I purchased these a few weeks before hiking to the top of South Sister in the Three Sisters Wilderness in Oregon. The South Sister Climber's Trail is pretty rugged with a lot of loose stone. The last appx. 800 feet of elevation is a cinder cone covered with pumice scree. This hike is not friendly to footwear! I purchased these boots because they were inexpensive and I planned to "sacrifice" them on this trail. The boots didn't get a lot of break-in time; just a few evenings hiking hills near my home. I finished the 6 mile-5000 ft. elevation gain hike with no blisters or hot spots at all. Support over uneven terrain with a 20 pound pack was good and ankle support was impressive for this light boot. The Vibram sole held up well. The cloth-and-leather uppers show very little wear despite slipping and sliding in the pumice on the way back down. I am impressed with these boots. They are going into my closet rather than into the trash. (Do note these boots are not waterproof and I hiked in dry conditions.)