ProsDurable, Great Value, Comfortable, Performing as Expected, worth every penny
These are excellent hiking boots. Tough, durable and well made. They fit perfectly right out of the box. I've had almost no break-in period. Just pull them on and hit the trail.
Unlike some GTX products sourced from the far side of the Pacific, these Italian-made boots were correctly sized.
I don't hesitate in recommending these boots to anyone. Way to go Bean!
ProsDurable, Great Value, Comfortable, Performing as Expected
Took about 28 miles to break them in. They are now really comfortable and strong. I believe these are the best hiking boots I have ever owned. Comfortable and built to last. Previously I owned Vasque Sundowner boots which were nice but were not built as good as these. Have also owned Merrel, and Keene hiking boots. LL Bean blows them all out of the water. Keep up the great work with the best material and value !
As of this week, I've owned a pair of leather Crestas in 14B for two years. Some background: all my previous hiking was done with trail running shoes. My feet measure to a 14AA. I have not done any multi-day hikes on the boots yet.
That said, they are fantastic. I stacked green Superfeet insoles on top of the existing insoles and they took up enough volume for the boot to properly fit my feet. No hot spots, no blisters, nothing. After the DC area's snowiest winter ever (second only to Buffalo last season) they kept my feet warm and dry on my walks to the office and to the grocery store in heavy blizzard conditions. A previous reviewer claims "You should not have to wear thick sock to make a $160.00 boot fit properly;" to that I can only repeat from LLBean's description: "Fit best with heavyweight socks." I used some Freesole to make a toe cap (I tend to abuse my footwear at the toes) and it worked nicely; a real toe cap is the only difference I can think of between these and my ideal boots.
With the caveat that I only have them two weeks I'll say that these are the best boots I've ever had. Fit is excellent for a guy who takes a 13w. uppers need a bit of breaking in, and feel very comfortable after that. Sole and midsole is very firm - which is what I need - yet the firmness and stability is in no way uncomfortable. I bought two pair, one for hiking and walking, and one for work in a garage. Only downside I see to this point is a bit of slippines on wet concrete flooring, especially where there is some oily residue, but not enough to be dangerous.
