My 11 year old has a pair of Merrells sandals and it has been his go-to footwear for the past year. Once, we ended up hiking for 3 hours in the harsh dessert with thorny bushes and tough terrain because we were lost looking for a landmark and all he had were these sandals - they were reliable, and did not give any blisters.We decided to try this Merrell Capra Mid hiking boot. The good news is the sole of the Capra is almost IDENTICAL as his sandal - we were so happy. The photos show the similar sole design and both shoes have slight upturn toe-box, generous and roomy for toes to breathe while the stiffness protects the toes. I am a ladies size 6.5 street size and barely fit the Capra. I can see how a bigger size would be a good fit and I can understand why some adults buy these kids shoes in the large sizes as they are good shoes and good price compared to adult boots.The bad news is it was a tad too small. They were out of size 5 which is what he needs so we tried the 4 hoping it might work. Size 4 M US Big Kid fits him snug which means no room for winter socks nor room to grow into. Sadly, we have to return. I will look out for this again when their sizes becomes available.Because we have positive experience in their sandals, i am confident these will deliver. It is in contrast to the Keen shoes they had which failed because the soles did not last. I wrote a review on that too.