These boots are the ONLY ones my husband will wear. Being in the Corps for over 30 years.... these are all he knows as comfortable. Unfortunately bates has discontinued this type boot. We took a leap of faith and ordered. These seem to be the original and he has said they fit as they always do! I'm thinking of ordering a back up pair while I still can!Bates Lites are the best and lightest boots that money can buy for OCS preparation. I love my boots and have just started to break them in. As with all boots and leather, they need to be broken in quite a bit, and usually not without some problems along the way. As for myself, I wore them a few days, and then went a little Gung-ho on a 5 mile hike with some incline and 40lbs. I wouldnt recommend doing that until you work your way up to it--my pinky toes rubbed raw afterward! Beware. The only problem/discomfort i have from my pair of Bates Lites are the semi-narrow foot area, where it appears to be rather tight, causing my pinky toes to push up against the sides of the shoes (hence my injury). Luckily, this can be solved with shoe stretchers and other methods to widen the foot area (and i would encourage anyone who's reading this to do the same, rather than just deal with the pain! it will save you during OCS). Once my boots are finally broken in and widened, they will be absolutely perfect. Patience and endurance are virtues; ones youll need at OCS as well. Great pair, and would certainly recommend to any aspiring officer candidate!P.S.-- get yourself some sock liners, moisture wicking boot socks, band-aids, and medical tape. Prevent your blisters before they happen.These are the lightest boots sanctioned by the USMC and a must for OCS. I am a size 12 shoe normally, but an 11.5 WIDE in Bates lights. I bought size 12 first, but they were too long. I then bought 11.5 standard, but they were too narrow causing my feet to immediately bleed on rucks. The 11.5 Wides were perfect for me. Be sure to buy and return multiple pairs, or buy and return one pair at a time until you find a size that works.These boots are amazing. Light with good traction, I've put plenty of miles into them and they've had no issues. When broken in, they are extremely comfortable, especially with a custom insert. Great ankle support for rougher terrain, and plenty of room in the toe-box.That being said, breaking in these boots is a painful process for me. I didn't deduct a star because anyone who thinks a boot out of the box fits right has never worn a real boot. The toe box has leather stitching that acts like a knife against the top of your foot. In time, this stitching softens and becomes comfortable, but it causes a lot of discomfort at first. Wear them for a few hours each day, with no significant walking, and they'll be comfortable by the end of the week.**Fits true to your foot size. I wear Red Wings work boots in 11.5, I wear Red Wing Iron Rangers in 10.5, these are sized like Iron Rangers, 11.5. I have a 4E wife foot and these are quite wide bit you can firm them up by lacing them tight.Ordered these on my first deployment, from the words of a Rifleman, get your exact size if not a half a size smaller. The reason being is these boots like to split down the middle, To avoid this, make sure your big toe touches the tip while you are wearing. avoid wearing these in sharp rocky environments and areas where sticks and pointy branches are prevalent, they will easily PIERCE YOUR BOOTS requiring you to be pissed off and see the corpsman.-BobbyWe bought these boots for our son for his "starting OCS" gift. He wore them for all long 'humps' and runs through his ten weeks at the USMC Officer Candidates School in Quantico, and never once complained about his knees bothering him (something that he HAD talked a LOT about during boot camp at Parris Island two years prior to his admission to OCS). While it might have had something to do with less time standing for long periods, I have to think the cushioned insole must have helped. And he had his best time ever for the 3-mile portion of the USMC physical fitness test wearing these boots: the lighter weight of these boots, I"m sure, had a lot to do with that! He took them with him when he left for The Basic School last week, where I'm sure they will continue to serve him well.The upper of the boot rubs the top of your foot. At first I just dealt with it, but it grew into a much bigger issue. I wore these at Officer Candidate School for the Marine Corps. My feet ended up swelling from the friction. Else than that, it’s a great lightweight boot. I would recommend having the material stretched at the top, before heavily using them. The point of friction that I and other candidates had were at the bridge, where the laces begin, right behind the toe box.