I don't know which Courteney boot type you are referring to, but I have 2 pair of the safari boots with the tire tread soles, one in buffalo hide, one in elephant. I wear them with low rise hiking socks. I don't think I have ever found a more comfortable walking boot. They are light, extremely tough, and pliable enough that they don't really require a break-in period. I'm about to take them on my ninth safari(their seventh) in September.