Looking at new boots

wrenchN86

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Been looking and reading on boots on the net. From what I have seen you can easily find a good pair of boots under $200. I know from past experience that a good pair of boots will make or break a hunt! So looking for suggestions, go with some under armour or irish setter or danners? Or go all in and look at the upper class boots? Who is wearing what and have they held up. All hunts are up high Nevada, scouting in the heat and hunting in the rain/snow. Thanks for the feed back!
 
You didn't say what kind of hunting you were going to do. I would wear completely different boots for hunting pronghorn antelope in rolling plains of Wyoming from those I would use elk hunting in the high mountains.

For elk hunting in the high mountains I like Meindl Perfekt Hunters very much. These provide a lot of support for my ankles, which helps when walking rocky trails in the dark, when carrying heavy loads of elk meat, and when bushwacking up a rocky slope. They keep the water out. They are comfortable. My pair has 400 grams of Thinsulate which helps keep my feet warm, but truth be told my toes get quite cold after I've been sitting down in the dark at my hunting spot for 30 minutes on a 20 degree morning before the sun comes up. That is just the fate of my cold blooded feet I think. These boots run about $300. I have used the pair I have now since 2006. Next year I'll probably try to buy a new pair, as the soles are getting a bit thin. That price does not seem to be unreasonable for a very good boot. I wouldn't think of changing boots -- unless these are no longer available on the market -- since they have not failed to be completely satisfactory in my use. My elk hunting partner also uses Meindl Perfekt Hunter boots and has similar high recommendations for them. I will say that sometimes the soles squeak a bit, but this doesn't bother me. I'm not sneaking up on any elk, and other noises like twigs snapping are liable to be louder than these creaking soles anyway.
 
Cabela's just reintroduced their Iron Ridge leather hunting boots with 400 grams of thinsulate ($100). I am still wearing my 12 year-old version of these, and LOVE the bob sole in Nevada, especially with the rocks you will inevitably have to traverse. The 400 grams can sometimes be hot on those early-season hunts/scouting trips (they do make an uninsulated version that I haven't tried...), but my feet have never been cold. And some people might consider them heavy, but I have put MILES on these and I prefer the added ankle support, and use them on every hunt. I thought about buying some new ones, especially since they stopped making them for awhile, but my old ones have plenty of life in them that I can't really justify it. I might consider replacing the insoles, but that is it.

Good luck!
 
I have had Danners they don't seem too last in rocky terrain more than a year & Mendl's were good until Cabela's started carrying & selling their version cheaper materials same price . I researched this same problem a few years back & Hands down everyone that has owned Lowa's Zamberlin's & Crispi boots swear by them. I am Right there bought a pair of Zam's 2 years ago by far the BEST boot I have ever worn. I picked mine up off of camofire for right at $200 they are normally around $350 to $400 !! In my opinion this is one area you DO NOT want to skimp on bad boots & sore blistered wet feet will RUIN most hunts !! Makes no sense too spend $1000 on a rifle spend another 4 to $500 for tags travel & food & have Shitty boots ruin it
 
I usually wear kennetrek boots, hardscrabble and mtn extremes, but I recently purchased a pair of Scarpas from Kuiu. So far I really like them. I agree with above post. Wearing different boots on different types of hunts is what works best for me.
 
I use my Merrell Moab's for about all my hunting. Only when it's real cold or I'm hiking in snow do I switch them out for a bit heavier boot.

Brian Latturner
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I recently picked up a pair of Scarpa Kinesis Pro GTX boots. I'm in the process of breaking them in ,but they feel great with tons of support. I wore Meindl Perfekt Hikers before and loved them. To bad the price went up and didn't get the rubber rand and other niceties. That's why I went with scarpa. We'll see how they do in the coming years.
DayMan
 
DayMan,

Tell me about the fit of your new boots as compared to the Meindl Perfekt Hikers. Are they true to size? Are the Scarpa boots available in a EE or wide? How tight is the fit in the heel? I have high insteps, and a wide full volume foot. Trying to find an alternative to the Cabela's Mt. Hiker II's I used to ware. Those inexpensive boots fit my feet to a T! Thanks in advance!

LaGriz
 
LaGriz,
The Scarpa boots run true to size for my feet. They are made in Italy and use EU sizing. The fit in the heel is almost identical to my old Perfekt Hikers. The toe box has more room than the Meindl though. I'm not sure how wide they come, my foot is D width. REI is supposed to carry some Scarpa boots. If you're close to one, toy might stop in and try them on. Hope that helped.

DayMan
 
I have a pair of Lowa Tibet boots that I am very happy with. I got a great deal at the Sierra Trading Post website. I also have a pair of Cabelas Outfitter 400 gram boots that I like as well when the weather gets cold.
 
Most of my hunting is chuckar on the breaks of the Snake. nothing tests boots much better.

I like the Kenetreks pretty good and I use them on big game hunts because they have more insulation, but hands down without a doubt the Lowa GTX Extremes are the best boot I've ever owned. Like all boots I wish they were lighter but I cannot find a fault with them.







Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
Funny people have different feet, I bought the scarpas and I thought the toe box was real narrow, and it's real stiff. I don't know what the advantage/ disavatage is to a stiff sole??
 
