these were one of the most comfortable frye boots i have bought ! had no problems putting on or taking off. My foot size if about a 7.5 and most of the time 8 in boots. I did have to return these because 1 boot was scratched up in the back it is a beautiful dark brown. I reordered these in a lighter color in case they scratch easy it won't be as noticeable. Now with the shaft circumference I contacted the Frye company and because i wanted an accurate size i have 14" calves and the size 8 is 15" so hopefully this will help someone figure if theres will fit well this is what they said.  Thank you for reaching out to The Frye Company! The 14" shaft circumference is starting from a size 6 on our website, this does increase a quarter of an inch with every half size. I hope this helps!