Gear Review: Oboz Sawtooth Mids

Image courtesy: https://9gag.com/gag/3210294

Disclosure: Oboz provided these boots for the purpose of review. My honest opinion is based on my experience.

I get cold easily. My feet would have to be resting directly on Drake’s chest in order to get hot (bearded Drake to be clear). Hence, what’s important to me in footwear is warmth, dryness and of course, support. Starting my NOBO AT hike in early March meant there was a really good chance I was going to be traipsing through some cold and wet snow and slush. There was also absolutely zero chance that I would run into Drake on the trail, so I had to go to Plan B: the Oboz Sawtooth Mids with B-Dry Lining.

What’s the Fit Like?

First off, I like the way they look and fit. The design balances a substantial “sawtooth” sole and sturdy heel support with a tailored waterproof nubuck leather upper, resulting in a boot that didn’t feel clunky or bulky. This design did prove to be a bit narrow for me in ye olde toe box after my feet started to swell mid-day, but I also wear two layers of socks. If you have wide feet this may not be the shoe for you.

The BDry Lining kept my feet warm and dry in the cold, wet conditions without adding a lot of weight to my feet (~19 oz). I walked through many cold rainy days (check out this boring clip to verify that) and puddles and kept waiting for my feet to get wet. The flip side here is that once the weather warmed up and dried up my feet warmed up as well.

How Many Miles Can I Get Out of These?

The toe bumper stood up to an extensive amount of abuse because I hike like it’s Adventure Island and I’m a bumbling Master Higgins. After almost 400 miles they showed some superficial wear, but continued to protect my toes stumble after embarrassing stumble.

After 600 miles before the inside seam on the heel came apart and ate the back of my heel, thus ending my no-blister streak. I’ll let it slide because I never caught the Mids slipping. The traction and support outlasted the inside seam. After trekking through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and half of Virginia on the AT the Sawtooth soles had plenty of tread left and weren’t showing any signs of quitting gripping. For a MSRP of $145 that’s less than 25 cents a mile.

Should I Get Them?

Overall, I would recommend the Sawtooth Mids with BDry Lining for klutzy people with cold feet who are backpacking in cold, wet conditions with moderately challenging terrain. Available at REI, Moosejaw and Amazon Prime.