OR - Oboz Bridger BDry Boots - Kathy Waters

Dear Editors,

 

In case you have anything to do, here’s a OR to tear apart!  HTML is in the
OR test folder at:  http://tinyurl.com/m4hqxqr  and the text is below.

 

Thanks for all your hard work!

 

Kathy

_______________________________________________________

 

OBOZ BRIDGER BDRY WOMEN'S MID-BOOTS   

 

Oboz Logo 

BY KATHLEEN WATERS

NOVEMBER 12, 2014   

 OWNER REVIEW   

 

TESTER INFORMATION   

 

NAME:    Kathleen Waters   

 EMAIL:    kathy at backpackgeartest dot com   

 AGE:    63   

 LOCATION:    Canon City, Colorado, USA   

 GENDER:    F   

 HEIGHT:    5' 4" (1.60 m)   

 WEIGHT:    125 lb (56.70 kg)   

 

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to
backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land
bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other
gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my
husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers,
rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New
Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is
comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed).
Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.  

 

PRODUCT INFORMATION   

 

 

 

Manufacturer: Oboz Footwear

Year of Manufacture: 2014 

Manufacturer's Website: http://www.obozfootwear.com

MSRP: US $160.00

Listed Weight: 16.2 oz (459 g) Women's size 7

Measured Weight: 17.5 oz (496 g)

Colors Available: Walnut & Rio Red

Color Reviewed: Rio Red

Sizes Available: Women's 6 - 11

Size Reviewed: Women's 8

 

Other details: From Manufacturer's Website

 

Materials: Upper - Waterproof Nubuck Leather

Materials: Interior - Oboz BDry Waterproof / Breathable Membrane

Molded Rubber Toe Cap & Heel Counter 

Oboz Bridger BDry Mids 

Picture Courtesy of Manufacturer 

 

 

 

 

FIELD USE AND PERFORMANCE   

 

In the past 8 months, I've worn the Oboze Bridger BDry Women's Mid Boots on
5 overnight backpack, 2 multi-day backpacks, at least a half dozen half to
full day hikes and many casual days in between. I'd estimate I have 75
"hard" miles (120 km) on them and countless rural/urban miles/kilometers as
well. I got them in early March of this year, so I have worn the Bridgers
through the heat of summer and into the cool of autumn. Just this week, I
got to see just how well they would hold up in bitter 2 F (-16 C)
temperatures and in 6 - 8 inches (15 - 20 cm) of snow! It's WINTER! 

 

Most of my trekking has been in south central Colorado. A lot of it was into
the approximately 100,000 acres (40,468 hectares) of Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) land encompassing the Cooper Mountain range/Royal Gorge
area near Canon City or the Wet Mountains south of the Arkansas River
Valley. 

 

The Cooper Mountain range is mostly piñon pine and juniper-covered high
desert with rough primitive game and mining trails (for the most part) and
is easily accessed just outside of my property fence line. 

 

The Wet Mountains rise up from the Arkansas River Valley and are dense
ponderosa pine and sage forests.

 

Elevations I wore the Bridgers in ranged from 5000' up to almost 14000'
(1524 m to 4267 m).

 

 

 

Oboz Bridgers in soggy weather - Mt. Harvard, CO Oboz Bridgers in snowy
weather - Breckenridge, CO Oboz Bridgers in dry weather - Blue Lakes, CO 

 

Mt. Harvard Base Camp 

Breakfast at Mt. Harvard Base Camp 

 

Bridgers in the snow 

Yeah, Those are Oboz BDry Boots Under the Snow! 

 

Bridgers Blue Lake Trail, Breckenridge 

Bridgers on Blue Lake Trail, CO 

 

 

 

The first time I tried on the Oboz Bridger BDry Women's Mid Boot (hereafter
called the "Bridgers"); I was amazed at how comfortable they felt. I had to
loosen the top two eyelets a bit to wiggle my feet into the boots as the
cuff of the boots is nice and high. Once my feet were settled in, the
Bridgers immediately felt like well-worn slippers. 

 

While I couldn't find a size chart on the Oboz Footwear website (there could
be one, I just didn't find it), I ordered a women's size 8. I'm pretty easy
to fit size-wise and I haven't had many boots where an 8 didn't fit me! I
was happy to find the Bridgers didn't disappoint in that department - they
are truly true-to-size. They are wide enough for my feet - nice toe box room
- but not so wide as to be mini-boats and the heel fits snuggly so my feet
don't move up and down in the boots with each stride. But for me, where the
Bridgers really make me happy is the arch support. It's in exactly the right
spot for my feet and is not too high, not too low, but just right as
Goldilocks would say!

