First of all the boots look very nice and the wool liner is soft and warm. However, I do have some issues with the boot. Sorel sizing boggles my mind. I normally wear a size 12 in athletic shoes, 11 in boots, and with these black Caribous only a size 10 felt normal. I told the sales woman that they felt a little bit tight, but the size 11 had my feet moving all around even with thick socks on. The woman at the Columbia store told me that they break in after a year or so! So silly me, on vacation, bought them on impulse. Bad idea. After wearing them a couple days my outer most toes felt mashed and numb. Also, these boots are pretty slippery on wet/icy pavement. Solution? Only wear them in snow (or other conditions conducive to the rubber spikes on the souls). Also, wear them without socks. I gave it a try, because my wife's new UGHS recommend no socks too. Without socks my toes were not squished up at all.

The Columbia store sales rep. told me I can bring them back/or mail them in if they were uncomfortable even after a few days, but their store website says, "New condition" only. Obviously they are aesthetically nice, but are not practical for anything other than heavy snow walking. I would not buy them online unless you already own a pair and are familiar with what size Sorel boot actually fits your feet. As I do feel a bit shafted and will never buy Sorel boots again. Hopefully this is a fluke. I think they'll make a perfect snow shoe for getting the mail and shoveling the driveway only. Now if I could only find something similar that had the snugness and dexterity of a sneaker I would be really satisfied. Unfortunately I will need to fork out another 150-250 dollars again to get something more practical for everyday bad weather use.