BackpackGearTest
  Guest - Not logged in 

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Oboz Ws Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

OBOZ WS JUNIPER MID WATERPROOF BOOTS

Oboz Logo
BY KATHLEEN WATERS
January 18, 2018

OWNER REVIEW

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Kathleen Waters
EMAIL: kathy at backpackgeartest dot com
AGE: 66
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, LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2017
Manufacturer's Website: http://obozfootwear.com
MSRP: US $145.00
Listed Weight: Women's size 7: 14.2 oz (405 g)
Measured Weight: Women's size 8 15 oz (425 g) each
Sizes Available: N/A
Size Reviewed: Women's 8
Colors Available: Mocha and Glacier
Color Reviewed: Mocha

DESCRIPTION

Women's specific asymmetrical height collar and tongue
Women's specific last
Sized for medium volume and standard width (C - in mid-foot & B - in heel) feet with high to low arches and insteps
"0" Fit insole with BDry waterproofing and EVA custom cushioning from heel to toe
Women's specific outsole has Swiftcurrent Mountain located in Glacier National Park map molded into it!
Uppers constructed with waterproof unbuckle leather and highly abrasion-resistant textile material
Juniper Boot
Copyright Oboz Footwear

LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Boots on the trail
Boots on BLM Trail
Since I received the Oboz Footwear Women's Juniper Mid Waterproof boots (hereafter called "Junipers" or "boots") in September 2016, I've logged dozens of miles/kilometers - at least 80 miles (128 km) - both on backpacking trips and daily hikes to my mailbox down my 4-mile (6.4 km) hilly dirt road.
Mostly, I spent my time on the trails in Colorado in Eagle, Summit and Fremont counties. Elevations and terrain are as follows:

Fremont County, Colorado (my home "range") - this area is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with elevations ranging from 5500 ft (1700 m) to 9900 ft (3000 m). The terrain is mostly rather rough with lots of mud, loose rock and huge slabs of granite rock. Vegetation is scrubby pinon pine, Gamble oak, juniper, cactus and prairie grasses (or weeds, depending on who is talking!).

Eagle and Summit, Colorado Counties - Breckenridge/Avon/Vail/Minturn - Rocky Mountain (proper!) with elevations ranging from 7400 ft (2260 m) to 11400 ft (3480 m), generally rather steep dirt or snow-packed trails winding through ponderosa pine and aspen forests.

Over the past 4 months, we have had generally warmer than usual weather in south central Colorado. Right now in mid-January (2018) it is slightly over 62 F (17 C)! Weird! However, because Colorado is climatically "high desert" we do experience drastic temperature drops at night so even when it is in the 90s F (35 C) during the daytimes, it drops 40 degrees F (4.4 C) (or more) at night.

We have had almost no precipitation to speak of over the last several months. Colorado is in a drought situation and these boots never got even damp from outside moisture.
Boots in leisure mode
Boots in Leisure Mode
Boots in Work Mode
Boots in Working Mode

FIELD PERFORMANCE

Anyone that knows me or has read any of my previous footwear reports, knows I wear trail shoes or hiking boots almost exclusively whenever I am outdoors. I live on mountainous 71 acres (29 hectares) of dirt, scrubby vegetation and rock along two miles (3 km) of dirt hilly private road. My home town is a very casual rural location where boots are an acceptable footwear choice. Fortunately, I love wearing boots!

All this boot-wearing means I wear out footwear more rapidly than most people. I ascribe to the general rule-of-thumb that 300 to 500 miles (480 - 600 km) on an outdoor shoe or boot is pretty much the maximum mileage I want to put on them.

Since I have rather flat feet, I usually can tell when the trail shoes or boots I am wearing are destined to be replaced. Even if the tread looks good and the uppers still in decent shape, my left arch particularly tells me to move along to the next pair.

