How to Choose Hiking Boots

Built for day hikes and mellow overnights, the women's Oboz Ousel Mid Waterproof hiking boots don't mind a little mud on the trail—and neither will you—thanks to their B-DRY waterproof construction.
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Imported.
View all Oboz Women's Day Hiking BootsBest Use | Hiking |
---|---|
Footwear Height | Over-the-ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Waterproof | Yes |
Type of Waterproofing | Single-layer B-DRY waterproof membrane |
Upper | Nubuck leather/mesh |
Midsole | Single-density EVA |
Support | ESS plate |
Outsole | Swiftcurrent with Trail Tread rubber compound |
Weight (Pair) | 1 lb. 12.2 oz. |
Gender | Women's |
Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Women's | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 12 |
UK | 3.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9.5 |
EU | 36 | 37 | 37.5 | 38 | 38.5 | 39.5 | 40 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 44 |
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Initially I loved these boots! Fit perfectly from day #1. They definitely keep their water proofing. However, they have worn poorly. I am a 5 foot 6 inch, 120 pound, 75 year old woman. I am not hard on things. But the last two months the leather covering had begun to come off the toe. The boots are only 10 months old. I wrote Oboz about this and they recommended seeing a shoe repair man or using shoe goo. Not impressive. I have used light touches of gorilla glue which I've added shoe polish to—looks crummy, but it works.
I wear a size 7 athletic shoe/sneaker and a 6 1/2 dress shoe. I bought these in the blue color in a size 7 and it was a perfect fit with a medium weight hiking sock. My feet have high arches, a narrow heel and an average overall width. The boot cupped my heel securely with zero slipping. There was plenty of room in the toe box to spread out my toes, no rubbing the sides of the boot. If your foot is any wider than average, you may feel cramped in the toe box. They were comfortable out of the box, but I wore them on several shorter hikes for a break-in period before using them on an all-day 20 mile hike. It rained the entire hike and my feet stayed completely dry - Even when slogging through ankle deep mud. No blisters, no hotspots. i used the insole that it came with and had adequate support. The boots provide a comfortable padded collar and a great ankle stability. I am happy with the grip of the sole on various terrain. Much to my surprise, they even cleaned up beautifully after being caked in mud. I’m extremely pleased with this purchase and the boots’ performance.
Weird upward curve at the toe felt uncomfortable, upper toe knuckles were pushing against the top due to the curvature of the shoe, slightly narrow, not very comfortable sole. They were much lighter in weight than my last Oboz. Didn't like and ended up returning.
I have difficulty finding shoes that fit: narrow heel, wide forefoot, and high instep. I had every waterproof backpacking boot available at REI in a wide shipped to the house because there are rarely any available in-store. This pair was the last to arrive. The other Oboz I tried were too flat across the front as were a couple other brands. This pair fit just right, allowing my toes to move freely while keeping my foot and ankle stable in the boot. We took a short, steep hike this evening to test them out. They are great! They do seem to run a bit longer than the other Oboz styles.
The shoes were really cute but is was so narrow that it hurts your feet cause it bounded your feet so tight.
Great as an everyday walker/ not great if you are looking for a sturdy hiker. I’ve had several compliments which is very unusual! They have a grippy sole, but I’d say the fit is too loose to Trust them on rocky hiking, and if course the sole is not high quality compared to other brands.
Super comfortable wear all day support with zero break in time.
Super comfortable hiking boot . No break in needed for me. I used them for the first time on a hike in the Colorado rockies area. Had great traction too
I needed to find a new brand that fit my narrow foot with a high arch and Oboz fit the bill. Quality boot that required no break in time.
I have been wearing Oboz for 10 years but these boots tripped me due to right lace catching on left inside highest hook so I fell on my face----I took to shoe repair to have highest inside hook on other foot shoe removed and no additional problems----I wrote to Oboz customer service to warn customers but no response. I love their shoes but customer service is certainly not impressive due to no response.