I received a pair of these as a gift and to be honest I didn't expect much from them at all. I have been a die hard Asolo user for over 20 years so even the idea of using another brand took some getting used too however I can now safely say that New Balance is now a legitimate option for people looking for a quality hiking boot. One of the best things about these boots is the relatively short time it took to break them in. It usually takes about twice as long for me to comfortably break in a pair of Asolo's. These boots are easily on par with other quality boots in the 150-200 dollar range. Vibram outsole, Gore Tex membrane, removable insoles, etc..

Overall I was quite blown away, not necessarily because this is such an outstanding boot, which it is, but more because I just didn't think of New Balance as a serious contender for quality hiking boots. Then again I now realize that this isn't the same old New Balance that I grew up with. They are now making a lot more than just sneakers and tennis shoes. A quick glance at their overall line of products reveals a serious effort by New Balance to establish themselves in the performance Walking/Hiking category. They are even making some quality water shoes now as well and in all honesty its nice to see a company like New Balance try and make some inroads into these categories of production after all more competition simply leads to better shoes and better prices for the masses.

I now see that Backpacker magazine has awarded these with an editors choice award for 2009 and I couldn't possibly agree more. I took these on a week long trip in the Rockies and we got slammed with rain almost every day we were there and these boots never let my feet get even slightly wet. They performed flawlessly on that trip. Last but not least you have the boots appearance and I for one absolutely love the way they look. I am not one for the bold and crazy designs that seem to be on 90% of today's footwear. I like nice clean designs with my footwear especially my hiking boots and these definitely have a clean look. I really like the orange stitching against the brown leather and the orange/copper rivets were a great touch. Even the New Balance logo is done in a very clean manner so as not to distract from the overall clean aesthetics of the boot. Overall an outstanding design in my opinion.

This pair of boots, along with the editors choice award from backpacker magazine, has really taken New Balance to a whole new level in this market. That editors choice award alone will give New Balance a lot of new credability. The bottom line is they deserve it. They have made an outstanding pair of boots and have kept the price relatively low. A MSRP of 149.99 means that you could very well score a pair of these boots for around a hundred bucks on sale and its not often you can get a pair of quality boots for that cheap, in fact I usually pay 2-3 times that much. Its just a great pair of boots for a great price.

Great job New Balance. I am really looking forward to seeing their future releases.