Columbia Birke Trail boots

I bought these light hiking boots last summer (2008) at the beginning of a family camping trip. I was a little nervous buying a pair of hiking boots right at the beginning of a trip where I'd be on my feet quite a bit, but let me tell you, I was surprised at how comfy these boots were right off the bat. The sole was extremely comfortable and flexible.

The upper is made of suede and mesh and is lightweight and cool. They've been pretty rugged and even survived a chewing by my dog with only a few marks on the sole and a shortened shoe lace.

The sole is good for multi-directional traction but does squeak like crazy when indoors when wet.

Not a whole lot to tell about these, but they're a great boot and still really comfortable after almost daily wear for almost a year. If it's an indication of all of Columbia's boot then they have some really comfy and functional footwear.

I haven't included any links since these boots aren't any longer on the Columbia web page, but they can still be bought by doing an online search and are between $50-70 in cost most places.

Update (08/28/09) - I've been wearing these a little over a yar and durability has been great. The insole is getting a bit beat down, but thats to be expected and a normal maintenance issue with any footwear. The thing that's been bothering me is that they have a tendency to get pebbles and sand and other little bits of dirt in them very easily. I've never had this much of a problem with other boots...it's quite irritating and I'm not sure the reason, but it happens A LOT. Also, the laces don't stay tied very well. Even when double knotted. I may replace the laces with Coyote 550 cord.