REVIEWS
5 Reviews
BuckeyeBrad
This is a great boot. Never owned a pair of this brand,but would recommend.
MikeDMD
My last pair of trusty boots lost their souls... not spiritually, but physically unfortunately. In need, I wanted something that still looked sleek and snazzy I am very happy with this pair of boots. I needed wide and it fits great.
Deano
Oboz Sypes Mid Hiking Boot I checked these shoes out in the house. I am going to wear them more in the house before taking them outside just in case there are any fit or feel problem I did not see initially, so I can return them if needed. This is an initial review. Please keep in mind, these shoes don’t appear to be designed to be a firm, protective hiking/backpacking boot nor a technical / approach / scrambling shoe. More of a lighter weight day hiker that can handle some tough terrain in moderation and possibly using light backpacking loads. People putting pressure on these boots regularly will possibly shorten the life of the boot. Good looking shoes if you like conservative colors that make good casual shoes to work in or hang out in, in addition to trail walking. Mine had different shades of gray combined with black. Looked nice with blue jeans. Fit: I am a 13D hiking boot guy with a low arch but my big toes splay inward which require a little more big toe room. My heel likes heel areas that are more C width so I can’t generally go wide widths as my heels will slide around slightly and can exaggerate heel slippage up and down. I have to usually get a boot that is 14D to allow 1-1.25 inches of extra room past my toes, which places my big toes in a position further away from the boot tip where it is wider. Arch placement does not always match as well in the 14 D but usually doable. I found these inserts to match my 5 year old 14D Columbia leather light hiking shoes insert exactly width and length wise. Feet/toe room feel is similar too. Both shoes have a gentler narrowing of the toes giving the shoes a more of squarer but rounded look at toes area. Heel has a nice up and down lock down despite the inadequate lacing system, but the heel and foot can move slightly within shoe even if snug as upper likes to give in slightly. Have to really tighten down the laces and the shoe then becomes more agile and more connected to the foot. They use lacing hole in the material like trail runners do. They only have six sets of lace holes and this boot needs 7 as the high part of the ankle area can’t be snugged down for good ankle support, but still better than just shoes. Lace design does not favor an easy and really snug foot to boot fit but usable with some experimentation. If someone regularly tightens this boot up to maximize performance and ankle support, I fear these lace holes might rip over time. These shoes are not plush feeling, nor are they uncomfortable. I recently tried on an Oboz 13 M sturdy hiking boot recently (Bridger I think) and it was narrow feeling, very tight and short feeling, even for a 13. This Sypes boot worked out well and seems true size and width (14 D), except. Maybe slightly narrower heel which I like. However, I would size up ½ to 1 size if you need extra big toe room width wise. Sides of the boot have give to them allowing the feet to spread a touch past the foot bed /inserts. Fairly comfortable right out of the box if sized correctly. Not a lot of break in needed. I wouldn’t buy the medium width if your foot is slightly wide and you are expecting the boot to conform as this is a lighter boot with thin leather and you could cause the boot to have premature failure over time. The foot bed insert seems better than what you find in some boots, including some more expensive boots. It seems like a medium arch bed. Felt it originally pushing comfortably against my arch but I expect for long walks / hikes it may require I tighten up the laces to prevent my foot from flatening and getting arch irritation. I can also just put in a low arch bed, but I can of like this bed so hopefully it will work out. *Water test: Passed the two minute submersion test but failed the one hour dry out time test. Water rolled right off the leather and no moisture anywhere inside the boot. I checked a little bit later and after the shoes drained some and no moisture inside. I checked an hour later and felt moisture in heel areas of both boots. It’s possible the black fabric 1-1.5 inch section above and around the ankle area is not water proof. Meaning this boot’s water proofing is lower level than the gusseted tongue area, or about 1 inch below where the tongue gusset ends. Terrible design, especially since the backside of the boot ankle area is already two inches lower than the front side of the ankle. Water proofing height seems more like hiking shoe than a boot. Not a true mid height boot in my opinion. Other: The Sypes boots have kind of a little bit cheap feel to them with thinner leather, a somewhat cheap feeling water proofing material that caused some concern when the boots would slightly squeak/crackle when I walked in them initially. Sole is thick at the heel and seems to provide plenty of cushioning, but the forefoot area seems a touch thin / soft but seems adequate for what the shoe is intended for. It is easy to twist the sole with my hands at the toe and heel area but it still has a slightly firm feel as well. Like the looks of the sole tread and looks like it can handle a variety of terrain grip wise. These boots are flexible trail walking shoes / light hiking shoes that they added some extra material and padding above the ankle but without a lot of ankle support. Overall, I think it is a decent boot for its intended purpose, but I wouldn't expect a lot of durability or longevity if you use it hard. I could see it being uncomfortable with long hard use too. It's nicely light weighted but just not built for hard use. I’ll see over the next few months how it holds up for me with normal hiking use. You might want to make sure you occasionally, clean and treat the material as this may help longevity also. I am really glad the size 14 worked out size wise for me as I was a little worried after previously trying an Oboz pure hiking boot in 13 medium that was too narrow, tight and short. I was in need of a water proof fast light hiker shoe that gives me some toe room and now I have one.
Gary Jr
Happy with everything about these shoes will buy again if on sale hoping for another sale soon this review needs to be shorter so I don't need to make this up.
Russell K
Overall this is a nice hiking shoe. It fits true to size & is pretty comfortable. While I don't like the styling as well as some other brands, if it ends up being more durable then I'm ok with it.
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