TLDR: A well designed boot, superior to the regular 15” model, suitable for wide footed people, but with a few design drawbacks.
As a wide footed fisherman, I was excited to see Xtratuf finally coming out with a wider model after a few years of dealing with categorically inferior footwear from other manufacturers. These boots seem to be trying to fill the niche filled by the Legacy 2.0 that was discontinued for some reason a few years back. With some small but significant changes.
The boots are, as I said, wider then the narrow footed models and comfortably fit my excessively wide feet. I have yet to wear these on deck, but I wore then out for some long hikes and they didnt cause problems after 12 hours of continuous use.
The body of the boot is reinforced with extra material in the toes, top of the arch, upper ankle/lower shin area, and the heel.
The top is wider, accommodating large calves, making them faaar easier to put on and take off, and also providing ventilation for the inside of the boot. Leading to dryer feet.
Now the things I dont like:
For whatever reason, xtratuf decided to make the boot slightly narrower then the 2.0's mentioned earlier. There is some slight contact with the pinky toe for me, which over time could cause excessive wear and a hole to form in the boot. as well a a cold spot from conductive heat loss.
The positioning of the reinforcement material in the ankle area is… interesting, there is an 1” gap between the reinforcement on the upper ankle/shin and the one on the top of the boot body. These stiffer areas work to force the thinner strip to bend excessively, more so then in other models. An odd choice considering every single one of the rubber boots I've owned have failed because this exact area bends alot when you move, leading to a crease that eventually becomes a crack and then a hole. Time will tell, but this could be a serious flaw that causes the boots to become compromised faster then the regular, cheaper legacy's.
And while I love the wider tops, Im disappointed they went with the flat too cut, instead of the downward sloping cut of the 2.0's. This reduces the boots breathability. and could lead to an awkward condition where when you lean forward and backward in the boot, the flat top can slowly work your pants leg up from the back. Leading to the always fun discovery that your pants leg has been completely ejected from the boot and is now soaked in fish slime. The sloped cut never had this problem.
Ultimately though, despite these flaws, the boot is just categorically superior to the regular legacies. Check em out.
