Last year I tried a pair of Kenetreks ME 400's and the Lowa Hunter GTX's. I went with the Lowas because they fit MY feet the best. I agree to some people Lowas will tear their feet up and Kenetreks will feel awesome, for others the opposite is true. Like others have said it all comes down to you foot shape. The Lowas fit MY feet better than the Kenetreks did which is why I purchased them. They were comfortable out of the box and took maybe 5 miles to break them in. Also a big difference is all the big name boots are made super awesome but all come with crappy cheap tiny thin insoles. The first thing you need to do is throw the insoles away and buy your self some Green Superfeet insoles. Problem solved. I also heard that Lathrop and Sons make some really good insoles. Do this and it should help out. If they still tear your feet up sell them and try some different boots. Its not that Kenetrek sucks it just they don't match up with your feet. Good luck in your choices.