I am 215 lbs with hard to fit feet (13 4E) and I love hiking. An injury to my lower leg left me with permanent nerve damage and a challenge to find orthotics and footwear for the past 40 years or so. These boots are amazing in fit and quality. I purchased a pair in May of 2017 and tested them out around town. These are the kind of shoes that when you slip your foot into for the first time you know right away that they are "the ones". Subsequent hikes in the Oregon and Washington Cascades gave me the confidence to take them on treks in the Alps and Himalayas. Carried a twenty pound pack on steep up and downhills are no problem. No blisters ever. The insoles that they came with slip out and I can use my custom orthotics instead. The lacing is quick and logical and allows one to adjust tension for up or down hill. I wear merino wool socks with a thin liner over. A sock company in New England makes the best socks on the planet. Good match for these boots. With several hundred miles of trails on these there is no sign of any wear or degradation. The soles are not overly aggressive but provide excellent grip on rock and dry trails. The tread does not hold dirt or mud and self cleans. On very muddy or slippery trails one may want a boot with more lugs. The waterproofness worked for awhile stepping through water several inches deep but eventually this feature broke down slightly as can be expected with the abuse I gave these on the trails. They are also very good looking and can be worn around town. I really appreciate shoe makers who cater to the ends of the bell curve on foot size. Have been a New Balance fan for years for this reason. Also own New Balance 990 V4. Fantastic shoe that I will review as well. One other thing. I found out that boot laces become imbedded with grime which causes friction through the lace lugs making it difficult to adjust the lace tension. A new pair of laces for about two dollars in a shop in Kathmandu was like having a new set of tires. I washed the old pair and kept them in my pack as a spare.
All in all would definitely buy another pair but I don't think I can wear these out.

Bought these boots in January of 2017. First thoughts out of the box and on my feet were "finally found a boot that I can be comfortable in!"... I have 5e wide feet with a normal arch. I have worn these boots everyday for 8-12 hrs per day. Even though I bought 4e size (one width size too small) these have been the most comfortable boots I've tried.The day now is august 22 2017. About 3 months ago, I noticed the soul of my boots were coming off (where the leather meets the rubber, towards the front). Not long after I noticed this (about two weeks) I could slide 4fingers in between the soul and the leather. I work a lot with structural grade caulking so I just glued the souls back on. Been fine with this up until about two weeks ago, when a second (less repairable) issue was found. I work outside in Florida, rain is very common. One day I noticed my socks were wet. After taking a close look, the stitching on the side of the boot had given out. Now I can reach into said hole and feel my foot. I had expected or hoped these boots would last me longer. Advertised as durable but I had to do my own repairs after 5 months of use. I am buying a replacement pair, because the comfort can't be beat in my opinion. 3 stars are just for comfort. If they had lasted longer than 5 months without a problem, would have been 5 easy.

I just got these, so the five stars is based on my initial reaction, not from extended wear of the boots.

First things first, these boots run large. I normally wear a men's 9.5 EE/EEE. I ordered a 9.5 4E and the length was too long by *at least a half-size.* I exchanged for a size 9.0 4E and the fit is good, with room in the toe box and not too much room around the foot that it would cause blisters.

I went with a 4E, because 2E shoes are often snug on my right foot. (My right foot is a 3E and many shoes are not available in 3E.) This shoe's foot bed cradles your foot almost to the point that it feels like arch support on the outside edge of your foot. For that reason, be certain you get a good width. Anything too narrow will make you feel like you are wearing orthotics.

All in all, I am very happy with the purchase and am looking forward to putting them to some serious trail hiking this year.

After buying New Balance boots for twenty years, I realized NB had dropped most of the ankle-high boots and my local NB store only had one style of boot and they did not have my size (10-4E). I bought these boots because I had previously bought Dunham walking shoes at my NB store and I really liked the way they fir my foot and how well they lasted - about five years.

Upon opening the box I was impressed that unlike NB, the quality of the leather and the fit and sealing of seams and overlays was really just about perfect. I tried them on and the fit was perfect. I walked around the house for a while and they felt as good as a pair of old, broken-in boots. I have worn them every day since and couldn't be happier.

In comparing these boots to the only NB near-equivalent, their MW1400DB, the Dunham's look like you'd want a boot to look, and the NB's look like a vinyl copy of what you'd think a NB boot should look like. The NB boots are being returned and if they continue this cheap-looking, poorly fitting plan of making boots, I won't go back to them. And yes, I know Dunham was acquired by NB several years ago, but obviously, someone at Dunham is resisting the idea of making a cheap boot that looks like a very cheap boot.

I wore these for about six miles as a "break in" period leading up to a 20+ mile backpacking trek in Rocky Mtn Nat Park in late June. So, a total of up to 32 miles/3 days including the walking after the trek. The trail portion totaled about 24 miles on up and down (quite steep in places, including Flattop Mt) rocky, muddy and snowy trails as well as a good Rocky Mt rain for several hours.

First off, they're comfortable at first but seem to lose support/cushioning after only several hours. They are also NOT completely waterproof. After the first exposure to rain my feet were rendered "damp". After the rainy afternoon, they were down right wet. As shown in the one pic (so why bother taking one and boots are still in Colorado at friends place anyway) they split at the seem at almost the exact same area of the toe as in the pic.

Very disappointed, ESPECIALLY for the price. Going back to Merrell.