How to Choose Hiking Boots

With leather and textile uppers, the men's Oboz Bridger Low waterproof shoes offer breathable comfort and rugged performance for your hiking adventures in wet or dry weather.
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Imported.
View the Oboz Bridger Product LineView all Oboz Men's Hiking ShoesBest Use | Hiking |
---|---|
Footwear Height | Ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Waterproof | Yes |
Upper | Nubuck leather/ textile |
Lining | B-DRY waterproof breathable membrane/nylon mesh |
Midsole | Dual-density EVA |
Support | Thermoplastic urethane forefoot plate/nylon shank |
Outsole | Carbon rubber |
Weight (Pair) | 2 lb. 3 oz. |
Gender | Men's |
7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |
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U.S. Men's | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
U.S. Women's | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | ||||||
UK | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
EU | 39.5 | 40 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 |
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Usually a big fan of Oboz. This is my third different pair. The durability and craftsmanship off this is unacceptable. The right boot has a small separation at the toe cap just a few months after purchase. I chose not to return as it didn’t, at the time, compromise the waterproofness. Today the left boot sole delaminated. These booths are only 14 months old. I live in Northen Michigan and are never worn in the winter. I also have a high top boot that is worn often. This maybe had 6 months of intermittent usage. I’m now out of the return policy. $160 wasted. Super unhappy!
Great! Best fitting, most comfortable low-top hiker I've worn! After 3,500+ miles and two years, the uppers are still in great shape. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is the extreme uneven wear of the soles. After one year of use, I expected to have worn a lot of the sole, but the tread materials must be different densities, because the heels wore out at a much faster rate than the rest of the soles. After two years of daily wear, the left heel is almost non-existent, and I'm almost worn through the hard plate of both soles, but I'm still wearing them because they're so comfortable! Just bought my second pair, because I loved the first so much! Hoping they've fixed the issue with the soles.
This is an update to my 5 star review of a month ago. These shoes are no longer waterproof after just casual walking in wet grass. The main reason I bought them was to have some waterproof low-quarter walking/hiking shoes so I am quite disappointed. I still like their fit and feel - a bit on the heavy side but sturdy underfoot. Being waterproof was paramount so I've changed my rating to 1 star.
This is the second pair of Oboz I have owned. The first was a pair of hiking boots. I usually wear a wide size shoe. I ordered these in a wide size and they felt pretty tight when I first wore them. I wanted to give them a chance since the previous pair of boots were the same size and fit fine. After two days of wearing them, they felt great. Just like the others I own. The sole or bottom is an aggressive cleat. It also comes up on the side a little for rough trails. I think it performs very well and traction is not an issue. The toe cap has a kind of molded cover. It’s nice to have this protections so the toe will not wear. I think the shoe looks pretty slick. The leather upper, rubber accents and stitching give it a great look. I typically tie my shoes in a double knot. I found that the shoe laces were a bit short. I could still do it but have opted for some longer laces to make this easier. Overall, I think these shoes are a winner. They were a bit pricy, but after wearing them and seeing how they perform, they are worth it.
I've done about about 25 miles of hiking in these shoes so far and I like them more and more each mile. Out of the box, they felt very stiff but went on comfortably. Over the course of my first two hikes I found that I had to readjust the lacing every few miles as the shoes loosened and began to flex more. They now feel very well formed to my feet and are very comfortable. The tread is super grippy, although as another review noted, they slipped a little the first time encountering wet terrain. Since then, the soles don't slip at all. For a waterproof shoe, my feet have felt reasonably cool, including on an 11-mile hike in the Olympics in 80 degree weather. Overall a very sturdy shoe that I look forward to using for many miles to come.
I find this shoe to be fairly good, although I think many of the reviews here give too much credit in some regards and too little in others. For instance, the shoe will show plenty of wear with normal trail use (see pic) and the fabric eyelets do wear, but not at an extreme rate. I have owned these since 8/2016 and wear them for everyday use as well as trails and off-trail (mushrooming). The tread shows great durability and has a great pattern that I find grips about everything I do. I agree they are very comfortable and not too hot; mine have seen use hiking Haleakala and did great. I also own the Firebrand and I like the Bridger better for the ability to tighten up easier/better. I occasionally clean with saddle soap and treat with mink oil or beeswax and that's kept them in good shape. So now the caveat: - Not waterproof. I have 2 pair of these and tried the second pair and found the same result, which I also find with the Firebrand, so sample size: three. I suspect the leakage comes between the footbed and the partial surround attachment, which seems about right based on seepage patterns inside. I verified by wearing cotton socks in rain to make sure. I laid a thin layer of sealant over the entire bed and slightly onto the B-Dry and they perform much better wrt waterproofing. Typically, this failure is a deal-breaker, but the shoes are very comfortable and the modification mostly works, so I'm granting 4 stars.
I have owned them for over a year (bought on 4/16/2015) and I am not friendly to my footwear. Although they are not my primary hiking footwear, they could be. the only complaint i can think of, which isn't really a complaint if you ask me is they did have a break in period for my feet. As others have mentioned they still look new; the stitching is still perfect, and the tread is not noticeably warn. the insoles show some wear through the fabric where my big toe resides and I've broke a shoe lace recently...dang. ive owned many different flavors of this "type" of shoe from Teva, all the merrell varieties, solomon, la sportivia, and keen, none of them have come close to the durability of these shoes. i would recommend and I would also buy again.
I've worn this shoe, the Sawtooth, and Firebrand II, each for over 1000 miles of thru hiking, and the Bridger Low beats them all handily. 1100 miles through the Sierras and into Oregon, this shoe looked like new when I decided to replace it. No cuts, no tears, no gashes, normal wear. It was stable, comfortable (no blisters), and the uppers and footbridge showed little wear. BDry works well on this shoe, but my feet never got hot. And my feet and interior socks were clean at the end of the day. The footbridge on this shoes weared much better than the other Oboz's and was not slippery on wet rock or trees. This shoe weighs a bit more than some, but it provides more support and cushion due to it's mass. What can I say; after almost 5,000 miles of thru hiking in the last 3 season's this shoe was the best by far.
I will admit, I have written a few reviews, but not many clothing or shoe reviews. Honestly, I was just looking online at REI for their sale items and had these shoes sitting in front of me and thought, wow, theses shoes are my go to shoes. I wear them everyday. I don't even question them because I put them on and they feel like they are part of my feet. They never make my feet sore and there was no break in period for them. I ordered them about six months ago from REI and they were a little small so I went back and got the 11 size. Awesome shoes and I would buy another pair, but honestly they show no wear and are tough. I do not think you will be disappointed. Try them on at the REI if you get a chance to get the right size.
My first pair of these shoes were the best hiking boots I've ever had, handling a Presidential Traverse with ease. I also have the mid-height version, but I like these best. When I eventually wore out my Bridger Lows, I bought a replacement pair from REI online a few weeks ago. Even though they're the identical model and size., the new ones are significantly narrower. At first I thought it was just a matter of breaking them in (though I don't recall that ever being an issue with my two other pairs of Bridgers), but even after stubbornly wearing them anyway, they're still uncomfortable. It's a serious disappointment.