I have struggled with finding an early season archery hunting shoe or boot that I am happy with, and this shoe solved it for me. Early season I have tried to find a shoe that can hold up while backpack hunting, without wanting to use boots. I find that running shoes are soft and lead to more successful stalks when it counts. I have chewed through a lot of very light weight shoes from other companies that just aren't up to the task of mountain hunting. These are just burly enough for extended early season backpack hunts, while being very light and not what I would call a "boot". If I was expecting snow or a few days of rain I would go with something else, but for dry Utah in late August through September these are perfect.