I had been diligently seaching online and in stores for a pair of good, warm, but not fleece boots to take to Connecticut with me.  Since I'm from the South where we seldom have snow, I wanted to make sure it was a boot I could wear in both places. I saw this one, read the reviews, and ordered.  I couldn't have been more pleased.  I usually wear between an 8.5 and a 9, but decided to try the 8.5 first.  The boot was a little stiff, and since I have a high instep, I was afraid it was going to be too difficult to put on.  After I got it on, and after wearing it a couple of times, that was no longer an issue. I read in some of the reviews about the sole being slick on snow.  The couple of weeks we were in Connecticut were some of the coldest in a while.  I wore the boots in the snow and ice and never had a problem.  They were warm and the water from the slush didn't do any damage.  I have an average size calf, and had a bit of room so I'm sure that a little larger calf would fit fine. I wore thinner socks at first, but after a couple of wears, wore a thicker sock and also tucked my jeans in. I ordered the dark forest (think that's the color name) and like it.  It's a sort of dark olive green and goes with a lot of things.  Am considering ordering the black as well. I love the Keens brand and this one did not disappoint.