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Teva Montecito boots

Teva Montecito boots

A few weeks ago I bought some Teva Montecito boots and I like them! I am a scardy cat when it comes to breaking in new shoes. I haaate it. I always go through a I Never Should Have Bought These What Was I Thinking phase. And the The Other Size Would Have Better phase. And the Why Didn’t I See Those Similar Shoes From Another Company Before I Bought These phase. I went through all those with these boots but the other day I realized that they are the most comfortable shoes I own right now. I’m not aware of them when I’m wearing them. So, thank you to everybody who wrote to let me know that they love these as well, I’m glad you did.

To break these in I decided to wear them to the Alt Summit. I was being bold here, I wore them to the airport and risked regretting that half way down a hallway. They were wonderful though, and half way through a day of sessions I found myself returning to my hotel room to change out of my “comfy” shoes and back into the boots.

They have not given me blisters, everything gives me blisters, and I’ve been wearing them as much as I can to determine if they are worthy of packing into some luggage for a long trip. I was a bit worried that the toe area was going to be too small but trusted a review left at Zappos, and sure enough the area across the toes stretched to accommodate the room I needed. The recycled cork soles seem almost bouncy and easy on my feet when I’m walking, and whatever they make the interior soles of is soft enough that it hasn’t bothered my picky feet. I usually require a certain amount of arch support but the moderate support here hasn’t affected me at all. Compared to some other boots I tried on the these soles are nice and grippy. I’ve worn them in rain and they have shown no signs of being affected (they are waterproof). They keep my feet warm when I’m outdoors, but not too warm when I’m indoors.

Teva Montecito boots, showing the overlap area at the top of the calf

There is an elastic cord that wraps around the back of the boot and attaches to a button on the other side. On the way around the boot they hold down the zipper pulls so they don’t jingle when I walk. The cords also pass over this feature at the top that I like, there are two, um flaps? parts? that overlap and allow the top of the boot to open up a bit wider if needed and will avoid having a wider calf being hugged too tightly. I tried on two sizes, 7.5 and 8, and can tell you that the calf circumference of the size 8 was noticeably larger.

The things I don’t quite love as much are the non-removable soles. I would like having the option to slip in my heat moldable Sole insoles. Despite the fact that the toe box stretched quite well these boots are still slim fitting and if you’re used to wearing Keens and Danskos I suspect these would feel restrictive.

I also tried on some Lassen boots which where a bit sturdier, or stompier. The soles were a wee bit slippery but the construction felt strong, and they were comfortable enough that I wold have been happy with those. In the comment on this previous post CZL and Suswhit highly recommended trying out a pair of Merrell boots. The only Merrells I had found at that point were knee-high but I found the mid-height Merrell Tetra Launch boots at REI (link there is to Amazon, they are currently showing unavailable on REI’s site but they were available in the store). They looked very nice, though I didn’t stop to try them on, and I really liked the faux button detail. And note that in CZL’s comment she says they are so waterproof she’s walked through puddles and been fine. The styling on the Merrell’s is a bit less crunchy than my Montecitos, the soles are black and the heel looks a bit higher, maybe (upon comparing specs the heel is comparable, if not shorter than!). They seem well worth a look if you’re shopping for boots.

· comments [21] · 02-9-2010 · categories:shopping ·

21 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Kathrin // Feb 9, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    I like your shoes so much and I´m so unlucky, that I can´t find them in a german shop.

    BTW great blog, nice to read and always great pictures.

    Thank you, Ka

  • 2 Emily // Feb 9, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    I have the Tetra Launch boots and I LOVE them. They satisfied my requirements – waterproof, but not too hot to wear inside, below the knee height, black, and look good with a skirt and sticking out from under pants. They are awesome.

    I am tempted by those Tevas, though. I am trying to remind myself that I don’t need more than one pair of black waterproof boots.

  • 3 Anotheryarn // Feb 9, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    I do the same thing with shoes, they tend to sit in my closet while I mull over if I should keep them or not. This tendency meant I waited an entire month before I wore my Merrell Tetras – but now they are my favorite winter shoe. Except I think your Montecito heels look higher than my Tetra heels :) Vaguely helpful, Piperlime claims the tetra heel is 3/4″, while Endless claims the montecito heel is 1″; I didn’t find a source with both shoes and heel height though.

  • 4 megan // Feb 9, 2010 at 5:12 pm

    Kathrin – But you can find all those lovely European things we cannot get!

    Emily – Not to do you in but the Montecito also comes in brown, and two shades of brown suede. That said, I am also eyeing the Merrells.

  • 5 megan // Feb 9, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Anotheryarn – Ah, thank you. I was going by what I remembered seeing in a store a little over a week ago.

