Men's Bates 8" Zero Mass

I take a star off because the soles have that honey comb type of hollowness. Only one though because it provides insulation (could be heat or cold) and it hasn't cavitated. And the sizing is naval. I would not know the increments. They stretch. They can be donned and doffed with some trouble via the zipper. This aspect keep my socks in a line and I find this is a critical malfunction for me. The lower eyelets I removed because they were painful and did not serve a meaningful purpose. After doing this I began to install kevlar cords -- to prevent the ripping of the leather. I was lazy and never finished, wound up pulling it out but the leather has held up. My rational for buying these boots was that they were not western style and had a full sole of rubber (which is remarkably hard to find) and they are light weight and inexpensive. The soles do not sit exactly as a flat foot. The heel toe does correspond to one however. At something like an 8.5 or a 9 I can't really lace them up as snug as I might otherwise but they do the job. Lacing is a double at the top with x's the rest of the way up. There is a maxi pad piece of cardboard that I had to pull out! There was a point of discomfort. Cardboard? I wear insoles that I retain from shoe to shoe boot to boot, so... $90 4*'s

The boot itself feels fine. I heard that it was a little large for the size, so armed with that knowledge, I got a size smaller than what I normally wear. In terms of being water resistant, I can step in about 3 inches of water before the boot starts leaking. One other nice thing is that even if the boot is completely soaked, it'll dry out in a day. One of the bad things about this boot is the poor quality of the eyelets, especially along the toe of the boot. In the 3 months I've had them, I've had three break off. Another con is that the soles are already flattened under the balls of my feet. And that's after three months of everyday use and two 3-5 day trips into the backcountry. I would not recommend these for deployed military personnel - they aren't standing up to much abuse. For everyday use, they're okay.

Best boots I ever owned only thing I don't like is that that there alittle hard to put on because the inside is rubbery but other the that there the best.

Pros: The boots are lighter than my running shoes. They are very comfortable to walk around in. Cons: I have big feet 13.5 Wide and its tight getting my ankle to slide in. The tounge does not stretch but once in they are Awesome.