Oboz Yellowstone

This is a sturdy hiking boot with a firm sole and good ankle support.

I wanted to love these boots. I really did. I am not sure if a larger size would alleviate my issues or not.

I got these boots to replace a pair of Merrell Moab Mids that seemed to give me blisters in odd places. Initially, the Oboz were comfortable and I had no issues. On longer hikes I found they blistered the backs of my heels and the sides of my big toes. They offer excellent arch support and fit true to size. If you wear a thicker sock, you may want to go up a 1/2 size.  

They did require more of a break-in period than my last boots, but once they were broken in, they were comfortable for shorter hikes.

The soles are very sturdy so if you like a firm sole, these will be great. For me, my feel seemed to get tired after 10 miles with those harder soles. Combined with the blisters, it just made for unhappy feet. I am back to trail runners for comfort.

I will say that they are nicely waterproof. I have slipped on many a water crossing and gotten my boots wet and not had wet feet at all. They grip well on granite and rocks, although they are slippery on wet rocks. In their defense, I have yet to find anything that grips well on wet rocks. They are durable and hold up well in wet and muddy conditions.  I found that they worked well in winter with both Hillsound Trail Crampons and Hillsound Pros. 

I liked them well enough that I would be willing to try another model from Oboz. I like the company's sustainable practices and definitely think that trying a pair would be worth the time.  

I've owned a pair of Yellowstones for a bit over a year. I've put quite a few miles on quite a few trails around the PNW and I've been fond of them. They're comfortable, lightweight, and durable enough for a 150 pound guy with a 20 pound pack.

They have all of the basics that you'd expect from a decent mid-range light hiking boot. Tongue gussets that are low profile enough to stay out of the way, waterproof B-DRY liner, good lacing system that keeps your toes from bouncing off of the front of the shoe, and a nice sturdy heel cup to keep your foot supported. The sole grips well in wet and dry, and they break in very well to your foot.

The only real downside is the rounded off heel on the sole that makes things a little less stable on off camber/sketchy trails. My particular pair also had the B-DRY liner fail 4 or 5 months into its lifespan. It's really a shame, because they function very well otherwise.

That being said, Oboz is killer on the customer service front and are sending me a pair of Sawtooth Mids to try out. I'm excited about them and we'll see how many miles I can get out of them.

I'm a woman, but I got the men's version of the Yellowstone. They are pretty comfy but require some breaking in (at least 30 miles prior to a serious backpacking trip). They are comfy and offer great stability. My feet got a little hot in them (but my feet get hot in most any shoe).

Good hiking boot overall!

Update: October 12, 2009

This review is an addendum to my previous one. I really hoped these boots would break-in better. After a summer of hiking and backpacking with them they have been nothing but a footsore.

They are good up to about a 5 mile hike. After that expect blisters, and bruising on your ankle bones.

I really had high hopes for these boots--suffice it to say they are not what I will be using next year.

These boots are very comfortable right away. They break in within 1 mile.

I hike/scramble over 600 miles per year and that seems to be the mileage limit of the boots. The toe are tends to disintegrate after 600 miles.