  • 6 Leisl // Feb 10, 2010 at 2:53 am

    Thank you so much for the boot review. Nagdammit, I need new boots something shocking, and I’m liking the cork concept. Anything that reminds me of bottles of champagne HAS to be a good thing!

  • 7 Sara // Feb 10, 2010 at 10:22 am

    Thanks so much-this is a very timely review. I’ve been eyeing the Merrells for quite some time; tried them on at REI and then found them for $80 on Ebay. Are the Montecitos the same height on the calf as the Merrells?

    I need to see if I can find the Teva’s locally to try on, I guess…

  • 8 megan // Feb 10, 2010 at 11:03 am

    Sara – Yes the Montecitos are roughly the same mid-calf height as the Merrell Tetra Launch boots. You might be able to find the Tevas at REI.

  • 9 Holly // Feb 10, 2010 at 4:56 pm

    I wish everyone wrote reviews for shoes the way you’ve written this one. This is perfect. I don’t think I fit the slimmish toe box profile, but those boots look great on you. I only wish you’d have shown a full body picture so that we could see what looks like a very cute skirt!

  • 10 megan // Feb 10, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    Holly – Thanks. In the related shoes peeks on Zappos and Endless I spotted some Keen brand boots, take a look they might have something you’d like.

    As for the picture, you can see the whole outfit here, which I posted last week and thought it might be redundant to show again :)

  • 11 Natalie Mikolajczak // Feb 11, 2010 at 12:44 pm

    I totally had to look into the two pairs of boots you were comparing. Then, I decided I needed RED boots. I found these: http://www.zappos.com/la-canadienne-blanche-cherry-crinkle-patent

    OMG! I wished I would have had these when I went to Paris last year. They fit like a beautiful glove.

  • 12 megan // Feb 11, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    Natalie – Ooh, nice. I’ve heard lots of great stuff about La Canadienne boots since I started looking around. They are expensive but now that I know I like wearing boots I might invest in a pair.

  • 13 Michelle // Feb 12, 2010 at 3:32 am

    I have the Tetra Launch boots, and I love them. I pop out the insoles that came with them, and my Superfeet make them absolutely perfect. Being warm, dry, and versatile, they’re the shoes I wear most often during the winter.

  • 14 Hannah // Feb 13, 2010 at 7:14 pm

    Megan, I have these boots and they are my absolute FAVORITE boots. I’m obsessed with them. You made a good choice buying these! I wear mine constantly!

  • 15 Endangered Species Chocolate // Feb 15, 2010 at 11:27 am

    I rather adored this post. I am coveting your boots.

    Wearing the perfect pair of boots makes me feel bold and a tad smug. :)

  • 16 mojo // Feb 16, 2010 at 10:52 am

    Thanks so much for this review. I happened to score a pair of these boots on sale for $75 the other day and I’m THRILLED! I was wondering how the waterproofing has held up for you. The shoe salesman told me I should use silicone-free waterproofer on them, but everything I’ve read says they’re already waterproof. I live in Minnesota, and the winters here are wet and and dirty. Lots of road salt that I’m worried might stain the boots. Have you had any problems with water/stains?

  • 17 megan // Feb 16, 2010 at 11:47 am

    Mojo – I’ve only tried them out in the Seattle rain which, as a former resident of Cleveland, I can tell you is nothing compared to snow and slush. I’ve had no trouble but I would encourage you to waterproof on your own.

  • 18 Emily // Feb 18, 2010 at 9:36 am

    After your multiple posts on these boots I began to covet my own pair in chocolate suede. Alas, I finally got around to measuring my calves and discovered these boots will be too loose for me
    :( and I’m not one to tuck my jeans into my boots as I am not a skinny jean wearing kind of person. They are so perfect in every other way..I’ll have to continue the search..thanks to you I have many suggestions to check out.

  • 19 Jessica "Su Good Sweets" // Mar 10, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    Hi Megan, because of your detailed review, I ordered the Tevas online. I have a narrow calf, so we’ll see how it goes. For future reference, I just tried Paul Green today and recommend it. A hefty investment, but I normally don’t wear dress shoes (not even Clarks) because they kill my feet. The Paul Greens have built-in arch support and thin, shock-absorbing soles. I’m pining for the Elanas.

  • 20 Jedalyn // Jun 7, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    Megan!

    I’ve been agonizing over buying these Montecito boots since your original post. I am a 6.5, but I have semi-large stocky calves. What do you think?
    Any advice would be appreciated…

  • 21 megan // Jun 7, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Jedalyn – I cannot say. Measure your calves and compare them to the measurements given on Zappos.com or Endless.com. You might be out of luck though, last time I looked the Montecito boot was on clearance and only available in a few sizes. They might bring it back next year but there is not way to tell.

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