Kevin, I have been wearing those boots for several years,they have a small steel shank in the arch. Plenty comfy for me. I hate logger style boots. Mark, I have been rollin with that set up for a few years. Having tried just about every lanyard set up in my 16 years on rope it is the best for me. The only limitation I have heard people complain about is that you can not take it off. I really like it because of the simplicity, the cost and of course the wieght.