Kopec Mid GTX Boot Women's

As a longtime lover of the Aerios series and notably the mid hiking boot, I’m a bit sad that these have essentially replaced them… I really wanted to love these too. Aesthetically they look pretty rad. But as far as overall performance and fit… not doing it for me. Here’s why: - Yes the sole is stiffer and definitely does “perform” better in shifting terrain as per description, so that’s a plus. But for me that was already accomplished with the Acrux TR which I much prefer as well. Overall, my feeling while wearing these is “clunky”. - the tongue and upper are a miss for me. There’s too much space on the sides of the tongue that allow water and rocks / debris to get in. That plus the loose lacing make anything off of manicured trails less enjoyable. Could benefit from extending the tongue and adding additional hooks for lacing. Because of this I feel like there’s very little ankle support, and you may as well just get the shoe. - the fit and break-in. Due to stiffness of sole they need longer to break in compared to Aerios but similar to Acrux TR. Many reviews suggest it’s a narrow fit, I didn’t quite feel that but I think the stiffness of the material maybe adds to that feeling. Again I realllly wanted to love these! But I’ll be waiting for the Aerios and Acrux series to return.

Fine city shoes but I would not take these on a hike. I wore them on a city hike on a rainy day and came home with wet toes. I'm going to venture a guess that the waterproofing does not completely cover the tongue of the shoe. Given that these are sold as waterproof hikers, I'd expect to be able to wear these on a very rainy day and have dry feet. I would not wear these on a camping or hiking trip.

When I tried these on in the store I had no intention of buying hiking boots that day, but they were so comfortable I went for it. Now I’ve worn them on a bunch of dog walks at home and hikes in Sedona, AZ. Even more comfortable, flexible yet supportive, light, grippy, no notes. Haven’t tried them in water yet but have it feeling it’s going to be fine.