Lathrop & Sons

[bakerboy]

I am an avid chukar hunter. That is mostly what I do. I was thinking about getting the Hanwag Alaskan GTX Boot. Does anyone else have this boot and could give me some feed back on the boot.
I am undecided whether or not to do the Silver Price or not. Is it worth it to do that in your opinion or would you have just gotten the boot with no extra package?

I have no problem spending the extra but if it doesnt make that big of a difference in the boot then why bother?

Just some basic feed back on their products would be great. I know I can look at the website, but they are usually bias to their own.

 

[marley]

I have only had experience with Lathrop & sons boots with one pair and they were my buddy's this year for our dall sheep hunt. He had them do the full works for his boots. He used them for his training hikes that we did and on a few hunts last year so I would say that he gave them a proper break in time.

By day 2 of our sheep hunt his feet were hamburger. I was lancing blisters for him all over both feet for the next 10 days of our hunt. They were bandaged to the hilt for the rest of the trip and every step he was in pure agony.

Now I am not a believer that one boot is for everyone with all the different feet out there but to have a boot customized to your foot and then have that many problems just doesn't seem right. I bought some Kenetreks about a month before our hunt, put probably 20 miles on them before our hunt and never even had so much as a hot spot the entire trip. I donated all of my bandages and moleskin to my poor friend. We have been home for 3 weeks now and he says that his big toes are still numb.

I realize that a dall sheep hunt can do a number on any boot but his boots looked like absolute hell by the end of the trip. The rubber that comes up over the leather at the bottom was peeling off in several places of both boots. After rubbing some oil into my Kenetreks they looks almost new still. When we got home he threw his $800 pair of boots in the trash and ordered him some Kenetreks. We'll see how those do for him. I honestly hope that others have had better experiences with Lathrop & sons because that is a lot of money to fork out for a pair of boots to have what happened to my friend.

 

[HardcoreOutdoor]

That is a whole lotta boot. It is designed for heavy loads, steep terrain and long slogs. Might be too much boot for what you are doing. Can you give us a little more information.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

 

[Kman]

Why do people think the boots are "customized". They are simply stock boots with a insole, if you decide to buy the insole. I'm not saying their not good boots, but explain to me how this custom fitting works. Lathrop doesn't build the boot. Ken

 

[HardcoreOutdoor]

You are correct, the boot is not custom made but if you go with the Gold System they are custom fit according to your tracings, photographs and the consultation. They can also make some shaping adjustments to the boot if that is required. That package also includes the High Country Insoles which I think are the best on the market.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

 

[marley]

After seeing how my friends boots held up on that sheep hunt, I will never buy a pair of them. Those boots were a year old and looked like they were 8 years old. I wish I would've taken a picture of them next to my Kenetreks after that hunt. He paid for the gold package and no the boots were not custom made but the insoles were and he was in some SERIOUS pain the entire trip.

 

[HardcoreOutdoor]

You said your firend used those boots for his training hikes. Did he have trouble with them then too?

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

 

[marley]

He said that he never had any problems in his training or his utah deer hunt last year but he didn't cover near the miles we were covering on our sheep hunt. We were probably covering close to 12-15 miles a day for 12 days. after day 2 his feet were killing him and his ankles were swollen up the size of grapefruit. This was all besides the fact that the boot didn't hold up for the type of hunt that it was intended for.

 

[HardcoreOutdoor]

Well, I wasn't there so I guess I have to take your word for it but it doesn't make sense to me that a boot that performs well in training hikes won't do the same on the actual hunt. Even if he were just walking around the block every night he would have to have some sort of an idea that he was wearing the wrong boot.

The edema is a different issue and indicative of something else altogether. If his ankles were swollen so were his feet which means the boots were not fitting right. Probably why he was getting blisters where he didn't in his training runs.

I am also surprised that he threw the boots away. You would think that somebody who paid that much money for a pair of boots and service and had a less than satisfactory experience with them would have wanted to show that to the company or figure out what the problem was. I can tell you that based on my experience with the Lathrops they would want to see the boots and pictures of his feet to get to the root of the problem.

I own several pairs each of the Kenetreks and Hanwags and they are all very high quality. Fit is very different but neither wears or holds up better than the other. They are consistant with others in that class like Meindl, Lowa, and Scarpa.

