Customer Reviews The North Face THERMOBALL™ Progressive Zip II WP

I couldn't get my foot into the shoe it was so tight around the ankle so I don't know how it fits.

The lining material was bunched up in the toe area which made them feel smaller and uncomfortable. Since i could not get the material to smooth out, I decided I need to return.

The shoe was at least 1/2 size too small. The zipper was difficult to use. The thin, flimsy footbed insole came out when I want taking the cardboard out to try it on. That insole was flat - no arch support and the footbed under that was totally flat. The top was flimsy mesh over a thin lining that my big toe pushed up because it was a low toebox. I don't see how such a thin top could protect your feet from the cold since this is supposed to be a cold weather boot. I gave it 2 stars instead of one because I liked the puffy sides of the shoes. If the top was also insulated, the toe box was higher and it had arch support it would have been a great design.

This was at least a half-size too small, the toe box was too low, and there was zero arch support. When I received the boots and pulled the cardboard out of one, the rubber or foam type insole came out with the cardboard. It was very thin and flat with no arch support. Underneath the insole the footbed was also completely flat. For that price I would expect at least some arch support in the insole but I guess they expect people to buy their own insoles. The zipper was hard to pull up but was doable. The top of the shoe is a thin mesh with a thin lining underneath. My big toe pushed up against it pushing the mesh up easily. These boots are supposed to be for cold weather. I don't see how such a thin lining under mesh could keep the top of your feet warm or even keep your big toe from eventually tearing through it. The sides have good padding and the bottom is thick with a good tread which is why it got 2 stars instead of 1.

Very frumpy looking, so can't really comment on functionality ... they're going back.

The fit of these was pretty terrible. I have high arches, and it's a struggle to find boots with any measure of arch support, especially for rain and snow protection. I had the same problem in these that I have in uggs, which is that if you have high arches, the top of your foot sits higher than people who don't, and there is zero allowance for that in the fit. Although the length and width fit me fine, I couldn't even zip the boot up. To be fair, I also could barely zip the boot up when it wasn't on my foot. It is not a very friendly zipper. I can't weigh in on any other aspect of these. I wasn't able to wear them at all and will be returning.

I think this could be a great shoe if you don’t have high arches. As someone who does, I was excited when I put it on at first because it seemed comfortable, but when I tried to pull the zipper closer, it would only go halfway. And of course, there’s not much use in a waterproof shoe that can’t be closed. FYI, I sized up to 7 from 6.5 as I usually do with boots, and it fit me well from front to back, but the top zipper is poorly placed and hard to move even when it’s not on your foot.

Perhaps I just got a defective pair, but I will be returning these (bought through NF). The fabric in the toe box is bunched up – worse on the left foot than the right. There are wrinkles where the fabric was sewn into the toe point resulting in more wrinkles throughout the toe box. Over the course of a day I believe this will result in discomfort and pain. For the price, I expected a better footbed too. The footbed insert is a flat piece of foam. It would be easy to remove and replace with a better insert, but I feel for the brand's outdoor adventure reputation, they should provide better support.