I initially bought these to replace my 'yard work' boots, but I've decided I like them too much for that and now they are my main casual shoe.
Initial reaction of the Skechers Men's Respected-Boswell Boot was their weight: VERY light compared to work boots, hiking boots or similar. The stitching and design is attractive and the sole is not aggressive but should fine for casual wear. Where these boot excel is in the comfort. They are very comfortable, even from the first wearing, with no real break-in period needed (for me, at least). These arrived just before a cross country road trip to Yellowstone National Park. These felt great driving and offered good comfort and stability walking around the park (and I do mean walking, as I did not engage in any serious rugged trail hikes during this trip).
I would expect these to be water 'resistant', not water proof, which is consistent with the product description. The main component appears to be 'leather like" rubber based material as well as some leather accents on the upper. It looks nice, and actually will compliment all but the most dressy attire.
But there is a negative I need to address: the smell. All new boots will have some amount of 'smell', either from the leather, glues, rubber or other components. Usually this dissipates withing a few days. Unfortunately, these boots took a long time to lose the rubber/leather smell. I think this was intensified by body heat, because the smell was very strong when taking them off. My feet/shoes never 'stank' before, but it was very apparent with these. It started to normalize after a week or so and even more so after adding an 'odor-eater' insole. I still love these boots, but buyers should expect an extended period of off-gassing. To me, the exemplary boot comfort far outweighs that minor inconvenience.
Tyler Calhoun
Chuck & Karen