DC Allegiance Snowboard Boot - Men's - 2008 BCS

Fit is true to size. Air pump works as stated but can be touchy - you have to squeeze the pump just right or it won't inflate. When fully inflated it makes the boot more uncomfortable and stiffer inside. I have a skinny ankle and wide flat forefoot. The heel slipped a little, but tolerable. The lace up is fast easy and worth the price. I like the stiffness of the shell, but think the comfort of the "DC Judge" is better suited for my foot. By the end of the day my ankles were a little chaffed from the slippage and lack of padding over this bony part of the foot. Overall I am happy with the boot and all the features.

I just received these boots the 07 MAR 2009. The weather here in Indiana warmed up to 75°. Needless to say the hill I snowboard was a slushy watery mess literally puddles at the top of the hill but I wanted to get one more ride in before they closed. These boots kept my feet dry and comfortable all day long. I love the dual zone boa system. They make tightening your boot the easiest thing you will ever do. I will never go back to laces. I have really flat feet and these boot were comfortable all day long. I ordered a size 11. The Nike shoes I own are size 11.5. I figured I would put that out there for reference. The boots fit snug but I rode for 5 hours and took them off with no pain afterward. Everyone should own these boots.

Bought the size 8.5 2009 Allegiance to replace my 2007 size 9 DC Ghost boots I bought last year. Going down a half size made a huge difference to getting a quality fit. I saw some improvements with the Alliegiance - really like the dual boa system. The inner boot worked fine with draw string and velcro fasteners. I didn't find the boots to be particularly stiff. I was expecting more. The blow up blatter for a postive heel fit worked well. However, I never did release the air with the negative button - I only pumped them up with the positive one. I did find these boots comfortable and easily adjustable. Good thing, since I took them on an 8 day trip, untried, to Revelstoke BC, Big White BC, and Whistler. I highly recommend.

Size

My street shoe size is 9. In shows, I have about 1 cm of clearance from the tip of my toes to the tip my shows. I purchased these boots in 8.5 and they fit perfectly. I recommend you buy 1/2 size smaller than your street shoe unless you typically buy them tight.

Durability

Good quality build overall however, the anchor of the side BOA knob (not the actual knob, but the plastic anchor which connects it to the boot) on my right boot was partially detached. It's a two piece connection with one part stitched into the boot and the other connected to the BOA knob - looks like they snap together and you can see them right behind the side BOA knobs if you look at the picture closely. Anyway, the two pieces aren't fully connected but I haven't had any trouble yet.

Fit

Fits like a glove and are quite stiff. I have typical feet (width, arches) and think these boots are very comfortable. I haven't noticed any pressure points. The inner liner is tightened with pull laces (pull up to tighten, then lock in place) which are kept in place using a small plastic locking system which I'm not a fan of. You have to slide this little black switch to lock it but it requires quite a bit of force, especially if you like to tighten the lace really tight. It's a small issue but hey, at least now you know. Oh yeah, the laces are long. When comfortably tightened, they are about a foot in length which you then stuff between the boot lip and the inner liner. I can see a lot of people shortening the laces.

The pump works as expected. It does reduce heel lift, but doesn't totally eliminate. I found making the inner liner really tight helped a lot however. That, combined with the pump works great.

BOA system

The BOAs work great, although I get nervous tightening them up too much. I tried it a couple times and heard a snap in the knob but nothing was broken. If you've never seen a BOA up close, the knob is basically a gear that only goes in one direction because a hook latches onto the gear if you try to go backwards. If you apply enough force however (i.e. you tighten it too much), the latch sometimes pops.

The dual BOA on this boot is upper and lower. In other words, one knob tightens the top wires and the other knob tightens the bottom wires. Having this kind of control is great. In addition, I can easily loosen my boots to be more comfortable and tighten them just before a run. I have noticed that I need to tighten them occasionally, but it's so quick and easy, it's a non-issue. I'm not sure why that is - they're not supposed to have any give. Maybe it's just my boots being broken in.

Miscellaneous

Comes with:
- Built-in RECCO reflectors which are used to find you in case of an avalanche.
- A little BOA tool which you can use to replace the wires if they snap.
- STICKERS!

Overall

Best boots I've had so far. Recommended.

great out-the-box fit. after 10 days, wish i'd downsized a half size. around the same time, side boa popped off, but popped back in. the boa does a nice job locking the foot in...unfortunately, it does a nice job destroying the stitching of the shell. both of my boots have pulled apart on the lateral side of the foot box. the boots still ride okay; besides the snow that packs in. i'll use some duct tape to get me through until i can get them back to the retailer...i'm at about day 45 on these boots this season.

Love these boots...bought my first pair in '06 when DC first came out with them and just ordered my second pair! They are so damn comfortable but with absolutely no compromise in performance. Can adjust them to get an exact fit and ride all day without any discomfort at all. I love em!

Good fit reduces fatigue. Boa is the only way to go.

I just started snowboarding, and heard that you want to spend the most on your boot, so i got these bad boys, i love the double boa system, just sinch it up as tight as i want, and then pump it up a little bit til your feet are nice and snug, my feet don't move at all, and i wouldn't mind wearing these all the time because they're so comfortable, they are well worth the price!