The reputation these boots carry is warranted. Love them they are extremely comfortable not overbearingly heavy. Great ankle support. And they feel extremely durable. These boots were super easy to break in - it only took me about a day or so to do so.providing traction on ropes, slippery surfaces, and sheds loose mud and dirt with each step. The drainage vents haves mall mesh-lined holes which shed water and hot air. This mesh also prevents sand and debris from getting inside this boot. The inner lining of the boot is made of a soft fabric that is extremely comfortable with or without socks (I would recommend you wear socks though) A little on the pricey side but well worth the money none the less. The only con I could find about this boot is that the shoe laces are pretty thin.The laces also seem to be designed to help them stay tied - almost as if they are braided in a high-friction fashion. The end result is that they do stay tied, but if you're like me you might end up with a rub-burn when you go to take your boots off at the end of the day and pull on the laces with your index finger, loosening them up Other than that I love the warmth and comfort of these boots.According to Rock's sight these boots' featured specs are:Flash and water-Resistant leather uppers withstand fire hazards and rigors of Sea-to-Land warfareMade in the USA, Berry CompliantProprietary High-Walled Vibram Soles with Perforated Airport Cushion Footbeds and PU MidsolesAegis Microbe Shield Prevents Bacteria and Fungus Growth the cause Rot and Foot DiscomfortSuperFabric instep Panels Prevent Early boot Failure from Rope BurnDrainage Vents Move Water Out and Prevent Debris from Enteriing and Enhance BreathabilityWicking Dri-Lex Lining and Stretch Lycra Tongues Hug feet for Secure Fit1,000 Denier Cordura in Sides and Panels in Treated PTFE Coat for Flame ResistanceIf you found this review helpful, please click the “HELPFUL” button. If this is not helpful, please comment on it so I can improve my future reviews. Thank you!Right out of the box, these boots were wearable and more importantly comfortable. I love how deep into the foot bed your foot feels and the rounded edges of the soles are impressive. The laces were thin and stiff so I yanked them out and replaced them with some gutted paracord. It has been about 54 degrees here today and my feet have stayed fairly comfortable in this 9 inch (not the 8 I thought it was)tall boot. I have noticed sizing with all rocky boots seems to run about a half size small. In redwing, danner, thorogood, nike, and new balance footwear I am a size 10 ee. I have to wear a size 10.5 ee in rocky boots. as this is my first day out of the box with these boots, thats all I have for now. I am a carpenter by trade and am currently working a scaffolding job on a new construction power plant. As I wear these boots on the job, I will follow up with more reports.I've had these boots about a week now. they are a great boot, if you are in moderately warm, and very dry weather. the vent ports allow cold air to gush in when the wind blows and if you are in any kind of water at all, expect to have wet feet. Im not sure what the point of a thinsulate lining is if the boot is designed for temperate climate wear and why these are advertised as water resistant is way beyond my grasp. A light mist turned these boots into a sponge for moisture and I spent the next 10 hours walking around with wet socks and cold feet. Again, I like this pair of boots, they are comfortable right out of the box and offer excellent traction and support but I wont have them on again until the spring due to the effects of Indiana weather.*Update: I did get an exact replacement pair and they were a much better fit and did not cause a blister like the previous pair.* Very well made and durable so will take some time to really break in. Just like a few of the other reviews I got a really bad blister on the back of my upper heel. Kind of like when women wear certain shoes and they put band aids on the back of their heels this is the same thing here with these. They are well built and sturdy and I have no doubt they will last quite some time but I only wore them for a few hours max over 2-3 days and I have an open painful wound on my heel. I will return and replace to see if the next pair is better but if not I have to move on to something else.The boots have good arch support.Make sure you know your shoe size in centimeters to make it easier to find your actual size.Comfortable right out of the box. I wear a size 14 in Ariat brand boots and these 15s are the same fit. I bought these to try something different. I work 10-12hrs a day. I'm on concrete the majority of that time and the material over the steel toe is the first to go. Initial reaction is these boots should be fine. If I think of it I will update after 6 months of crawling on concrete and saturation of hydraulic and motor oil. Nobody makes a boot that holds up over a year of my abuse. I've tried every brand and the winner so far is Ariat with 10 months.Seem to be as durable as my last pair but have to admit they weren't a lace up and go boot like my first pair which was the tan version. The sage ones are slightly stiffer and need broken in but I'm sure it will only take a day or two.I didn't expect how heavy it is a first but its a nice clean boot. Not really hard to break in but there IS a break in period.The boot is comfortable except for the ankles...extremely uncomfortable...would be better if it supported the ankle.Great boots. But you might have to worn with a metal fil the seam on the achil tendon level. Once its done you’ll be fine