never use any other boot for work. Yes, that's right. The Cresta Hiker is my work boot. I am a professional horticulturist and I wear these boots 12+ hours/day. My feet are always well protected and dry. Whenever I buy a new pair and I put them on for the first time, it feels like they were custom made just for me!
I backpack and have a tough foot to fit: Wide toe box; high arch; narrow heel; high instep.
Needless to say, until I found these boots, I've spent week-long treks in less than perfect (for me!) footwear. My standard backpack gear includes a variety of items to ward off tender skin (from moleskin, to silicon toe "tubes" to glide-sticks).
No more, though! When hubby suggested I order these Cresta Hikers without being able to try them on first, I laughed. How could that work for my problematic feet? Because we've been married so long, though, to make him happy I ordered these boots--and I'm eating crow (it goes down well with a handful of trail mix). But I don't care because this footwear is so comfortable.
These boots are made in Italy and I think that's what makes the difference. The last (the form they use to base the shoe's fit on) is a much better match for my type of foot than the boots I've ever purchased.
The boots are constructed well and are finished very professionally. The leather wears very well; I also use these with my snowshoes and treat them with Sno-Seal for winter use and they're still waterproof.
Sure, they're not the lightest backpacking boots on the planet, but I'm happy to have the thick soles when I'm trekking across granite throughout a long day in the High Sierra. The grid pattern is a grippy one, too.
I like these so much that I bought another pair and stashed them under the bed (they're still in the box) to use when my current pair wears out (although that looks to be a long, long time from now--and I have at least 300 miles on 'em so far). I'd hate to hear that LLBean stops selling this boot, but in case they do, I'm ready.
My husband and I recently went to the Great Smokie Mountains National Park and hiked several trails to waterfalls. This is the first time I had tried out my new Hikers. These hikes were over wet, rocky terrain that took us up and down mountains. My Hikers felt warm, dry and soft, and never required a "break-in" period. My feet were well protected from all the rocks and the boots never slipped on the wet rocks. Best of all, I could wash them off while standing in the river, and my feet never got wet. These boots are wonderful. I only wish I could wear them to work at the hospital - HA.
