The Good -better heavy duty lacing system,shaft seems higher,can get them nice and snug. Haven't been in the backcountry to fully review them yet.The Bad-the insoles have changed for the worse. They are not a tick or supportive in the arch as last years model.Spoke to NorthFace regarding this. There reason for lesser of an insole this year was to make the boot more neutral for a wider range of feet. Tried to get a pair of insoles from last years model from TNF,were not available. So I just took my insoles from last year and are using them. They really take up a lot more of the inner boot space. Yes, I would recommend them. BackCountry's C/S unbeatable. Shame other companies don't model themselves after them.