My husband bought these shoes (and I bought a similar pair for women) less than a week before we left for the Smoky Mountains. We broke them in on a few short hikes around our city park and knew we were taking a risk when we left with these as our main hiking shoes... but they worked wonderfully!  We love hiking in sandals when it's super hot out - letting your feet breathe really helps cool you down.  It was also nice to be able to splash through creeks without missing a step.  My synthetic pair dried out faster than his leather, but he didn't develop any blisters.  The grip is fantastic - we did several hikes over exposed rock, and these held on wonderfully.  The shoe is true to size - the toe may seem a little long, if so, be thankful.  The extra length helps protect your toes from being stubbed against rocks.  These shoes seem very well made, and we're hoping they last a long time.