Zamberlan 172 Braies LH

Summary

Incredibly comfortable with adequate padding and lush calf skin leather lining. You wouldn't know that you're wearing a hiking shoe. These transition easily from a day hiking shoe to general casual wear.

I wasn't really planning on buying these. Zamberlan shoes are made in Italy and cost more than equivalent quality shoes made in Asia. I own a pair of Zamberlan hiking boots that are absolutely terrific, so when I saw a pair of the Braies on sale, I decided to give them a try.

The fit is superb and luxurious. The interior is lined with soft calf skin leather. I've never experienced that with any other shoes before. No break-in is needed. The supplied sole insert is adequate but easily replaced if you need a little more support.

These shoes have a "hydrobloc" water resistance technology built into them, somewhat like Gore-tex, but I can't comment on this as I've not yet worn them in the rain. What matters most is that they are breathable. I've seen Gore-tex boots get slammed for not breathing enough.

The higher end shoe makers employ welt construction when attaching the sole to the shoe, so that down the road the sole can easily be replaced when worn out. With quality shoes, the leather upper can last through several sole replacements. But it is getting harder and harder to find shoes like that and their cost is quite high. These Zamberlan shoes do not have welt construction, but the Vibram sole is of very high quality and I feel like they will last as long as the rest of the shoe.

I am extremely happy with these shoes and wouldn't hesitate to buy Zamberlan again.