Columbia Mens Newton Ridge Plus II Waterproof Hiking Boot, Cordovan/Squash, 13

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I bought these shoes for a hiking trip to a national park. I could not recommend them enough, they are very comfortable to walk around in and have amazing shoe grip for climbing rocks. The only issues I had with the shoe were the breathability and waterproofing. Walking around in the shoes for a while leads to the shoe getting a little hot so I would recommend using these shoes in colder weather. For the waterproofing, the tongue of the shoe is not waterproof so stepping into deeper water leads to the shoe getting soaked. But if the shoe's tongue is above the water, the shoe is completely waterproof.

after buying Columbia products for over 35 years, this is the first item that has failed me. I broke these boots in walking around the office for the first summer I had them. Before I even got on the trail the sole on one started to separate. I put it down as a rarity and fixed it myself. I then went on a few hikes, less than 20 miles on these boots and the other sole started to separate as well. Pretty disappointing and not worth taking the chance of complete separation miles into the wilderness.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The first time I got to really put these boots to the test was last week in North Alabama, hiking the Walls of Jericho trail. It's pretty much up and down the side of a mountain, so not the easiest trail to conquer. Also, I hiked this trail in almost constant rain. After about 3 solid hours of hiking, my feet were still dry and warm, not to mention the comfort. I just wore regular Nike socks and had not one blister, no sore spots. Fit true to size. All-around great piece of footwear for me to use on the trails. Would recommend to anyone looking for a hiking boot, on a budget or not!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I bought these boots as a back up to my other Newton Ridge boots. I wear them all day long at work. I've currently spent four 14 hours days on my feet at a trade show in them, and they are extremely comfortable. The real reason for purchasing them was for chasing waterfalls. I do a lot of waterfall photography, and I am constantly in the water while shooting. These boots not only keep my feet dry, they also have great grip. I switched from another brand that was very similar, but had almost no grip on the rocks around the water. These boots are leaps and bounds ahead of that brand. I'd highly recommend these for hiking, work or play. They keep me dry, don't hurt my feet and are light and comfortable.

My brother is a Contractor in California and loves these boots as I purchased them for him last year for Christmas. He let my mother know if I needed any gift ideas again this year another pair of these boots would be great! He approves of the true to size fit and has commented they have been tested in all work and weather conditions.