I have 43 years of hiking, backpacking and peak bagging experience. In recent years I migrated, like most people, from all-leather European-style mountain boots to lighter fabric/leather combination boots. They seemed to work well for a while but two years ago I started experiencing significant pain in my toes, instep and heel. I concluded that my lightweight boots from a well known outdoor supplier were a contributing factor, if not the root of the problem because they didn't provide sufficient torsional (side-to-side) rigidity.
Danner's advertisement for the "Terra Force" boot support system convinced me to buy the Radical GTX two years ago.
The first thing I liked about the Radicals was the roomy box toe area that eliminated occasional rubbing problems caused by my prior boots' smaller toe box. There was also plenty of instep space for my high arch. Unlike many boots that now come in a single width the Radical's multiple widths allow a wider fit in the ball of the foot while retaining the snug heel fit that prevents blisters.
The Terra Force torsional support has not diminished after 250+ miles of hiking. Besides day hikes and 2-3 day backpacks I've used the Radicals with good results on off-trail scrambles to summits in the High Sierra and North Cascades, occasionally crossing snow steep enough to require an ice axe. Despite offering much more support than my prior lightweight boots the Radicals are hardly heavier (my size 10.5-EE's weigh 52 ounces). Best of all, after switching to the Radicals my toe and instep problems ceased almost immediately, and my heel problems have gradually diminished substantially, all of which I attribute to the superior support of the Terra Force system.
In my opinion these boots have too many seams and different pieces of leather and fabric, but I'm not marking down my rating because that's how virtually all lightweight, relatively inexpensive boots are made these days.