I also believe in not wearing the same trail shoes or boots two days in a row unless I have to because I am on the trail and certainly am not sacrificing pack space or weight to a second pair of trail shoes or boots!

Generally speaking, most of my trail shoes and boots - because of this rotation - last about 6-8 months on average. The Junipers are still in great shape with no degradation of the insoles as of yet.

So, what did I learn and think about the Oboz Footwear W's Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots? Read on!

On the face of it, the Juniper Mid Waterproof boots look like a lot of other very nice hiking boots. They don't sport any garish colors or gimmicks. They don't scream "look at me". What they do, however, is everything a quality hiking boot should do!

Starting with the outsoles. With a series of lugs, grooves, various size treads and other topography to create stickiness, the Junipers have help keep me on my feet in all sorts of weather conditions and terrain.

Slippery rocks? Check! Dusty trails? Check! Shifting scree? For sure! Nary a wobble - at least, not due to the shoes! They can't be held responsible for my innate clumsiness!

The outer lug pattern helps to "squish" out our clay-like mud fairly well, too. This is important to me as when it's wet here in my neck of the woods; the mud quickly clumps up on my boots and can add pounds/kilograms to the weight of my shoes.

On the "other side" of the outsoles are the insoles. And since I have rather flat feet, I often must change out the stock insoles on my footwear for a more compatible one. Even after 80 miles (128 km) or so of usage, I am still using the original insoles. No swapping needed.

There is enough padding in the heel as to be comfortable, and I found the heel cup to be just right for the amount of pounding I create on the trails. I never - from the first moment I put them on - experienced any rubbing or developed any hot spots or blisters.

I wore the Junipers with all sorts of socks, but mostly with mid-to-heavyweight wool crew or mid-calf hikers.

The lacing system on these shoes is pretty much a standard lacing with loops and two sets of speed hooks at the top. The round cord laces are generously long and I can double-bow them easily. Once secured, the laces stay put without slipping and loosening.

These boots offer fantastic arch support! They keep my feet comfortable even on uneven rocky ground with sharp edged stones. No bruising! I have carried up to a 30 lb (14 kg) pack while wearing these boots and was still perfectly comfortable even over a day-long mountain hike.

Since I am naturally clumsy, I wear mid-height boots whenever I am carrying a full pack to protect me from myself and a twisted ankle or bruises.
In all the time I had them, I never really did anything special to care for the Junipers. Mostly, I just brushed off the dirt every once in a while and used a stiff brush to scrub off crusted on mud.

We have very sticky mud here in my part of Colorado and with some deep-lugged boots, clearing out mud is a real chore. At times I actually had to use a screw driver to "dig" out the mud from between the lugs of the outsoles.

In addition to rotating my footwear, I always take the insoles out of the boots after every wear. I'm sure this helps keep the boots less "stinky" and I know allowing the insoles to air out protects breakdown of the components as well. Right to the end of this season, the insoles have not degraded at all.

STARRING ATTRACTIONS

1.) Stellar Support
2.) Keeps the "pricklies" out of my feet
3.) Are truly water-proof - based on a 2 minute "bathtub" test
4.) Super comfortable right out of the box
5.) Affordable - great value for the price

MINOR DISTRACTIONS

1.) Hmmm - nothing that I can think of!

SUMMARY

The Juniper Mid Waterproof boots are not my first pair of Oboz footwear. I have had several other styles and have been pleased with their performance in the past. For comfort, support, traction and durability, Oboz fills and exceeds all my needs and expectations. I couldn't ask for a better boot! And while, these Juniper boots may not see everyday action when I am evaluating other footwear products in the future, they sure will still be on my feet often when I need boots I know I can count on.

Definitely recommend the Oboz W's Juniper Mid Waterproof boots!

Thank you to Oboz Footwear who provided the shoes for review and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to wear the Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots!

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

Read more reviews of Oboz gear
Read more gear reviews by Kathleen Waters

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Oboz Ws Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters



Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.



All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson