I recently purchased these for my first real hiking experience. As a very busy mom of four, I "forgot" to wear them prior to my trip to break them in so to speak. No worries! They were great from the moment I put them on until I took them off after an 8.5 mile hike through the mountains and on the pavement/rock/sand and everywhere in between. I even told my hiking partner as I took them off, "I am definitely writing a good review for these boots." The price is right and the product is good. A rare find these days.