Bought these in black for my oldest son as part of the 'back to school package' we parents endure every year. He'd been asking for the same old, boring Jordans' or Timberlands his friends have but I bought him these instead. He was a little disappointed in my decision until they arrived and he was able to really SEE the shoes. The images here don't do these justice, I knew THAT as well as what the quality would be because of other RL Polo boots I own. Although these are a little more rugged than my Hamlin boots, these have the 'standard' toe reinforcement that my older RL boots but in addition these have a reinforced heel area. They're not at all waterproof nor does the description claim they are so that's fine. They are however water resistant which, for a hiker, should be the minimum standard imo. I bought them 1/2 size larger than his current shoes so they'll go on for the duration of this Fall, Winter & hopefully Spring. After wearing them the first couple of days he's stuck on wearing them every day. They're loose on him of course, so I added an insole and a 'finger' of tissue paper at the tips on the inside for a truer fit, as the months go by I'll remove the insole and tissue if need be. I have two reasons for rating these 4 stars and not 5. The first is that the label says 'leather upper' but it's only partially leather. The other is that the strap & buckle are 'faux', they don't function but rather sit on a velcro pad that'll deteriorate fast if undone often. Overall for $75, a great 'luxury' type boot for your kid to set the trend instead of following it.