Columbia is by far my favorite brand of hiking boots/shoes because they always just fit me really well, and this boot is no exception. The Newton Wander is a good looking and comfortable hiking boot. I don't feel like it needed any break in period, and I wore mine as my daily drivers until the arches were shot. I always left them tied, but could get them on and off quickly by looping the laces on and off of the top couple sets of hooks. Even after they were worn out and the soles were worn down, I kept them around and wore them a couple more times to do some landscaping work and rebuild a retaining wall in my back yard. They can really take a beating!