Hanwag Tatra Tops GTX

A little back story to let you know that I really know what I am talking about.
I grew up and live in Western MT, where I have hunted all my life and been guiding for the past 8 or 9 years.
I have been through many different pairs of boots, including Kennetrek 1 pair, Crispi Guides 2 pairs, Schnees Beartooth, and Granite, and now onto my second pair of Hanwags. I have put all of these boots through hell, and I can say with 100 percent confidence that Hanwags are the best ones I have tried.
The first pair I tried were the Hanwag Trappers and these boots blew my mind away. From stability, durability, comfort, warmth, and grip. I wanted to get them again, but I really wanted to try out the Tatra Tops. Mainly, I really liked the looks of them. They are tall which I like for support and lace to toe for lots of adjustment. One thing that really drew me to them is the higher arch in the vibram sole. Now you dont really feel this when the boot is on your foot, so no worries. The nice thing about the higher arch is a good downhill bite. Anyone who has spent lots time in loose material or in steep snowy country knows that a good downhill bite is crucial. I also ride horses guiding, and though I have not tried them in stirrups, I know the high arch will be nice for riding.
Hanwag really outdid themselves with grip on these vibram soles. Directly through the center of the sole are deep forward and reversed lugs that bite into the ground no matter the terrain. The key being that one line of the lugs are facing towards the front of the boot, and the other is facing the rear of the boot, giving you maximum grip whether you are going down hill or up hill.
I haven't been able to try this boot in the snow yet, but they will be the boot I will have on all of rifle season and mountain lion season no matter the weather or how deep the snow is.
When it came to sizing, I did a bunch of research trying to figure out if this boot was going to be true to size. What I found is that a very trusted website said to run ½ size big. I wear a size 10 in all my boots including my Hanwag Trappers but I took the risk and ordered a 10 ½. Good and a bad idea, when I finally got them. They were definitely a little sloppy and I was afraid that over time with them getting wet in the snow and having to cinch them up through out the day that the lace eyelets would eventually be too close together. For that reason I purchased a set of thicker Super feet insoles and that has made a good difference in tightness. That being said if you spend any amout of time in the snow getting your boots wet and only have a night to dry them off and get them wet the next day. That leather will shrink. Unfortunately my Trappers that I love have shrunk too much to be able to wear them after two years. So, buying a half size up in the long run is going to be beneficial because I know with the hunting I do these boots will shrink. So I bought another pair in a size 10 to wear for archery season. Maybe most people dont go through this, but everyone I know that hunts in these conditions has the same thing happen with full leather boots. Its just the nature of the beast. I get about 2 to 2 and half years on a good pair of boots before they either shrink or they are too worn out to be safe.
If your okay with a little slop go a half size up and cinch those laces down if your like me and like your boot tight all around then stick to your normal size. I hope this helps and happy hunting!