



First pair of Danner Boots - Mountain Ridge (made in japan)
Just picked up a pair of Mountain Ridge boots on a recent trip to japan! This took me two trips to japan to find, its truly a scavenger hunt, old school fun since "online sales" is not nearly as common there. Cost for the mountain ridge shoes was ~$220 USD, tax free since i was there as a tourist.
I had read about a line of Danner shoes that were made and sold in Japan, and upon looking through the catalog I loved the way the Mountain Ridge shoes looked, and I preferred a "low" cut for daily wearability (did not want to be the guy that wears hiking boots everywhere lol).
What surprised me is the fit was quite different than the synthetic danners i own. My other pair is size 9.5 so I asked the sales associate right away for a 9.5 - and when I first put it on I felt like i was wearing a shoe that was 2 sizes larger.
Went down to a size 8 which seemed like a "very snug" fit but after about 20 minutes of debate, and switching back and forth I went with a 8.5, "slightly snug". I wasn't a fan of how the stock insoles felt (frankly a slight disappointment for a premium line) but easily solved with aftermarket danner insoles they had in the store. After the slightly thicker insole the fit became "moderately snug" with the thought that the leather will hopefully break in and loosen up a bit.
I have around 25 miles on the boots now, mainly paved city type walking, with 2-3 miles of actual hiking, and 1 downpour.
Initial thoughts
Trying to break it in while walking around the city, slightly uncomfortable but can get thru a whole day of walking (6-8 miles) no problem, slightly sore at end of day. Had a sudden downpour and the traction was great, and feet stayed dry.
I did a small 2-3 mile hike through mostly unmaintained trails (photos above) thru snow, streams, over rocks big and small.
The part that was most surprising is the "leverage" from the rigid and wide outsole (on low cut) while walking over uneven rock, that leverage puts a bit of pressure on the ankles. However I'm not too worried at this point since I feel there is plenty of miles of break in ahead (I do hike about 10-15 miles a week on bunny slopes with tame gravel trails)
Thats pretty much it! So far so good, any comments from seasoned veterans i'd greatly appreciate it!
And dont mind the sloppy shoelaces