Two of these holes werent well cleaned after being drilled and the dowels didnt go in smoothly. Do not waste your money on these. The ?NATO style? has two steel rings for the long strap. I guess Ill move on to another manufacturer test my luck there. No cushioning. the "wooden" part is whatever trademark rubbery material they typically use in their other shoe models. IT?S GOT 4 FULL RANGE SPEAKERS , 2 ON EACH SIDE OF YOUR NECK THAT DELIVER 3D THEATER SOUND QUALITY. I bought this in the hope it would help her. I would have hated to be reliant upon them for heavy duty hiking and such, I just use them as everyday shoes, and even at that level of expectation, they failed. This shoe is similar but not as a nice a fit.