Yes they are muddy, I use them!!!(6/15/2022)I bought these boots in November of 2019. I've been using them for work and home projects for almost two whole years. The tread is still ample. They are waterproof but I imagine in the two years the liner got a tear around the base of the tongue. They are only waterproof around two inches now, and its only one boot. No big deal. I try not to stand in 8 inch puddles but I can see how it helps.Now as far as comfort goes, they are pretty top notch. I always buy my own insoles but the original ones were not bad at all.Ive worked for years doing a job where I stand for 8-13 hours depending on the shift. Sometimes on a metal grate mezzanine restocking the warehouse. Sometimes on oily concrete. Sometimes in the snow and ice for hours at a time. Sometimes on tile in climate control.No matter what, these boots met the task. The ankle is thin, strong, supportive and still manages to have great padding. The tread is strong and hasn't broken down. In fact after two years, a couple trades still have some of the factory dimples that were only a millimeter or two thick. (Mostly in places I tread less).Yes I would buy them again and then again if they still make them and are available.I suspect in the future the tread will start separate from the leather. I see a few spots pulled out at the toe but strictly cosmetic... And again, after two years. And I still wash them and wear them as if they are new.These boots are my favorite aside from the price and not lasting more than 3 to 6 months.Updated June 4th 2022:Last pair finally gave in. Back of the left boot failed and just a few weeks later the zippers on both boots broke. I really like these boots but at this rate spending over $300 a year on boots is getting ridiculous. If these boots were around the $75 rang I would buy them every time and not care about when they fail so much.Update: Oct. 14th 2020.It finally happened. The back of my left boot tore open. This pair did last longer than the past few pairs. As of Oct. 26th the tear has not gotten any bigger. I was camping when it tore. During my camping trip I put my feet near the fire to warm up and the side of the bood melted. I did not have my feet in the fire only next to it and it was a small cooking fire. See pictures for more.I still really love these boots!Would love it if the manufacturer would use a mesh inside the rubber that keeps tearing as thus would limit how far it could stretch and likely prevent the tear from happening.Update: April 11th 2020.The boots went on sale 50% off so I bought two pair back on the 22nd of December 2019. Started wearing them about a week later. I am on my 4th month of use and no real problems yet. The next two months will tell if these are going to last longer than any others. Hope these updates are helping people.Update: Aug. 28th 2019.I really am loving these boots though it looks like I am just lucky and the rubber on back of the right boot keeps ripping open starting at the seam. I get about 4 to 6 months before the rubber gives way. The solution would be to add a fabric mesh inside the rubber durring production. Even with this dilemma I plan on buying these boots again.Feb. 5th 2019 Update:Swear I added an update about the damage to the back of the boot. Anyway, even though the laces broke in less than six months (laces brake, thats okay) and the rubber on the back of the boots broke open in less than three months I ordered another set and got them today. My hopes are that my lest set were just part of a bad production run. I will update this again when something happens to the new ones.Mar. 31st 2019 Update:I deleted some useless stuff in this review to make room for more useful info. SIZE: I wear size 14 for all my footwear and these are no exception. I ordered size 14, got size 14, and they fit perfectly. ZIPPER: Once you tie them (if you like your boots tight like me) using only the zipper to take them off is fine but basically impossible for putting the boots back on. LACES: To help me stay awake when driving I don't wear shoes. Because I work in the oil fields my boots go on and off many times throughout the day. I dont like lacing up my boots and I dont like boots cut below the ankle so lacing up is how it goes. We all know laces brake regularly and because my last pair of these boots laces didnt last even 2 months, I updates to bungee cord coyote brown 1/8" x 8' with a 1/8" cord lock and cut to length. See attached image BUNGEE: My last pair felt wider than my new pair though bungee cord made them more snug. The bungee also allows for more flexibility and easy on and off