Should you buy these??

The answer to both questions is yes! I like these boots a lot. They are very lightweight, comfortable, and giving great support. I have put them to the test on some long days with heavy packs. Out of the box, I took them on a 6 mile, one way, backpacking trip and had no issues with blisters or discomfort. On the second or third trip with them, I had only one issue, and that was the ball of my feet starting to hurt after long hours hiking in them. I think this was a my problem and not an issue with the boot though. I have since put some new soles in them and I have not had any issues since. I have taken them on some serious rock scrambles and screes without any issues at all as well. I also love that they semi-auto crampon compatible too! I had no issues fitting them with my crampons.

I would certainly recommend these boots. I did have to go up a half size from my normal boot size, though my foot is wider than average.

Feel free to reach out directly with any questions at all!

I purchased these boots two or three months before hiking the West Coast Trail in British Colombia. I hiked at least 30 miles in them (with and without pack) before embarking on my trip and had no issues with blisters or fit. I've bought other Salewa shoes before so I had high hopes for these boots.

Unfortunately, they didn't meet my expectations. As the terrain became more difficult (cambered sand, deep mud, tricky climbs) my feet became more blistered. By the end I had blisters on blisters (balls of both feet, most toes) and was doing minor surgery on my feet at night and spending a lot of time taping up in the morning. I got blisters through moleskin. I wore the same socks I've always worn with my hiking shoes (Wrightsocks).

That said, the Gore-Tex held up wonderfully, they are very lightweight, and I can imagine boots which would give significantly worse blisters in the same wet and unsteady conditions. The soles were nice and grippy in super wet and muddy conditions and I never slipped.