I can't speak to the LL Bean Cresta, but I can to the Perimeter. All in all, it's not a bad boot, quite comfortable (never used the provided insoles, used Superfeet instead), and waterproof when I needed them to be. The issue I had with them was longevity. I bought them in April of last year, just before the hiking frenzy that finished off my all-season 48. I figured out that between April and the beginning of September (the last major hike I took them on), I put ~200 miles on them. In that time, the toe rand on both boots began to peel back from the top, thus affecting the waterproofing slightly. Also, the sole wore out way more quickly than anticipated. I didn't really notice it until I was climbing up the Huntington Ravine Trail on September 1 in less than ideal conditions (read: wet), and upon reaching the slabs above the fan, I found I had little to no traction. I ended up surviving that day, but ended up tweaking my knee, putting me out of commission until December. I ended up hiking in them (no other choice really) up to Mt. Clay in early December, and that was it. Switched to a La Sportiva Nepal for the only winter hike I did to the Carters, and bought a pair of Salomon Quest 4D GTX boots before starting up again in earnest in April. Those have since been supplanted by trail runners, the La Sportiva Wildcat, but I'm keeping them around for backpacking.
Long story short: Good boots, short on longevity.
Cheers,
Bill
P.S. - I tried on the Cresta when last at LL Bean, and found them fairly narrow, at least for my feet. YMMV.
