I think these are about to become my favorite shoes ever. I purchased them for winter walking with my dogs (I can't walk in boots and my feet were freezing in regular sneakers). They really grip on the icy/slushy roads (I now understand what the reviewer was talking about when she said they made her feel like Spider-Girl, I think I could walk up a building in these). They fit perfectly right out of the box with no break in period for me. I usually wear an 8 and I ordered the 8 1/2 because of other reviews that said to order up 1/2 size, and it is a perfect fit. I wear them with medium-weight padded smartwool socks, although I wore them for a bit with regular socks and they still felt great. I have a high instep that makes it hard to fit my foot, and I am very sensitive to seams or other pressure points. No problems with that here. I absolutely love the lacing system. Slide foot in, twist knob on back, and go. To take off, pull knob out slightly to completely release the laces and kick them off; very easy to use. They adjust and release very easily. So far they have kept my feet warm and dry. I love these, and plan to order the mid ones for hiking. I think they are well worth the high price tag.

Great shoes! I wore them for 2 days straight and didn't have any problems at all. It had rained the day before so I was worried about my feet getting wet and slipping, but this was not a problem at all with these shoes. Super comfortable, too!

SPIDER-GIRL! Wow, these shoes are not only super-cool looking, they are also comfortable and really, really grippy and secure for walking/hiking on any sort of terrain. I went on a short walk yesterday on a muddy dirt road, and I felt like SPIDER-GIRL! (And I'm usually kind of klutzy!) The arch support is a little low for me, but that was fixed by popping in some Superfeet insoles. The bump that the first commenter mentioned was a bit noticeable to me when I first put the shoes on, but the more I walked in them, the less I noticed it...and the ease of using the Boa system is COMPLETELY worth it! I can make the laces really snug for more support and then loosen them up with a single click. They also tend to run a tiny bit small (I usually wear a size 8.5-9 and got a 9 in this shoe). My only quip with these shoes is that when I first put them on was that the back feels a little low, but it's not as big of an issue as I thought it would be. But otherwise, AWESOME.

It may just be my foot, but as soon as I put them on, I knew it'd be painful to wear them for any length of time. I have a calcium deposit on one foot at the joint where the first metatarsal bone meets the phalanges (in other words, over that bump near the base of the big toe!), and there's a piece of plastic (presumably from the Boa lacing system) pressing down on that spot. Otherwise it's a very comfortable shoe - a bit stiff, but in a good supportive way. I'm returning these, but may try to find the same shoe with normal laces.