Dunham Waffle Stomper Premier Review

"Made by the folks that make NewBalance Shoes, these boots are available in a variety of WIDTHS, which was what I was looking for to fit my 10.5 EEEE feet. Finally some real comfort from a backpacking boot! They're of all-synthetic construction, using a Schoeller-Dynatec fabric for the uppers. It's the same fabric used in motorcyclist clothing to protect from abrasion and punctures. The boots are available in Red or Brown. The Reds are available in the widest range of sizes so I had to get them. Forunately, they came with red and black laces, so I put the black laces in to tone things down a bit. I sure wish they'd make the full range of sizes in the brown."

"Great ankle support, wicked traction, adequate waterproofing all help this boot perform great in rough trail conditions. Durability however is another story. I am currently on my 4th warrentied pair of Wafflestomper's in 2 years. After about 1-2 months of heavy use (~5mi/day) on and off trail these boots fall apart. First the sole delaminates along the front edge and then the toebox collapses and the super-tough, heavy duty, synthetic leather rips along the seam on the side.

Dont get me wrong, I love these boots. I'v put hundreds of trail miles on them and never walked away w/ more than a tiny blister. They are a bit heavy, but when you wear them you feel stable on your feet, no matter where you are.

Customer service is excellent, they never question my warrenty claims and the new pair always shows up w/in about a week.

All in all, they are great boots, but for $200+ I expect a boot to last me more than 3months."

"The best fitting boot I have ever had. I tried Montrail boots for years, and they were never very comfy after long backpacking miles. But the Dunham's are perfect, I can knock out 15+ mile days with little to no foot discomfort. They are very stiff and supportive, wich is great for me because I weigh around 190 and usaully carry around 50 pounds. I purchesed the Narrow model and they lock my foot into place perfectly, but I wasnt able to put in thicker insoles! The insoles the boot comes with are paper thin, but seem to not give me any pain. If you use thicker insoles, then I would reccommend getting 1/2 size bigger, and maybe a size wider.

Also the are not water proof, They dont get wet crossing streams quickly, but if they have been wetting out when I walk through tall wet grass for a extended peroid of time. They also got wet hiking in snow for a few hours.
But I'll put up with that for their awsome comfort! I should get two years out of these before the sole is gone. Maybe I'll try the full leather version next, it might be more water proof."

"Wide foots beware! I have a 10.5 4E wide foot and after finally finding a store that carries these boots (only 1 store in the Seattle/Lynnwood area) I tried them on and they were too narrow! I ended up having to get Dunhams contractor work boot because it was the only boot that was wide enough! I sure wish they would've fit my feet because they had a very stiff sole and aggressive tread that I was looking forward to pounding trails with."