Hi-Tec Men's Flagstaff Waterproof Hiking Boot

Overall, the boots look great. I inspected them and found absolutely no flaws. They are well designed and the manufacturing quality is very good (at least at first sight). However, they run small. I normally use 8 size and ordered them accordingly. I know that the best time to try on a pair of boots is the afternoon since the feet tend to swell during the day, but I could not wait to try these on as soon as I received them, so I put them on in the morning of that day. Well, I believe they were at least half a number small even though it was in the morning and I was not using thick socks. In my opinión, it is a well constructed boot and I am planning on ordering another pair one size bigger, but it would surely be fine for Hi Tec to pay more attention to sizes in order to provide more accurate information about their product.Well, this is the continuation of the first sight review (prior paragraph). After several months using the new pair (one size bigger was fine), the only complaint that I have is that their breathability is very poor. I DO NOT suffer from sweaty feet and I had never had that issue before with any kind of footwear (I have owned many different types of working boots, running shoes, formal shoes, etc.). However, something happens with these boots that make my socks end up very humid on certain specific spots: around the toes, a small spot on the arch of the feet and another small portion in the outer edge of my feet. And that kept happening while using them in temperatures close to 0 Celsius degrees. Now, since I had put Dr. Scholl's inserts on them, after a few days I had to wash the inserts because they started to get smelly (as a consequence of the sweating feet), something that I had never had trouble with before using the Flagstaffs.But in all fairness, I must also mention that, and this is remarkable, my feet NEVER felt soaked or cold while inside the boot, which is something that allowed me to keep using them in cold weather without any problem in that regard. That is, while using them, my feet felt dry and warm and I just realized that they had been sweating when I took the boots off.Overall, I believe those problems are not enough so as to change my rating of the product, because they could be dealt with, but they are certainly not desirable. If you can deal with those issues, you will have a pair of well made and very comfortable boots at an extraordinarily cheap price.

I hated these boots until I found what they're actually good at.Initial impressions were very good. Out of the box, and in casual wear around town, these have a very plush, almost moon-boot like feel to them. I had bought them as a lightweight hiker though, and they kind of failed miserably at that. I took them on a few day hikes, and had the same bad experience every time. On extended descents, the relatively thin but squishy forefoot padding and thick heel padding conspired to create BIG problems for me- leg cramps, shin splints, and foot pain. For having such a substantial heel and midfoot platform stiffness, the forefoot on these boots is just too flexible for serious hiking duty, at least for me. That stiffness gradient almost created a "hinge" in the sole that dictated where the boot wanted to flex. By mile 8 or 9, it was clear this flex point didn't line up with the one in my feet. So I tossed them in the closet and went back to my stiff, Vibram soled boots. No plushness there, but no cramps or shin splints either.Cut to a few months later. I was heading out on my mountain bike to ride some single track, and I ripped an eyelet out of my normal cycling shoes. I grab these from the closet, and head out, not expecting much except getting a ride in. They immediately become my cycling shoes. These WORK as mtb shoes. The loop on the tongue allows me to tuck laces away and keep them out of the chain, and I don't care that the forefoot is kind of floppy on a pedal. The midfoot is stiff and transfers pedaling power well. The sole of the boot is grabbed well by my pinned pedals, and hasn't been torn to shreds in the year and a half I've been using them this way. They're still nice and plush, shed mud well, and are pretty waterproof. For the infrequent amount I'm off my bike (crossing streams, getting over fallen trees, etc.) these are totally comfortable.So to summarize, these are pretty good as a casual boot, terrible as an actual hiking boot, and great as a mountain biking shoe. Four stars?

Got these boots because the lightning deal and good reviews. I've had bad luck with both expensive and cheap boots before, but I've also had good luck with expensive and cheap boots, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The first pair I ordered were my normal size. They ran a bit small for me, so I had to go a half size bigger. Amazon swapped them out free of charge, which was much appreciated. Once I got the bigger boots, I set out to go on a hike in the mountains. I ended up meeting some friends for a 9.5 mile hike total in and out. I think we gained 2700 ft. of elevation over the first half of the hike. Having gone up a decent amount of uphill, I didn't have any complaints about the boots. I do wear sock liners though, which help prevent blisters, but I have found with really lightweight boots, I tend to get blisters even wearing liners. These boots are sturdy, but not too heavy and not too light. My feet did get a little warm by the end of the hike, but that's understandable. These are not the most breathable boots, but the waterproofing worked well on this first hike. I've only got the one hike to base my review on, but if the boots don't destroy my feet on the first hike without having been broken in, then they probably will be fine as long as they hold up. I will report back if I notice any significant issues with the boots. For the low price tag, I found these boots were just as effective as my much more expensive LaSportiva boots, which finally bit the dust.