Tecnica Shasta

Received the boots in the mail from ebay, so it was a blind buy. I ordered 1/2 size larger (9.5) to fit with thick wool socks. First, break-in period was short -- one boot fit perfectly from the beginning, but the other one took 3-4 days or 30 km walking around the town. It was stiff and hurt the ankle. After that -- no problems. TCY version is waterproof indeed, I have spent days walking in the wet, melting snow and no complaints whatsoever.

The general feel is that I give 4.5 out of 5, since these boots are well constructed, have a rubber protector on the toes, and are very comfortable when hiking in the rough terrain. I wish they were a bit more tighter -- I have rather narrow feet. That's why not clear 5. Overall, you can go to mountains for this 500km trip and these boots won't let you down.

P.S. They are made in China, but obviously under very strict control. High quality.

They were in mint condition, not even broken-in when the bottoms started separating.

I paid top dollar $170 with two pair of wicking and wool socks from Campmor. They fit well, were professionally fitted, taught how to properly lace and care for them.

I wore them on the Sunfish Pond overnight on the Appalachian Trail and a few times a year for day hikes and to go camping. They were kept clean, never submerged in water barely saw rain and the other day I go to wear them to Great Adventure for Freight-Fest and the heel broke loose.

I've had several Merrell pairs of hiking sneakers with Vibram soles that have worn down from daily use and never this problem. 

In a recent survey among friends about favorite item of clothing -- this was mine. Have had my pair for several years now, they were comfortable from the first step (my feet are a little wide and wearing medium socks they were a perfect fit -- feet never cold in them either). The rubber soles have kept me upright on all kinds of slippery surfaces -- maybe that's what I like best. These offer great ankle support and I need all the support for my damaged ankle. Have been anxious about finding the next pair, these are wearing -- wish I had done a better job keeping them up.