With temperatures hovering at the ten degree Fahrenheit mark with a cold wind in the air and icy crusty snow on the ground , I hit the streets in my Altais . The first thing I noticed pulling them out of the box was how light they are – probably the weight of a high-dollar pair of athletic shoes . That makes a difference when you ’ re wearing them all day , on your feet all day and working or playing all day . Slipping the boots on , I was very pleased that they fit snugly , akin to a high-top basketball shoe , around the foot and ankle , but with a great deal of toe room at the front for me to wiggle and fit into even with thick socks . The “ sausage link ” laces stay tied when you tie them , and with the side zip like mine have , I likely won ’ t untie them again for the foreseeable future . Altai advertises no break-in period with their boots and I tend to agree – they ’ re comfortable all day and I haven ’ t had a single blister or sore spot from wear in the first several days they were on .
The first day I wore my new Altai boots was a busy one , seeing me all over the body shop throughout the day checking on cars inprocess , taking in newly damaged cars for repair and , as the day wore on , putting the finishing touches on multiple cars before seeing them safely delivered to customers . We started at eight that morning and we didn ’ t pull out of the parking lot and head home until about eight that night , and most of that time I was on my feet and moving , inside and outside with temperatures that never cleared the teens . There was plenty of ice and snow on the parking lot , and inside , plenty of red and green coolant , washer fluid , power steering fluid and even soapy water to invite a busy person to slip and fall . Inside and out I stayed on my feet all day without aching feet and without even a hint of cold . Even when I lent a hand washing cars and water got everywhere , true to their word the water beaded and rolled right off my Altais .
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