I really like the Meindl Perfekt boots. There is very little if any break in needed and they are very comfortable. They offer great ankle support as well. Worked great for me in the Nevada country you're talking about.
On one of my pairs, I tore the sole off the boot near the toe, and Cabela's replaced them for free! They were at least 5 year old boots.
 
You can't beat the Mendels from Cabela's for early. If it snows just throw on a pair of gaiters. Probably would work well even into October. For colder weather I would go with Schnee's pacs. Shnee's offers various models for various temps.

I still haven't found the perfect boot for extreme cold weather. I would like to try a pair of Caribou skin boots with the hair on the inside like the eskimos. My feet tend to sweat and if I stop for any length of time it doesn't matter what type of boot my feet are getting cold.

The Mendels are also pretty waterproof.

Take Care,

Dave
 
I use zamberlans and love them. I only use them in the winter, wet, cold hunts though. I use a lighter pair for earlier scouting or dry warm hunting trips.
 
I really like my crispi boots. I wear the Wyoming gtx, I'm sure most styles would be good though. Just depends on what your looking for.
 
I've had great luck with lowas over the years. Although I have Tibets I only use them in the winter in deep snow. They are a bit stiff and heavy. My preference is mid-weight hikers similar to Lowa Caminos and Vantage. I also used and abused Scarpa Kaliash for a bunch of years but they are a bit narrow. Lowas come in medium or wide widths which is nice.
 
Been wearing Salomon 4DGTX for a couple years and really like them. Stopped buying ?hunting? boots and switched to ?hiking? boots. Turns out those hiking type companies really know how to build gear.
 
The Cabela?s Meindls are the most comfortable boot I have worn. I have had 3 pairs of the Canada Hunters, a pair of Alaska Hunters, a pair of Perfekt Hunters, and a pair of Perfekt hikers.

Despite their comfort, I would not trust them on a backcountry trip after the first season. I have had the soles fall off two pairs. My friend has had the soles fall off three pairs - two of the pairs were on the same hunt. The cushy rubber outsole between the lugs and the leather upper just deteriorated. FYI - Cabelas? lifetime warranty is for the life of the boot. I now have a couple of pairs of Hanwags and I will see how they do this fall moose hunting in Wyoming.

Hoffman Boots in Kellogg, ID also has a version of Meindl boots. Their version has a different sole than Cabelas? version and they told me it is re-buildable. I am going to try them next.
 
I got Hanwag Lhasa boots last year. Cadillacs compared to Lowas. They are $350 but worth the extra $50 over Lowas. Got Lowa Camino gtx this year on supersale. Loved them after a few day hikes. Decided to wear them on 1st scout trip and my feet were screaming in pain after 3rd day! I was wearing 3 liners, a padded athletic sock and pulled insoles from columbia sneakers for last leg of trip after visiting my car to relocate. There are tons of killer boots out there, Hanwags work for me while backpacking. Scarpas felt good in store but super-narrow sole underfoot had me worried.
 
If you can go to a shoe/boot store they can give advice on different qualities of boots. Basspro, Cabelas, Sportsman Warehouse and other large sporting goods stores are good for quantity and some quality products but they are about sales and profits so they push products that will meet there goals in my opinion.
I buy boots for my personal use hunting/hiking and for my fireman for wildfires I go to a good local shoe/boot store in Richfield Utah Garys Shoes this store carries cheaper light use boots Hi-Tech, mid range price boots good hikers Irish Setters, Danner and top end boots Lowa, HangWags and Crispi. The long time owner explained the sole is a very important consideration just because they all use Vibram does not mean the same sole. He explained Crispi has a softer sole that has much better grip on hard surfaces especially on frozen surfaces he said HangWags are the hardest which is the least grip on hard surfaces. The down side to the softer sole is it will wear out faster but he said he has not experience a problem with Crispis soles wearing out and if they do he said no problem on getting them resold. He said for Wildland Fire fighting he would recommend Lowas and HangWags but for hunting/hiking Crispi and then Lowa. All of them fit different so trying them on finding how they fit to your foot is the important part. My foot is a little bit wide and the Lowa felt a little better than the Crispi so that helped make my choice to go with Lowa.
 
Zamberlans 980 outfitter GTX feel great on my feet! I got them for my sheep hunt. Normally I like shorter boots but for this hunt wanted the added support. I researched pretty intense and went with the Zaberlans. By far my favorite boot so far

For cold, have insulated Cabela?s meindl perfekt that I thought were great. Even use them ice fishing. When they wear out I will look into an insulated Zamberlan boot.

My low top warm weather boots are also by meindl. Have loved them for three years now. When they wear out, I will t explore the Zamberlans before making a decision.

At the end of the day though, you need to go drive the assistant at the boot stores crazy for a day while trying them on and picking what feels best on your feet. Each boot cut, even in the same brand, is different and your feet are different then everyone else?s. So go try as many on as you can and decide. If after break in, and you still love them, go buy another pair for when the first pair wears out. Not that anyone actually does that. It seams like when I finally find a pair that fit me perfectly, they quit making them by the time I need another pair.
 

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