by use of the zipper alone. Refer to pictures for the lacing. Also notice that they are laced through the holes from the out side in, this helps keep them tight. I previously laced from the in side out and couldn't keep the boots snug, the bungee kept getting lose. Feed extra lace down to toes between tung and laces.Keep the laces at the toe loose and then about 2 days later PERFECTION.I love how comfortable these boots were right out of the box. They are light and flexible and quiet yet have great support.I was surprised that at the end of my first 10 hr day of clearing jungle in muddy uneven terrain, I did not have any blisters. I did 6 months of clearing and my feet never hurt at the end of the day. In fact, I could put on my salsa dancing shoes and go out and cut the rug.. And my feet always stayed dry in the wet and gurpy muck. I really like the narrow ankle, as a girl it’s often hard to find a shoe that is wide enough in the toe box and narrow enough at the ankle. These are.So grateful!I have high arches so I immediately swapped in my Spenco 3/4 neoprene arches over their insoles.I was so sad when after 8 months of part-time but hardcore use, the sole of one of the boots delaminated and the other one started.See photo.I thought they would have lasted at least a year or two.I am getting a second pair after buying some other name brand high quality work boots that ruined my feet and never broke in….Reading other reviews…. I sure hope they get QC back online. And figure out an adhesive for the sole that lasts longer. Perhaps 3M5200 would work.Used some scratchThese are some amazing boots. I would recommend these for anyone who would like to hike anywhere.Comfortable and easy to wear, the rounded heels are a massive improvement on the flatter ones I've had on previous boots, would definitely recommend.Overall Satisfied with the boots. Minor adjustments and extra addons to make the boot better.Amazon sent me the first pair, which was defective. Since these are water proof boots, I did not take the chance that the cracked right-side inner boot meets the sole would leak. I returned and in a few days, Bates sent me a replacement right away.I normally wear a size 11 but I ordered a size 11.5 because I would be wearing thicker wool socks during the winter months. I tested these boots at minus10 Celsius with thin Heat Gear summer UA socks, these boots were very warm and wearing wool socks were too hot.I knew this would be my winter boots for walking dog, daily travel in the winter snow., and as a work boot. The last 3 weeks the boots have exceeded my expectations, considering the price in comparison to the 400$+ Tactical boots in the market. With the amount of walking, running and other activities, on both concrete, snow and flooring, the soles show no excessive wear and the Anti slip works fairly well on wet floors and excellent in slush and ice.Just like most boots I would use in the winter, I spray them with Scotchguard for suede and leather and so far no leaks or excessive damage to the suede from sidewalk salt.I have minor issues with the Left boot, as seen in the photos, the right side of the tongue wraps between my leg and the boot. Some days when I forget to adjust the tongue prior to zipping up and lacing up, I would have the tongue rub into my shin. The right boot does not have this issue .I replaced the insoles with SOFCOMFORT ultrawork insoles since the original Bates insole were very thin and you could feel every pebble or uneven pavement or ground you stepped on. 2 pairs of insoles from Wal-Mart for 25$ makes a big difference. After 10-12 Hours of wearing the boots, my feet do not hurt, except for the digging in of the sole every so often when the tongue moves out of place.The boots have survived 3 weeks and overall satisfied with the purchase. I am looking forward to buying another Bates tac boot in the future.J'ai des Danner EE et elles sont bcp plus large que celle-ci je chausse du 9.5 EEEE j'ai pris 1point au dessus dans le X-wide et j'aurais du prendre 2 au-dessus, sinon l'assemblage a première vu semble bien, reste à voir si a long terme le matériel s'assouplira suffisammentGreat boots. I wore them for 2 entire days out of the box...like a second skin. Light and extremely comfortable to walk and ride in. I also wore them 12 to 14hrs a day on an 8 day 5000km adv bike trip through heat, cold and rain. Dry during the torrents, warm on cool mornings and comfortable on hot days. They protected me on the one spill I had and cleaned up easy after being decorated by suicidal grasshoppers. I will be buying a thinsulate pair for fall and spring riding.