Oboz  Bangtail Mid Insulated Waterproof Hiking Boots - Men's

I am very happy with the Bangtail boot. I spend alot of time outdoors in mountainous terrain and so far these boots have kept my feet warm and dry; especially dry when walking through sloppy ugly melted slush. These boots are not too bulky and am able to add YakTrax or snow shoes with no problem. The high-top design reduces the chance of snow coming in from the top and getting socks wet. I also have found that when it gets REALLY cold there is room for toe warmers. I am also pleased with the fact that if I go indoors with these boots on, they do not overheat or feel big and clunky. Most winter days these are on my feet all day.

Coming to these boots from the Oboz Sawtooth insulated hikers I've been wearing for a few years, I'd have to say these boots are only OK, but not great. While they are easy to get on and off and the Vibram outsoles are grippy, these are not the usual comfort and hikeable boots I'm used to from Oboz. These have a softer-than-normal midsole than other Oboz, which is fine for general walking around town or trail walking, but would definitely not cut it in active Winter hiking use, especially carrying heavier loads - you can feel more trail impact and compression of the midsole than you'd expect in hiking boot. The exterior leather is also softer and overly flexible for my liking, which again, would diminish support for hiking use. The other significant detraction of these I found is they weren't as warm in the toe area as I'd expect and am used to with Oboz' offering 200gm of insulation and I could feel cold seeping through in temps below 25 degrees. Never had that issue with my insulated Sawtooths, nor other 200gm insulated hikers I've owned for that matter.