First time Meindl user. I used to wear Lowa (Zephyr) exclusively over the part 2-decades. The primary decision to move to Meindl was the repairable soles as I had to replace shoes due to soles wearing out every 12-14 months. While I will wait to see how the sole does on the Desert Fox, the fit is superb, and it took just about a week to break in. The quality looks top notch, but I was expecting that from Meindl. I ended up getting 3-pairs, just so that I do not have to buy any more shoes for the next decade. The level of moisture wicking is less than the Zephyr, but that is not too much of an issue. I wear the boots with the Darn Tough T3006 socks with liners. For those who are migrating from Lowa Zephyr to Desert Fox, go one full size smaller.

Regarding customer service, it was top notch. I had an issue with Meindl initially shipping via USPS as tracking is quite iffy, so they ended up changing the shipment to UPS. Many thanks for that.

Hey all,

I just had my first experience purchasing from Meindl, and figured I’d share.

I normally wear a size US Men’s 9.5 in my zamberlan and scarpa boots, but in Meindl I discovered I am a 9 - 8.5

It seems the Meindls run 1/2 size - 1 full size larger than other lasts, but have good width, and with this fit I don’t have any heel slippage.

For context I bought the Desert Fox Duty Boot for use in hot climates, since all my other boots are goretex full-grain leather and I get swamp foot.

I ordered UPS next day air, and it ended up taking 4 days to finally arrive. When it did arrive the package was clearly waterlogged, and the cardboard shows lots of exposure to water.

Thankfully, the actual boots were only slightly damp, so I didn’t feel a need to ask for replacement.

Anyone who has dealt with UPS knows that their customer service is straight garbage, and it takes 20-30 mins just to get an actual person on the phone. So I called Meindl directly instead and told them the situation. They immediately refunded the shipping costs and told me they would work it out with UPs directly. I sent in photo proof of the wet package just to make their case a bit easier, but they didn’t ask for that, and made the experience very easy.

Their reps are also very knowledgeable about the fit and form of their boots, everything from how the boot should fit, to how to care for the different types of leather.

To top it off, the boots are top notch and very sturdy. I expect years of…