What are Your Favorite Boots?

Meindel Denali for summer

Meindel Prfk Hunter for Winter.

_____________________________________
A Peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than that of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.- Aldo Leopold.
 
Here we go again :)

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
 
Hardway

No arguments, comments or discussions from me on this one. I promise. I am starting round two of my footwear evavaluations and just wanted to see if anything new was out there that I didn't know about.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
Wade, just givin ya a hard time. The boot thing is like the "best rifle" or "ford vs. chevy" thing :)

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
 
My wife bought me a pair of Danner Pronghorn for Christmas and so far I love those boots. I also bought a pair of Sorel Conquest based on your recommendation and have to say those are very comfortable as well.
 
Asolo 520 TPS

By the way - whatever happened to the lightweight Tripod eval. - specifically the Slik 613 (?). I am headed to Alaska for sheep & Caribou in Aug. and am in the market for a new tripod. Just curious. Thanks!
 
I purchased a pair of Kenetrek Mountain Boots last year and have really enjoyed them. The best pair of boots I have ever owned.
 
I've had my Kenetrek Mountain Extreme's for a few months now. I've put around 100 miles on them and I am totally satisfied. Of course these are not intended for light trail use and walking, but if your looking for a boot that will give you serious support and all day comfort on steep side hill terrain this is the boot. They appear to be well built but I guess I can't comment on that until I've got a year of use under my belt. I was alway a Miendl fan but I will have to say the Kenetrek's are a notch above.

Coon
 
Slip a set of the orange Superfeet into them and you will be even happier.

I took about 15 pair of boots into the Pedietrist and asked him to take a look at them. He was amazed at the quality and craftsmanship of these high end boots but speechless at the footbeds. Spencos, eSoles, New Balance, Superfeet. What ever works for you.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
For hiking I like my Raichle Mt. Trail GTX...lot's of room in the toe box, great downhill traction with it's vibram soles but not the ankle support(7")I need with a 50 lb pack. I've owned Salomons, Asolo, Danners, Brownings.
Lots of support with my Lowa sheep hunters but NOT very comfortable....when I'm not under a load.
I'm in the market for a boot for an AK backpack hunt where there will be lots of miles logged each day. I'm considering the Hanwag Alaska GTX, Lowa Banff, Scarpa Kailash GTX & Kenetrek Hardscrabble.
Question for you Kenetrek owners....The soles are not Vibrams, they are made in China! Do you feel the quality of the the China soles is comparable to the Vibrams???
 
You named some great boots there. Gonna boil down to fit and personal preference.

The Kenetrek Hardscrabble Hikers are my new current favorite Light Mountaineering boot. It was this forum that turned me onto them. Kenetrek is kind of funny though. Great Italian made boot but they went with Windtex not Gore-Tex and they went with K-Talon instead of Vibram.

I don't know if they did it just to keep the costs down or if they thought those performmed better or if they are just contrarians. Whatever it is, it doesn't seems to have hurt the performance any. The K-Talon outdole is pretty close to if not more agressive than the Vibram Kletterleft tread on my old Browning Waterproof Insulated boots or my Danner Recons. Not quite as sticky as I would like but still very good.

You can read my full review on my site but one thing that you might want to be aware of on the Kenetreks is that you, me anyway, sort of ride higher in the them. On top of them, but having said that, they are one of the most precise boots I have tested.

The other boot I am in love with right now is the Asolo FSN 95 in a Wide. It is a heavy hiker and when you mate it with a good aftermarket footbed, boy is it a nice ride. I did 8 miles last night in the mountain preserve and it was the best trip I have had in two months of testing.

The Kailash is going to be alot like the Asolo FSN 95 or the Lowa Korba. Heavy Hikers. The Lowa Banff is the new name for the Tibet Expert GTX which is a great Light Mountaineering boot. You might also try the Scarpa SL M3. NOLS recommends it and everybody I know that has one loves it. Sorry, still can't talk much about the Hanwags yet.

Good luck

Let us know what you end up doing.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
4 YEARS on a pair of Lowa Sheep Hunters
I love them.

Next pair I will try a pair of Kenetrek's
The only reason is non insulated.
 
Hey HardcoreOutdoor you seem to have done more research on boots than probably anyone on the freakin planet, so give me a recommendation. I'm tired of going through a pair of danner pronghorns every 12 to 18 months. By then the soles are slick and the seems a spliting everywhere. The only things I like about the pronhorns is they are lightweight,comfortable almost no break-in period. I do almost all my hiking from august through may, scouting-shed hunting. Checked out some boots at REI, whatta think between Asolo TPS 520, REI Spirit III GTX, and Vasque Summit GTX Hiking. Or should I consider others? I thought the Asolo fit the best it just needed a little more arch support. The Vasque fit pretty good all around, and the REI boot fit good but the sole was extremely stiff. I'd like something un-insulated, waterproof, lightweight, decent arch, rebuildable (soles anyway), and tough. I'm always in steep rocky nasty terrain and in the winter I'm typically stomping through snow drifts.
So what should I get? Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-08 AT 11:18PM (MST)[p]Well figure I spend 160 bucks every 12 to 18 months. I'd spend a bunch if they'll last a while. As far as width I usually just go with regular and it works okay. Feels a little tight at first but breaks in fine. I think my foot is a little wider than standard though because I tried a wide boot and once and it fit okay the only sloppiness came from poor boot design and I couldn't lace them up as tight as I want.

