"To begin with, I should present a little about myself. I was before this year an occasional hiker, which meant that the times I did go hiking, it was in my cross-trainer sneakers. However, I have developed a recurring foot injury (plantar fasciitis).
This injury is exasperated by sever pronation of the foot. Thus, flexible shoes are not as comfortable as stiffer boots, as the flex allows for the foot to over-pronate, causing stress to the plantar tendon.
Which brings me to the LL Bean Gore-Tex Mountain Treads. The first thing you notice about this boot is its torsion control. For a boot which is suppose to be a multi-use boot, it has the stiffness of some backpacking boots. In fact, I tried on the Cresta hikers as well, and there was little difference in the rigidity of the boot.
Secondly - the fit. They are not kidding when they say it has a glove-like fit. It wraps around your foot the first time as if you had worn the boots all season long.
Third - Shock absorption - the boot's thick Vibram sole cushions each step extremely well, without feeling squishy. This has been a plus on the trail since I need a combination of support and shock absorption.
Fifth - both the toe and ankle are covered in a tough rubber rand, which increases the waterproof capability in these sensitive areas as well as reduces abrasion to the leather uppers.
There are some minor downsides. I wish the ankle was cut a bit higher. The current design is because it is meant to be an all-purpose boot to be used for everything from hiking to mountain biking. But this does take away from some of the ankle support.
In addition, while the boots are waterproof, the numerous seems in the boot increase the risk that water will get in.
In the back of the boot there are two areas immediately above the rubber rand where the fabric is neither leather nor cordura. It is a soft spongy fiber which I feel is the most vulnerable spot for water to enter. Why they did not cover this up (breathability?) with nubuck I do not know. It does not even enhance the design at all.
Finally, and this is a small complaint, but the lace loops are fabric, sewn to the boot. While this is not a problem most of the time, on mine, someone sewed one of the loops so small that it makes it difficult to replace your boots with new laces. If you purchase this boot, make sure that the lace loops are all sewn with enough room to lace your boot.
While it is pricier than other introductory hiking boots ($109 USD), the benefits are that you will have a boot that will increase your enjoyment of hiking, rather than making it a hindrance."
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