Anticipating putting many damp miles on my feet during a 3 week Italian vacation in March, I purchased these shoes with those parameters in mind.  And aren't my tired puppies glad I did!

I didn't get a chance to break them in before I left but I needn't have worried: these were as comfortable on day 1 in Rome as they were on day 20 in Cinque Terre.  I have very high arches and frequently suffer from shin splints when I do a lot of walking/hiking/running without proper support. I'm pleased to report that strained arches and pulled shins were never an issue.

My favorite feature about these shoes is that they are indeed waterproof.  Nothing distracts and irritates me more than wet feet in squishy shoes.  Despite stomping through the mud in Pompeii and splashing through puddles in Florence, my feet stayed perfectly dry.

I have the smallest quibble in that they don't quite stay as snug on my heel as I would have like. However, my heels never popped out of the back and blisters did not arise so NBD.

Grazie North Face!