 

I like the lacing system of the Bridgers. Once on my feet, I find I only
have to loosen the top "quick-loop" and the next eyelet when loosen the
laces for a steeper uphill climb. Going downhill, I general pull the top two
loops a bit tighter so as to not have my tootsies banging against the toe
box. The corded laces are not overly long where I have to practically wrap
them around my ankles to keep them from tripping me up. A simple double bow
will do nicely. 

 

The insoles I've used have been stock insoles. Whereas I often trade out
stock insoles in my other boots with aftermarket insoles, I have found the
Oboz stock insoles to be perfectly adequate.

 

Over these last 8 months, a great deal of my backpacking has been on some
rather rough trails. I've done my share of nicely packed groomed dirt
trails, but I've also hikes miles/kilometers of fist-sized (and larger)
boulders - both scattered on the trail on which to stub my toes or just
nasty upward/downward piles of ankle-busters. This is when the Bridgers
really shined! 

 

The cuffs of the Bridgers are high enough to help support my ankles, keeping
them steady which minimizes after-hike soreness. The thick padding of the
cuff has protected me from rubbing and the subsequent after-hike abrasions
and/or blisters. The arch support works wonderfully to keep my arches from
rock bruising, especially when wearing a heavy backpack. That's usually the
place I feel the most - my arches. Not so with the Bridgers! And lastly,
thanks to a roomy (but not, too roomy) toe box, I have not suffered one
blister or "black" toe due to rubbing or banging my toes on the downhill
treks.

 

I've had plenty of experience with very hot weather hiking this summer and I
haven't noticed any undue sweating while wearing the Bridgers even when
wearing heavyweight socks (which I usually do, all year round). I'm sure
that I did sweat - sometimes - the insides of the boots are a bit damp - but
never to a point where it bothered me on the trail. My attitude is; if I'm
not conscious of a piece of gear, that's a good thing. Seems when I'm
backpacking, the only time I'm thinking about a piece of gear, it's not
working!

 

As for cold, we are just getting into really cold weather here and I've worn
the Bridger on 3 separate day hikes this past week in temperatures down to 9
F (-13 C). Even when staying still in snow up to my knees, my feet have
remained warm!

 

Oh, and dry! Just today, I was out in the snow for 3 hours. My pants were
soaked, my hat and jacket covered with snow, but though the Bridgers were
constantly covered in the snow, they remained perfectly dry inside. That was
really a welcome situation!

 

I am a nature klutz! When backpacking and hiking, it's only a matter of time
before the seat of my pants is going to meet up with the ground. I depend on
the tread of my boots (and my hiking poles!) to help me stay vertical. The
Bridgers worked really, really well on most all the trails I encountered
this past spring, summer and fall. Dirt, gravel, rocks, sheer granite, all
were no obstacle for the Bridgers. While I wasn't quite as steady as a
mountain goat (no snarky comments from my trail mates, please), I held my
own.

 

Where the Bridgers aren't so great is on hard-packed snow and ice - at least
not for me. These last few day hikes here in Breckenridge saw me dancing
less than gracefully on several occasions. My high kick will be legendary
and re-counted for a while. Fortunately, nothing was injured except,
perhaps, what little pride I had left! Thank goodness for good, sturdy
trekking poles!

 

As of yet, there is not undue wear and tear to be seen on the Bridgers. They
sport the usual scuffs (they're MY shoes after all) and dirt but overall are
in great shape. They even still smell like leather with no special care. A
quick brushing when the mud get too thick is all I've ever done. 

 

I think I'll keep them!

 

STARRING ATTRACTIONS   

 

1.) Super comfortable right out of the box - no break-in required.

2.) Really keeps me dry even when standing in water for several minutes

3.) Great arch support even with a heavy backpack.

4.) Cleans up easily with just a stiff brushing.  

 

NOT SO MINOR DISTRACTION   

 

1.) Not the best boot on hard-packed snow or ice.  

 

SUMMARY   

 

I love shoes and boots. I have a closet full of them. I try to justify
having so many by seasons, trail conditions and when really desperate, "the
color matches my base layer"! Many of my boots sit at the back of the
closet. Not so, the Oboz BDry boots. I really prefer them over some other
boots due to the great comfort and stellar arch support, especially when
backpacking multiple miles/kilometers over rough terrain with a
heavier-than-day-us backpack. My only real complaint is they are not the
greatest in slippery conditions which means I will probably not be able to
wear them when I am likely to encounter hard-packed snow or ice.
Fortunately, that's not often the case for me here in south central
Colorado. My pretty red boots will continue to get lots of wear-time for the
foreseeable future!

 

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters