Kayland M11+ Mountaineering Boot - Men's - 2009 BCS

I tried the Kayland Hyper Traction, as well as the La Sportiva Trango Extreme and Nepal before finding this gem. I believe that Kayland's craftsmanship is second to none. While comparing the M11+ to the Trango Extreme I almost felt like I was comparing a Ferrari to a Festiva. Hyperbole aside though, the M11+ felt much more solid and durable. This does result in a bit more weight but not enough to turn me off and still lighter than the Hyper Traction or Nepal.

I have found that Kayland fits my foot very well. My feet are very flat with a wider fore foot and narrow heel. I went back and forth on sizes and ended up going with a size 13. I typically wear a size 11 street shoe and have the Kayland Contact Rev in a size 12. I use green Superfeet in both of my Kaylands and find it to be a good setup.

I wore this boot straight out of the box on an ascent of Mt Hood in June. I was worried about wearing a new boot, but realized by the end of the climb that I had not thought about my feet the whole time. They never felt heavy or uncomfortable not to mention I didn't have so much as a hot spot. During the climb I found that they trekked well on the lower grade snow, they were very solid when kicking steps and plenty stiff for front pointing on a steep chute.

I absolutely love this boot and highly recommend it.

I climb in the the White Mnts. every winter. Conditions can be rough. Plastic boots are warm but eat your feet up. Other leather Mountaineering boots just have not made the mark until the Kayland M11+ came around. They are light, feel like your wearing a hiking boot and not a clunky mountaineering boot. They keep the elements out and the event really works - better than Goretex. They are stiff enough for vertical ice and yet are very comfortable for long approaches. These boots are warm, but if going to wear in the winter I would recommend buying a 1/2 to a wholel size bigger to acccomodate a mountaineering sock.
Overall, one of if not the nicest boot on the mountain.

This is an awesome winter moutaineering boot. I have used it to climb the ice around here in NH as well as for a hut trip in the whites. Super secure footing, easy break in, warm, and I still had feel for the terrain I was covering. I could not be happier with my purchase!

I bought this boot a little while ago but haven't really had the chance to use it until this past weekend. I was a little worried about my feet overheating as it was supposed to be near 60 all day.

I took the boots fresh out of the box and we had a 3-4 mile rocky approach to the glacier. I did use some moleskin as I tend to get blisters but with that I did not experience any blisters. It obviously worked well with crampons and kept my feet dry as advertised. Surprisingly enough they did not overheat at all. They breath extremely well and throughout the very warm day my feet actually sweated less than they do in my regular hiking boot.

I spent about 9 hours the first day in these boots and for coming straight out of the box they were very comfortable.

Day 2 with the same approach and just as many hours I did experience some shin bang. They were a little tight up top and we were kicking steps most the morning.

The boot itself is pretty true to fit. I wear a 13 and these boots in a 13 fit great. I tried them on with a few layers of socks at the store and they worked fine with the layers. They are definitely a narrow fit though. If you have a wide foot I would look for something else.

They lock the heel in place quite well and I experienced little to no heel movement. I also asked the guy if he thought this or the Nepal Evo GTX was a warmer boot. He said he thought this boot was slightly warmer but they were both pretty similar in that sense. I have a feeling this is much more breathable though.