Boots or shoes??

[hhunter23]

so i bought a pair of kennetrek mountain extremes at the beginning of 2014. i hunted them that year and 2015. thats all they lasted till the toe peeled off. they wore way worse than i thought they would. i can resole them for 150$ but if im barely getting 2 seasons out of them is it worth it? im hunting some tough terrain. i put in probably 100 days of scouting/hunting on them in the last two seasons. lots of miles.

so my questions:

are the top end boots worth it? or is it better to go with a mid grade and replace them every other year anyway?

Are the trail shoes worth it? ive been seeing more and more people use the "shoe" type for hunting. and i have to ask myself if that is the way to go.

opinions? thoughts?

maybe there are other boots that hold up better?


"Shoot Straight"

 

[Deerlove]

Without a lot weight and no side hills shoes or light weight boots are ok. Ps you might get away with it more often when you use trekkers.

 

[littlebighorn]

While I have never owned a pair, I have heard from more than one source that Kenetreks don't hold up as well as most other high end boots. Our NWT Canadian guide went through a pair in only a month of guiding. I have had good success with Meindles, and Zamberlains. Mostly getting a good fit for your feet is key. For warmer weather/light weight I use the Lowa renegades, but they don't hold up more than a season or two either.

 

[Zeke]

Quit skateboarding in your hunting boots! LOLLOL

I've had really good luck with Cabelas Meindle Alaskan but I've had no experience with your boot. Mine last way longer than I expect! I'm on my 3rd pair and plenty pleased.

Trail shoes: I have has a couple pair and they're great to go to the movies with my wife. They're quite stylish but not something I'd hunt in. I usually have to pack too much meat out to have a light shoe and my feet stone-bruise easily!

I don't know if it would be worth a re-sole or not but I had to tease you a little about your skateboarding antics.
Zeke

 

[sageadvice]

Speaking of Boots or applicable shoes, Maybe i don't know what i've been missing all these years but about $150. is the most i've ever paid and have gotten excellent service.

Trouble is, my size is 15 EEE, extra extra wide. I figure i could get a pair custom made but that's a tough size to find anywhere i've ever shopped... so the pickens are slim.

Joey



"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[travishunter3006]

Crazy uncle saggy.... having a 15EEE sized foot you'd think you wouldn't be able to get the whole thing in your mouth but I'm always seeing you sticking your foot in there.

 

[elkboy32]

Thought I would chime in on this one. I work at a general outdoor shop in central Idaho. For the past decade I have been wearing Salomon mid and low shoes for my hunting purposes. In general, I feel like there is a generation that tends to "over boot" Typically, they backpacked in the 60's and 70's and are looking for a leather European style boot. As soon as I put a new 150 range boot on their foot and tell them there is no break in period, they get it.

Every summer I sell hundreds of these style of boots. Come September, I see hunters come in a scuff at my selection. They are use to their Danner Pronghorn's and if they arn't 8 inches tall, they must not be a hunting boot.

Granted, these boots do have limitations. They arn't going to last multiple hunting seasons. I usually get a season and a half or so out of mine, with summer scouting and spring bear. Also, if your out of shape (big guts need more ankle support) or have weak ankles, they might not be for you. But I hunted 63 days in a pair of X-Ultra mids by Salomon and I can't wait to get a new pair for next year. I sure like how light they are, and the traction was on point. I still have my danners for deep snow hunts, but I dread putting them on.

 

[Zeke]

This ^^^^^ is exactly why we should thank our lucky stars for the great selections we have!
There really are no wrong answers here. It depends on what YOU like and you won't know until YOU try them.
15EEE huh Joey? You know what they say....big feet ....big, well, you know. Hahahaha
Zeke

 

[sageadvice]

Travis, still poking with that sharp stick i see. Well, Hope you had a nice Holidays!

Joey

"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[hossblur]

Sage, when I made the mistake of taking my boy with me to buy new boots this summer, I wear 14, he started playing the clown music and asked the sales guy if he had a red nose to sell me to match my "clown shoes", so I feel your pain.

I personally have ankles like a 4 year old girl, so I have to have the ankle support. I wore through my Meindl Alaskans, so this year short on funds a little I tried the new Cabelas Instinct. Not nearly as good a boot, but not to bad either.

My bro in law works for forest service and is in the field for long stretches and they all wear hikers(Lowa), and he then uses them for hunting. I also hunt with a guy who I have never seen wear anything other than Nikes(I would eat shitz all day if I wore shoes). Point being I think its a preference thing, I for one buy a little more expensive and replace every 3-4 years( not sure new ones will go 4).


"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[elkassassin]

kennetrek's are JUNK!

One Season in the Uinta's & The Rocks eat em up like they are Candy!

1 to 2 seasons with Upper end Danners!(Not Near the Boot they're Bragged up to be!)

I Sell My Used Danners every one to two years!( Don't know why,but there's always Suckers that'll Buy Wore Out Danners & Red-Wings!)

Friends Claim I can destroy an Anvil,so maybe it's not the Boots Fault!






"I'm Living & Dieing with the Choices
I've made!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=N8i5NLyXZdc

 

[travishunter3006]

Sage,

Its no fun to poke the fire if the coals are all put out!


On a serious note you have big f'n feet!




To the OP:

I use hiking shoes unless there is heavy rain or snow. They are lighter and usually cheaper.

 

[hank4elk]

I am one of those 60's packer guys and like a more durable boot and need full ankle support.
Love my new Tibets.

I tried several brands of LW hiking shoes here in NM and they suck except in town or on a trail.OK for scouting I guess. I would never use them to try and carry a load. Stuff is always going thru them too,like yucca,sticks, etc.

A boot had better last more than one year hunting.
I only wear my hunting boots HUNTING.

