I got mine in '98, but they were made in China. Lasted a long time although some of that was dormant in a flat land. One broke in so that it always pushed down on my toes and caused discomfort, but I was insistent they were buy it for life so I kept on hiking in them until the sole came off a couple years ago. All things considered, they held up pretty well over the many miles, but man I wish I had gotten them a year or two before when they were made in Italy.