Northside Men's Ridgecrest Mid Hiking Boot

I had been searching for weeks trying to find a waterproof boot for my 11 years old son, who is making the transition from youth footwear to adult footwear. All the in-store waterproof boots were priced over $100. It was very difficult for me to decide to buy any of those booths as I knew he was still growing and so would only be wearing it for the current late fall to winter season. I eventually decided to buy his booths in-store but, then came the challenge of finding a size 7 or 8. This lead me to Amazon where I purchased the Northside booths. For $41.10, the price was superb. I asked my son about the comfort of the booth and he said that it is great. This is the booth he wears to school when it rains, snow or is just cold. I should also add that he takes public transit to school. We recently had heavy heavy snow fall in our area and the booths seemed to be doing fine. Recently we went out together and while we were waiting at the bus stop he was jumping and crushing the hardened snow with his booths. I must say that I am most please with my purchase. I would suggest that buyers select a half size or one size higher than they would wear in a regular sneakers or running shoes. As a Canadian buyer I was disappointed that I had to pay for shipping because Amazon.ca does not sell this item and may others which are sold at amazon.com

The first pair I ordered of these got here in record time. The first thing that I noticed was how light they are! When I picked up the box I couldn't figure out what it could be. I had place orders for several items at the same time and all the items that could have taken a box this big was already hear. That only left the boots and it was so light I thought there was no way it could have the boots in it. when I opened the box, sure enough it was the pair of boots I ordered!They were so light they were only slightly more than the low top Dr Scholl's walking shoes I have or the Reebok's cross trainers I have. And since I wear a size 12, a pair of these boots in a size 12 shouldn't be that light! A size 6 or 7 maybe, but a 12? Imagine the disappointment when I put them on and they were way too short. I really didn't want to send them back but there was no way that I could wear them as short as they were. I received them last Monday and put in the return request that afternoon and asked for a replacement pair in the next bigger size, 13.The returned pair was picked up the next day, Tuesday, I got the replacement pair yesterday, Thursday! Now that's some FAST service. I've never got an item, returned it, and received the replacement in so short a time! Now the size 13 boots are a little heavier, but not by much. They are still the lightest, most comfortable boots I've ever had. I am super pleased with them. ;-) Since I got the 13's I can now get a arch support and put in them for my Duck Feet. Not that they are webbed like a Duck ;-) Just flat as a Duck's. I've had terribly flat feet since I was a kid and on the City Swim Team during the summers. 9 yrs of running around barefoot on concrete destroyed the arch in my feet. That's one of the reasons I bought these boots. The other is for the heal that raises the heal of my foot helping to take some of the strain off of my lower back while I'm standing and turning wood on my wood lathe. The tops are high enough to keep from getting wood chips in them too. Big plus over the Dr Scholl's that have been wearing.As for the shoes construction. Starting with the tread on the bottom. It's composed of wide slightly deep treads with smaller treads between the larger. It appears to be designed to be self cleaning, depending on what kind of mud &/or snow you get into with them. As most of you know some mud in like glue and won't come loose from anything! These probably have sort of a self cleaning action for the other kinds of mud, the kinds that aren't like glue. And for that mud that sticks to anything the treads are wide enough to be easy to clean by hand. Not like the close deep treads on the old Waffle Stomper Boots or Lineman or Lumberjack boots are. The area's that need it are double stitched. Under the leather and the areas without the leather is all heavy weave nylon that will breath helping to keep your feet cooler. They have a heavy plastic toecap that's molded to look like the nylon canvas the rest of the boot is made of. Overall they appear to be well made and designed to hold up under pretty heavy use with the usual weak area's reinforced in one way or another. Around the ankle area is well padded and they have one lacing hook above the last loop that when used will tighten the ankle padding to help give support to reduce the chance of a sprained ankle and just general additional ankle support. The tongue of the boot is also well padded. It could stand to be just a little bit wider at the top but that's no biggy.From needing them for trail hiking to standing and running a machine, or just walking around the block or down the street I can recommend these boots. I got them to wear while running my wood lathe and they work great. I cant get over how light they are and they are still fairly flexible for a boot too. If you are looking for a good boot for a fair price, give these a try. I can hardly wait to get these broke in and molded to my feet and see how they will feel then! Now I'm heading to the store to get a pair of the gel insoles that are like a mini waterbed for your feet. I've had those before and they massage your feet while you walk or wiggle your toes when standing. When I was still working as a machinist they were great for when I had to stand in one spot doing "put & take production" on a machine.Any who, for me these are just perfect for what I needed. As for anybody else, for a fairly good boot on a budget, these could be just what you're looking for. If you try them and don't like them you shouldn't have any problem sending them back. At least I didn't have any problem with sending my first pair back.

The highlight is that they are reasonably water proof. Also, they soles are sturdy enough that if you enjoy difficult, elevation changing trails that border on rock climbing, these will provide you with sufficient support.That said, they run small, so buy them a half size bigger. My toes are killing me, especially on a downhill, after an hour or two. Finally, they aren't the most durable. I've worn them maybe a dozen times covering less than 100 miles and already the toe rubber is coming off the soles.A decent cheap boot if you don't plan on doing a ton of hiking. If you're serious though, spend the money and get a higher grade boot.UPDATE: As of March 2016, less than a year after purchase, they're done. They made it maybe a couple hundred miles before the toe/sole completely separated from the midsole on the right boot.

Upon first inspection of these boots when I got them in the mail, they seemed well made and light weight for how big they are. After testing them on a camping trip this past weekend, they held up extremely well and kept my feet warm. They grip well on both rock and gravel/dirt surfaces. Didn't get to test how waterproof they actually are, but I suspect they would hold up well because they don't breath all that well (feet were a little sweaty at the end of the day, but that's to be expected). They are actually quite comfortable on the soles, but the back side over my ankle irritated my skin a bit from its forward angle. In fairness, I wasn't wearing hiking socks, which would have provided more thickness and comfort.Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. For the price, you won't find a better pair of hiking boots. The meager cost also makes you feel better about roughing them up a bit.