Customer Reviews

Garmont Men's Dakota Boot

5 star:		(3)
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I bought these boots back in March of 2000. At first I thought it was just a standard boot with a high price tag, but after a couple of years of abuse, I realized that I may be wearing these for a long time. They are very comfortable even without break-in, but they will get even more comfortable with time. 10 years later I still wear the same boots and the tread is hardly worn, although I have replaced the laces 3 times. From tennis shoes to flip flops to high tops, I have owned other shoes of all types but these still remain my best shoe, regardless of type, that I have ever worn.

I am a die hard Asolo fan and over the last 20 years the vast majority of my purchases have been Asolo however when I saw a pair of these on sale at my local outdoor equipment store, I just couldn't resist picking a pair up. I was actually familiar with this particular boot as I had seen it on many of the respected "Best Boot" lists and after trying them on I had absolutely no doubt that they would live up to all of the hype.

When you first pick up these boots you immediately recognize that they are high quality boots. The build quality is outstanding and its easily seen in every aspect of the boot. If your just doing light hiking over basic terrain then you might want to look elsewhere as these boots are designed for more challenging terrain. At just over 2 pounds these boots are the perfect weight. Some people prefer a lighter boot but I am definitely not one of those people, at least when it comes to hiking some of the more challenging terrains. IMO these boots hit the sweet spot in regards to weight.

The best thing about these boots is the support they provide. They have the Vibram Ice-Trek Outsole, which in case you don't know is one of the best outsoles in the business. The upper is a seamless, anatomically designed, 2.4mm nubuck. They also have Full-length, full-width, full-strength, tapered nylon plates which really help to give the boots a lot of stability and flexibility. Last but not least they have a reinforced toe area and a great lacing system. Overall these boots have outstanding support.


The interior of the boot is lined with Cambrelle® nylon which wicks moisture away from your feet to keep them dry and comfortable. The insole is decent however I definitely recommend replacing it with a better pair of insoles suited specifically to your feet. Overall this really cant be considered a weakness as the vast majority of boots on the market have mediocre insoles and that is because its just not possible for the manufacturer to release a pair of boots with a high quality insole that suits everyone thus your always going to have a lot of people replacing them anyways. So why make everyone pay for a high quality insole out of the gate when a lot of people are just going to replace them? Its just best to do it like its done now, release the boots with a decent insole thus keeping the price down and let people replace them if they want to. Again I highly recommend you do just that.

The break in period for these boots is around 3-6 weeks depending on how much effort you put into breaking them in. That is pretty standard for boots like these and I highly recommend you do take the time to properly break them in. These are not the kind of boots you want to buy a couple days before your trip. Your feet will thank you!

The bottom line - Garmonts Dakota Boots are easily one of the best pairs of boots I have ever worn. If your looking for a pair of boots that have great support and can handle just about anything you throw at them then you should at least consider giving these boots a try. Just a great pair of boots!

I put on the Dakotas for the first time this morning. Out of the box, the fit was dead on. Lacing system was excellent. The boots were soft and very supportive. I spent the next 6 hours walking through peat bogs, cedar swamps and jack pine ridges. The boots performed perfectly. My feet remained dry and totally comfortable. I've had just about every brand of hiking boot there is from Asolo to Zamberlan. I swear these were custom made for my feet. I may by a second pair to wear as slippers around the house.Garmont Men's Dakota Boot.
Update 11/25/09- These boots have now been through 3 months of fall hiking and hunting. They have been through water, mud and snow. They have logged about 70 miles since the end of August. They remain as comfortable and supportive as the first day I had them out of the box.