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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Oboz Ws Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots > Owner Review by Nancy Griffith

OBOZ JUNIPER BOOTS
BY NANCY GRIFFITH
OWNER REVIEW
January 28, 2018

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Nancy Griffith
EMAIL: bkpkrgirlATyahooDOTcom
AGE: 51
LOCATION: Northern California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 6" (1.68 m)
WEIGHT: 126 lb (57.20 kg)

My outdoor experience began in high school with a canoeing/camping group which made a 10-day voyage through the Quebec wilds. I've been backpacking since my college days in Pennsylvania. I have hiked all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. My typical trip now is in the Sierra Nevada in California and is from a few days to a few weeks long. Over the past few years I have lowered my pack weight to a lightweight base weight of 15 lb (6.8 kg) while still using a tent, stove and quilt.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

oblique viewManufacturer: Oboz Footwear
Year of Manufacture: 2017
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.obozfootwear.com
MSRP: $145 US
Listed Weight: 14.2 oz (405 g) per shoe
Measured Weight: 15.8 oz (448 g) per shoe
Colors Available: Mocha, Glacier
Color Tested: Glacier
Sizes Available: Women's 6-11
Size Tested: Women's 9
Made in Vietnam

heel and sideoutsoleThe Oboz Women's Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots are a mid-height boot with a waterproof breathable membrane. The uppers are nubuck leather combined with an abrasion-resistant textile. The ankle collar is padded. The flat laces route through six sets of eyelets of which the lower four sets are D-rings and the two upper sets are speed hooks. The tongue is cushioned and has a loop of webbing at the center as an eyelet toward the toe for routing the lace. There is a loop of nubuck leather at the back of the heel to create a loop for pulling on the boot.

The rubber outsole wraps slightly over the middle of the toe. The sole has a shaped contour with multi-directional lugs to provide traction and stability.

The midsole is made of a dual-density EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) with a TPU core to provide protection and torsional stability. There is an EVA plate under the forefoot for protection and to prevent overflexion.

insolesThe insole is a removable Oboz OFit footbed which provides cushioning and comfort along with support and stability. The top layer is moisture-wicking to keep feet dry.

FIELD USE

green lake snowI have worn these boots as my primary outdoor footwear since the weather cooled last fall. I've worn them on three backpacking trips, twenty day hikes, many walks, for yard work and playing disc golf and just around town. I'd estimate that I've worn them for 110 mi (177 km) of hiking not including probably a dozen days of yard work and firewood cutting. Some examples of my uses include:

Backpacking:
Great Basin National Park, Nevada: overnight, 4 mi (6.4 km); 9,800 to 9,900 ft (2,987 to 3,018 m); 34 to 52 F (1 to 11 C); clear to dark heavy clouds

Green Lake, West Lake, Par Value Lake, Hoover Wilderness, California: 3 days; 12 mi (19 km); 8,030 to 10,300 ft (2,448 to 3,139 m); 38 to 64 F (3 to 18 C); clear skies with some moderate wind; some off-trail scrambling to upper lakes

Lassen National Park, California: 4 days, 15 mi (24 km); 6,695 to 10,463 ft (2,041 to 3,187 m); 27 to 54 F (-3 to 12 C); mostly clear skies with one very breezy day

Fishing/Crabbing:
Fort Bragg, Northern California Coast: 3 days; sea level; 34 to 56 F (1 to 13 C); mostly sunny

Hiking:
Multiple hikes on Gerle Loop, Auburn Recreation Area, California: 2.5 to 3.5 mi (4 to 5.6 km); 500 to 1,500 ft (150 to 450 m) elevation; 50 and 65 F (10 and 18 C); clear to overcast conditions; muddy with puddles

Monroe Ridge, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California: 4.2 mi (6.8 km); 743 to 1,262 ft (226 to 385 m); 50 F (10 C); pine forest to rocky soil; moist trail conditions

Auburn Dam Overlook, California: 6.5 mi (10.5 km); 1,237 to 1,539 ft (377 to 469 m) elevation; 45 F (7 C); partly cloudy to sunny conditions with some light winds; hard-packed trail conditions

Haul Road, Mendocino Coast, Northern California: 7 mi (11 km); 39 to 54 F (4 to 12 C); nearly sea-level; clear conditions; hard-packed trail conditions

El Dorado Trail, Sierra Nevada foothills, California: 4.0 mi (6 km); 1,816 to 1,931 ft (554 to 589 m) elevation; 60 F (15 C); hard packed trail conditions

I first wore the Juniper in Nevada at Great Basin National Park. After ten days in Utah with summer-like weather, it suddenly turned cold with snow imminent. I was so glad that I had also packed the Oboz Juniper boots and gladly wore them on our hiking and camping which was at nearly 10,000 feet (3,048 m).
The Juniper have been very comfortable. The provided insole is quite good. I usually change out insoles as soon as I buy a pair of footwear, but these are so good that I won't even need to bother. There is plenty of room for my toes to move and even on downhill sections I am able to tighten the laces so that my toes don't slide forward and hit the front of the boot. I absolutely love the laces. Finally I own a pair of shoes/boots that stay tied! The laces are a flat construction and work wonderfully as opposed to typical round laces that don't seem to want to stay tied even when I double-knot them.

green lake water
Waterproof!
The boots have been completely waterproof with no signs of a breach through the waterproof liner. I have worn them in light rain and through many water-covered trail sections, puddles and mud with no issues. Even on warmer days (although we haven't had any hot weather), the Junipers breathe well so I've had no problems with sweaty feet or uncomfortably hot feet.

I didn't wear gaiters with the Junipers mostly because we haven't had the opportunity to snowshoe in them yet. It has just been a very mild and warm winter. For dirt hiking the height of the tops is sufficient that I haven't had a problem with dirt or debris getting inside.

The traction with these boots has been very good in a variety of trail conditions. I always felt that my footing was secure in these boots. As I mentioned above, I played disc golf many times in these boots and loved them. Despite loose leaves, loose dirt and even mud, I never lost my footing to cause an errant throw. My poor throws couldn't be blamed on my boots!

The durability of the boots has been outstanding. I still see the boots as new-looking despite many miles of hiking and wear. If I washed them up and brushed them off, I'd bet that they'd look quite spiffy. I like how the fabric has resisted staining, the outsole has resisted scuffing and even the laces have kept a nice look. I have many pairs of shoes that just get so filthy looking that I can't even recall what color they were originally. There is no sign of any type of delamination, tears or even serious abrasions on these boots.

SUMMARY

The Oboz Juniper Boots are a comfortable waterproof pair of stylish boots.

Great:
Love the laces which stay tied!
Warm but breathable
Waterproof
Good insole right out of the box

Not-as-great:
Really can't think of anything

Thank you to Oboz Footwear who provided the boots for review and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to try out this footwear.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

Read more reviews of Oboz gear
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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Oboz Ws Juniper Mid Waterproof Boots > Owner Review by Nancy Griffith



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