I'm very picky about how well shoes fit, and end up returning probably half of what I buy.  These however, did not require a break-in period, and were a great fit to start with, never gave me a blister.  They are also very lightweight and the sole is not stiff, I feel I could run in them, they are so comfortable.  I typically wear 7.5 size, but I ordered these in 8 for extra thick socks.  I tried a bunch of shoes in REI store (and could find with all others places where they felt they would rub on ankles and various other pressure points - I was very cautious about above-ankle boots, as I only use shoes to below-ankle, but these were fine).  REI didn't have them in grey and it was also less expensive through Amazon, so I got them here.  The one issue that I had with these boots, is that they are not truly "waterproof".  I decided to describe them as "waterproofy", more accurately.  The waterproof fabric/membrane/whatever you call it, does not cover the bottom of the boot, only the sides - you can see this once you remove the insole.  I did not figure this out until after I owned them for several weeks and wore them for short practice hikes - they are ok to cross a stream, when you are in the water for a few seconds.  But when I wore them for a couple of hours, walking in ankle-high wet grass after it rained, they got a little wet inside, and I felt that this water got into the boot from the bottom, from under the soles.  They also take about 30 hours to dry indoors - either after being wet from such use, or after being cleaned/washed.  If you are looking for a truly waterproof shoes - remove the sole and check that waterproof membrane covers the ENTIRE inside of the shoe.  These worked out for me in the end for my Kilimanjaro hike - but out of paranoia of them not being completely waterproof, I had with me and wore another pair of shoes on the day it rained (back-up shoes, not waterproof, but don't take 30 hours to dry).