From recently revived thread, I thought this would be interesting.

I've tried Asolo, Hi-Tec, Lowa and Merrell. I've found for myself that nothing but Merrell's will go on my feet. I have 2 pairs. 1 for backpacking and some whacks (Perimeter), very water proof. Another for everything else(Radius Mid) superior grip. Again, for myself, these have been extremely comfortable right out of the box.

So what's your brand?

P.S. These are just peoples opinions of what works for them. No opinion bashing please.

Also, if there's a brand I missed, just write it in. I thought these would cover most.

I have only tried one brand and that is Vasque. Extremely happy with them. They stay dry and give good ankle support. They also are strong enough to protect my feet on the sharper rocks.

My wife though is the shopper in the family. She tried quite a few pairs before her trip to the Badlands and found that she really liked LL Bean. But she's not here so her vote does not count.

Eric

I really like the Salomons that I've got. They're very light, have good ankle support, waterproof and have good traction.

I started in Vasques, but they were old and worn.

I replaced them with LL Bean Crestas which were rock solid, but heavy.

I am currently using a Scarpa, but it's not quite big enough I fear

Tim

I put my vote in for L.L. Bean, because I really like my L.L Bean Cresta Hikers for 3 seasons. But I like my Merrell Thermo 6 winter boots too. Not the warmest boot around, but they do the job for me.

I like the REI Free Spirit models (actually made by Reichle). I've owned the II's and III's but I don't think they make them any more under the REI brand....at least I haven't seen them recetly.
Next pair will probably be Vasque or La Sportiva

I currently wear a pair of Tecnica Nepal GTX. http://www.quota2912montagna.com/prodot ... -p538.html They fit my feet fine and are pretty bulletproof. The main reason I wear them though was the price. They only sold a couple hundred pair in the country so they aren't that popular. Since I work for the company I get a great discount. I checked Lowa because they are a sister company and make most of the hiking/backpacking boots now. Tecnica has recently focused more on trail runners and a couple of light hikers. My feet aren't too fussy and can adapt to most shoes. I consider myself lucky for that.

Funny...we were talking about this on Sunday. I'm on my 2nd pair of Keens. I like the fit. However, this is the replacement pair to cover a defective pair and after only the 2nd time wearing them I was carrying parts of them down in my pack. Weird.

I like Merrills, they seem to be on a par with the Keens. I got a better deal on the Keens so I went with those. I do have a pair of Garmont leathers for the winter. Love 'em. First pair I've owned that keep my feet warm AND dry on the winter hikes.

I also have a pair of Solomon's for winter hiking. They're really more of a snowshoe boot but they're super warm and lightweight.

3-Season hiking = trail runners - La Sportiva Raptors, Inov-8 Roclite 295's, Montrail's, Vasque - would love to be able to wear Salomon;s but they are not a good fit. The ones with the stickiest rubber!

Winter - Garmont Momentum Snow GTX, La Sportiva Nepal Evo's

Wow, guess I missed a lot of brands. Just goes to show though. People take care of their feet.

My wife and I are both wearing Merrils and are very happy. I need a new pair however and was looking at the Garmont, so I'm glad Kathy mentioned them. If they make a good winter boot, I would think their three season boot would be a good shoe also.

I'm currently using Asolo Powermatic 500GV's. This is my third pair of Asolo's. Went through two pairs of FSN 95's in less than a year, then decided to go big. The Powermatics are a very heavy, but very comfortable boot, my only gripe being that the tread could be deeper, and will wear out far too fast. This will probably be my last pair of Asolo's though. I figure one more season, then probably something with a Norweigian Welt sole. The all leather uppers are awesome, but I'm not interested if they cant be re-soled easily.

I've had many different brands over the years (Timberland,
Vasque, LL Bean, etc). I didn't vote because I don't really
have a preference.

Currently, I've just about blown out my second pair of
Men's Hikers from Cabela's, and will get a new pair this
upcoming Christmas. Luckily, they have them in my
oddball footsize- 12 Wide.

They kinda look like this..

Have Merrill Moabs GTX and Vasque's but prefer Merrill's.

I started in Hi-Tec's. They were OK, but they did not stay waterproof after a year. Moved on to a pair of L.L. Bean Crestas. After a few thousand miles on those it was time for a new pair. I am now on my second pair of Crestas. When these finally meet their maker I will replace them with a third pair. I love my Crestas.

Brian