I have 2 pairs of the Danner Cascades I wore everyday just about as a Park Ranger for 16 yrs still. Still my everyday ranch work boots. I alternate use of them. They are 20 yrs old,3 sets of soles at least.

 

[hhunter23]

Zeke: i may be younger but a skateboard would kick my a$$!!

Sage: i dont envy your big feet!!

elkass: thats what im finding out. rocks chew them up QUICK!

I too prefer the ankle support. that was one of my concerns with a shoe hiker type.

i was just surprised, after spending the money on them they wore out so fast. even after talking to a few people that swore by them. maybe having a few pairs is to my advantage. scouting boot, hunting boot kind of thing.

maybe ill suck it up and resole them and buy another boot to scout in.

anybody run the scarpa boots that Kuiu is selling?


"Shoot Straight"

 

[CM]

If you have them resoled by the people Kenetrek recommends (I believe they still recommend Carter's Boots in Bozeman) have them put a Vibram sole on them instead of the Kenetrek sole. The Kenetrek sole is a softer rubber, which supposedly grips better but in my experience they wear out much faster. You can also save a few bucks if you tell them you don't want new laces or new footbeds.

 

[mulecreek]

>
>anybody run the scarpa boots that
>Kuiu is selling?
>
>
>"Shoot Straight"

I got a pair of the Charmoz about a month ago. I like them so far. They are different than a traditional leather boot. The sole is similar to a ski boot with just a touch more give. They are very comfortable and no blister issues even fresh out of the box. The best part is that they come in European sizes. I wear between a 11.5 and 12. 12 always seems too big and 11.5 too small. I tried adding and subtracting sox to make up the difference. Turns out they make an 11.75 or 45.5 Euro. Fits great. They have not seen much in the way of rain or snow yet so I cant say much for their performs against water but I am happy so far. That being said I liked my Kennetreks also. They lasted me almost 8 years. Two of those years involved moose and sheep hunts in Alaska. This last season they finally became so stiff and cracked that it did not seem worth getting them re-soled. One sheep guide had similar complaints to others about the durability of the Kennetreks.

 

[c3]

I haven't had a pair of boots since the first generation of Danners that were made in china. They were all junk and leaked like sobs from day one.

Since then I've been completely sold on the Adidas and Salomon Goretex low and mid height runners. I've used my Salomon mid height ones for two years now and they are still dry and in near perfect shape.

This is my collection and are pictured in order of the season I use them in from summer to winter. I spend over 100 days a year carrying 40 - 60 lbs of camera and hunting gear and they get hammered. The Adidas Swifters are cold, but amazing for fall bowhunting. That's the reason I bought the new Salomon Thinsulate boots. They have proven amazing for late season December bow hunts and when it was below zero here over Christmas filming bulls on the winter range.

I'd highly recommend giving some of these new trail shoes a run. For me they've transformed how well my feet perform.

 

[Bwht4x4]

For hunting footwear I always look for the high-end hiking/alpine shoes/boots. Most hunting companies or even boot companies can't make a boot to save their lives. Especially USA made companies. I'll always buy the best boots/shoes for comfort and not to make a "USA made" statement.

If the country isn't rugged I'll always wear low top gore-tex hiking or running shoes. My absolute favorites are Salewa, but they're for a low volume foot.

http://www.salewa.us/en/footwear.html
http://www.salewa.com/en/men-mountain-trainer-gore-tex-shoes.html?color=9493

In rugged country I will always wear my Salomon Quest 4D. I've hunted early chukar with them in the heat and this year killed a buck in some rugged terrain, with 2 feet of snow and 23 degree air temps.

http://www.amazon.com/Salomon-Mens-Quest-4D-Backpacking/dp/B00B16SWDY

 

[hhunter23]

thanks for all the input everyone! im willing to try anything and plan on giving some of these other options a try. i was recently given info on another site about some Lowa boots that i would like to try. has anyone used the Lowa Tibets or Hunters? also some of these Solomon that C3 recommends intrigues me too. do your ankles suffer more with these shoes that don't have quite as much support? im always worried about rolling ankles while on a side hill with a loaded pack or in uneven terrain.


"Shoot Straight"

 

[hank4elk]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-06-16 AT 06:56AM (MST)[p]I have bad ankles due to old breaks,life time of abuse and I'm old...lol
I have had Lowa hiking & mountaineering boots before
Friend said check out Tibets. Guy wears them in the desert even.
NM terrain is a bit rough,sharp/pokey stuff everywhere.
Found some to look at in a store and checked sizing.
Top quality boot. Pricey,but trash costs these days.
Found them on e-bay new for half price.
Wore them 3 times before this years hunts and they fit like a glove and preform better than I had hoped.



I had checked out, Kennetreks,Zamberlans,Hanwags,Solomons,sportboots,moccasins....

 

[4corners_sportsman]

I have never used the Lowa Tibets or Hunters. However, I have used the Lowa Cevedale GTX for my hunts. Hands down the best boot I have ever worn and in my opinion one of the best boot brands out there. I started wearing them in 2015 of my elk hunt in January and I will use the same pair for my elk hunt this weekend. They don't have any dents, scuffs, marks, holes, or anything. They still look new when clean and I used them for summer scouting and 7 other hunts in rocky terrain. I plan on having these boots for another 3 or 4 seasons because at this point they are in perfect condition. They are cactus proof, water proof, stub-proof, blood proof etc. etc. Also, I have flat feet and with other boots my feet would ache at the end of the day after a long hike. I have never had an achey pain after wearing my Lowa boots for some reason. I ordered mine a 1/2 size too big but they fit perfectly. I would definitely consider researching into Lowa boots especially the Cevedale GTX. Also don't go cheap with these boots, you will spend a lot of money for a good pair of Lowa's. (Around $400)