There had to be something else going on.

Which pair of Hanwags was he wearing?

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

 

[marley]

He has pictures of the boots and several of his feet. After this discussion today I called him to tell him that he should call Lathrop and he did grab his boots out of the trash later that day to send them in with a complaint. He has several pictures of his feet and ankles that he is going to send in with the boots. He had the Hanway Trapper Top GTX.

I think that the difference in his training and the actual hunt was definately the amount and steepness of the sidehilling that we were doing. His boots looked like they stretched about two sizes in width by the time we were done. My guide, in fun, couldn't give him enough crap about his boots the whole time.

My other friend that came along on the hunt was wearing the Meindl alaska hunters and he had some blisters and hotspots but no where near what Travis was enduring. I was happy to give out my bandages, moleskin, and a little razzing on the side.

 

[LathropandSons]

Marley,

I will not speculate as to how or why your buddy's boots failed as you have described but I will say that that type of failure and your friends dissatisfaction is not acceptable with our company. Please have your friend contact us and we will do what we can to rectify the situation. This not only goes for someone who expresses their dissatisfaction through a public medium; anyone who is displeased with any of our products or services are urged to contact us. As I believe our history dictates, we pride ourselves on unequaled customer service.

Good hunting,

Dusty Nethery
Lathrop & Sons Ltd.
618-544-8782

 

[marley]

I appreciate your concern as does my friend and he is planning on calling to work out his concerns. My posts were never intended to ruin business, just to share the only experience that I've been involved with. I am a dentist and I strive for perfection, as I'm sure you do, with every patient and every treatment but sometimes no matter what I do, that crown comes off or that filling cracks. It's always nice to see a company stand behind their work. Initially he was very pleased with the boots before our hunt. We both feel that there is just no way to know for sure how your boots are going to perform on a sheep hunt until you are ON your sheep hunt. Nothing you can do can before a sheep hunt is enough, it is brutal on your body, your gear, and your mind. Also, I am not a believer that any one boot is for everyone, I just feel lucky that my boots worked great for me. That being said my same boots could tear up someone else's feet. Again, good to see a business stand behind their work. Thanks!

 

[littlejoe]

I have a set of Hanwag boots with the insoles purchased from Lathrop & Sons and by far and away they are the best fitting boots I have ever had. Period! I have worn them for two hunting seasons and not one problem at all. I have not been on a sheep hunt with them but they have been lots of places and I think the Yukon qualifies as well as the lower 48. I also had them make a custom insole for a pair of warmer boots I have and they are nothing but top notch. I cannot speak for the gentleman that had problems but I know that I have not. My dad has a pair of Mountain Lights as well and not a problem. My friend that is an absolute hunting machine had a pair he purchased for his 2004 Dall Sheep hunt and finally after this last hunting season they were worn out. He loved them and bought again.

 

[archerybart]

I bought a pair of the Hanwag Alaska GTX boots for archery hunting in Montana this year. Historically I used to wear Danner Pronghorns and would get blisters on both heels. Never failed every year I'd get blisters and just have to hunt through the discomfort.

I used the Hanwag's this year and never had a problem. Blister free. (Except one day I put on low quality socks, I did get a small blister).

I'd buy another pair again, my feet were much more comfortable this year than in the past. If I bought another pair I'd get the Mountain lights though. I tried to get some but they ran out of my size, if you want a pair order early!

 

[Cleanshot]

Boy,
This is so far from my experience with the Lathrop and Sons boots. I have both the mountain extreme lights and the trapper tops. I have put both boots through hundreds of miles in scree and shale and they both look almost brand new. I live and hike in the rocky mountains. My brother and one other hunting partner have the same boots and every day of the hunt this past year we would comment on how awesome our boots performed. I can't image these boots falling apart. I'd like to see some pictures. How heavy is your friend?

 

[marley]

My friend is 215 and about 6'3". All I have to compare is his boots against the other 3 (myself included) on our trip and his boots looked 5 years old after the 2 week trip. We were in some nasty country and we were walking 10 hours of our day but they still should've held up better than they did. I am glad everyone else has had good experiences with them. I have to say that when he got them, I was jealous. But about half way through out trip, he was jealous of mine.