text: After quite a bit of research I settled on these for my husband for day hikes.  He is crazy about these boots.  We're hiking rocky, mountainous terrain for up to 15 miles & he says these give him GREAT ankle support and NO blisters.  They also provide good traction on boulder scrambles.  They look much better in real-life than they do online, but the bears don't give a crap what your shoes look like anyway.  With regard to fit, he has the tendency to have a long foot with a wide ball, but a somewhat narrow heel.  These don't pinch in the toe area, but are snug enough that his heel isn't slipping out either.  He hasn't gotten them wet so I can't report on the water-proofing.  So far he has used them in the summer months only so we'll see how far into the fall they go.  Well made shoe, no complaints.