The salesman at REI told me all 3 of the boots I tried can have a new sole glued on by this guy in Portland or Spokane. In fact my buddy has a pair of the REI boots that he has had for 6 years, resoled once (glued on) and still going strong.
Thanks
 
I had a pair of Browning Waterproof hunting boots that were, many years ago, my favorites. I had a our local boot cobbler guru resole them with climbing rubber soles. Worked great for 6 months and then on a mission in the middle of nowhere one of the soles came off. Made for an interesting trip back to the CP. I would not go with a glued on anything if it were me.

Rebuildable brings to mind the American made Danners, White's, Nicks, Hawthornes, Drews. These are mostly wildland firefighter boots that are custom or semi-custom and can be fully rebuilt 3 to 4 times if you take care of them. They are incredible boots. I have done a little fire line medical work and I don't think there is anybody on the planet that works harder, in all terrain, than those kids on the line. Take a look at the White's Dri-foot in an 8inch. You can get it in different colors, insulated or non. It is a hell of a boot. About $400ish.

Having said that, I am hearing from some of my fire guys that they are seeing more Scarpa-Liskhams, SL M3, Escapes, and La Sportivas-Galcier EVOs, Makalus, Glaciers on the line.

That Asolo TPS 520 is a great boot, if it fits, put in a set of Superfeet Green footbeds for arch support and go with it. They are great boots and will last twice as long as the Pronghorns. You might consider a wide though, an E equivalant not a EE. But they are not rebuildable.

If you don't like any of those look at the Lowa Tibet GTX or Baffins, they a come in a wide.

Anyway, take a look at those and we'll talk some more.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
I know that, I tried on a pair of my buddys
tibets, but the shorter version bothers my
shins, I guess a guy could get used to them
but I still like the 10s.
 
Meindl Perfekt hunters. I have used them this year for ice fishing, elk hunting and a 70 degree weather bear hunt. The performed great.

I forgot my "good" socks on the bear hunt, and picked up some cheap tube socks. They still worked great.

My friend had his Danners and after 2 days he had a dime sized blister on each foot. He said they were great boots and his socks were the problem lol.....
 
Wade - Got it, thanks! Thanks for the quick response to both my questions. Someone already asked for your opinion on my next option - the Vortex High Country. Any timeframes on this eval. May have to go with the Slik, do to time, and keep the height down to handle my 80 mm Swaro scope as someone mentioned that is what they do. Thanks again!!! BK
 
I just picked up a pair of the Asolo Fugitive boots from Cabelas. They have been great!
 
Bighorn...
Did you order your boots thru Lathrop & Sons?
If so how was your experience with them?
I've actually sent in my tracings but I am second guessing myself on spending that much money on a fitted pair of boots & footbed.
 
I did order thru Lathrop...great customer service and they definitely know how to get the right fit for your foot size, foot shape, ankle size/shape, and so on. I have hiked 4 miles a day in them from April-Sept. + all the hunts I guide + my own hunts for the past two years. The boots have to have close to a 1000 miles. Never a blister or hot spot. The tread on mine is getting low and I am planning to order the exact same boot again...top shelf stuff for sure!
 
Hey Bighorn,
Thanks for your reply...
That reassures me that I am making a good investment.
I also ordered the Alaska GTX, hopefully my wife doesn't find out how much I spent.
 
In the high country on rocky ground, nothing can out do La Sportiva's. French Alps hiking boot. My pair has lasted me years. Here is a pic.
486d26472f3d0577.jpg
 
I own that boot too and I agree it is a top notch boot if it fits you. I have a number of readers that are Wildland Firefighters and they told me they are starting to see some of the young bucks wear these on the fire line. Downside is that they are not rebuildable like the Whites or Haix or others.

I found a couple truly custom boot makers for the ultra high end crowd. Van Gorkum and Randy Merrill will make you mountain boots to spec totally custom to your feet for $1600 and $3000 a pair respectively. Wait time on both is more than two years.

Just came back from a pretty grueling week in Montana at the Primal Quest 2008 race and you should see what those people wear on their feet. It is amazing. I am in the process of writing an article now and will post it on my site in a day or two.

Happy 4th America!

Wade
www.hardcoreoutdoor.com
 
I bought a pair of Kenetrek Hardscrabble hikers and Mountain Extreme recently. I've wore the hikers on several 2-4 miles trips so far and really like them. The ankle support is perfect for me.

The only downside I can find is the lugs aren't anywhere near self cleaning and can really cake up thick with the red clay we have. After a half mile or so on grass or non mud surface they start gradually cleaning themselves out, but they got so heavy a couple of times I had to stop to clean out the treads.
 
Once you get them clean, I mean really clean, spray the bottoms with Pam before you leave the truck next time. It is not perfect, and it is a little messy but it works pretty good. Works for you ATVs too.

From Hardcore Outdoor Southwestern Command-Coronado, CA

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
Meindl 11" canada for late season and Meindl Ibex for early..
I have 5 years on my latest pair of Canadas and they are still water proof, thats with hard hunting and scouting each year. Must be close to 500 miles on that pair. My first pair of Canadas went 6 years before they started to leak a little, but now are great for early season. The Ibex are a 9" boot with the same 200 grm. thinsulate bought this spring. LOVE THEM... different leather on those and has nylon/leather upper instead of all leather.. Looking forward to using my Ibex on a mule deer hunt i drew for eastern Oregon. The germans make the most comfortable, best traction, waterproof boot.... bar none!!
I'm thinking i should sell these things...lol
 

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