Crispi Valdres

IdahoElk

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Oct 30, 2014
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Hailey,ID
Just purchased a pair of Crispi Valdres boots from Black Ovis during their holiday sale and am happy to report they are a quality boot!
The boots I've worn hunting for close to 25yrs have been the Danner Hood River lights,love those boots to death and have probably gone through six pairs of them having each pair rebuilt twice.Danner stopped making them a few years ago and my current rebuilt ones are at the end of their life.

Anyway, I decided to try and find a lighter boot than my already light Danners,my requirements were that they be light weight, rebuildable,waterproof and the sole not too stiff.
The Crispi line caught my attention due to the fact that they seem to be quality built and the price beat many comparable brands.
The Crispi Valdres weight came in at 1lb 9oz per boot,the danner's which I always thought were light weigh 2lbs 1oz,cool!
Build quality is excellent and I'm impressed with how the soles are bonded to the leather upper,they look bomb proof and cant wait to test them sidehilling on shale next season as that kills most other boots I've experimented with.
The only negative thing I can say is that the rubber Vibram soles seems slightly on the hard side and don't grip quite as well as the danner's.The Danner's required new soles every 2-3 seasons,these I would expect to last longer.
They have great ankle support and are very comfortable after putting 15 trail miles on them so far.
Two thumbs up!
 
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Brasco20

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Feb 4, 2016
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Montana
I bought a pair of these about a month ago for wearing daily this winter. I absolutely love them!! I can't wait to hunt in them.
 
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Feb 14, 2016
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I just got my Valdres boots in 3 days ago. I'm going to have to ship them back and get a bigger size. I can't decide how much bigger...They feel too narrow for one, but I can also touch the end of the boot with my toes if I bend my knee back and kick the toe of the boot to the ground to simulate walking downhill. I think I will go with a wide definitely and either a half or a full size bigger. I think the rep I spoke to at blackovis said the wide model is 1/8" wider and each half size adds maybe 1/4" in length. Wish I could go try them on, but since that's not an option, I'll just have to spend $30 to ship them back each time if I get it wrong again.
 
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IdahoElk

IdahoElk

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I just got my Valdres boots in 3 days ago. I'm going to have to ship them back and get a bigger size. I can't decide how much bigger...They feel too narrow for one, but I can also touch the end of the boot with my toes if I bend my knee back and kick the toe of the boot to the ground to simulate walking downhill. I think I will go with a wide definitely and either a half or a full size bigger. I think the rep I spoke to at blackovis said the wide model is 1/8" wider and each half size adds maybe 1/4" in length. Wish I could go try them on, but since that's not an option, I'll just have to spend $30 to ship them back each time if I get it wrong again.

I have wide flat feet and the wide fit me perfect.
 

Brasco20

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Feb 4, 2016
Messages
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Location
Montana
I have kenetreks, lowas, and crispis. My toes smash the front of the boot going down steep hills in all of them. The lowas are the worst. Must be the shape of my foot.
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2016
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The arch support in the boots also felt like it was too close to my heel. They said switching to super feet green insoles would probably fix that
 

twall13

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Jan 21, 2015
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Utah
The only negative thing I can say is that the rubber Vibram soles seems slightly on the hard side and don't grip quite as well as the danner's.The Danner's required new soles every 2-3 seasons,these I would expect to last longer.

I'm a little surprised to hear someone say the Crispi Vibram soles are too hard. I guess it's all relative depending on what you are used to. I don't own the Valdres but do own some Crispi Guide Boots and my take has always been that their Vibram soles are softer than most (Kenetrek, Lowa, etc.) which provides a bit better traction, especially in wet conditions, but they wear quicker. I've got close to 200 miles on mine and the soles are showing some wear, especially at the toe. I thought the Vibram soles were the same on pretty much all of the Crispi boots but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, it's a trade off. Softer usually means a bit better grip but doesn't wear as well.
 
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IdahoElk

IdahoElk

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I'm a little surprised to hear someone say the Crispi Vibram soles are too hard. I guess it's all relative depending on what you are used to. I don't own the Valdres but do own some Crispi Guide Boots and my take has always been that their Vibram soles are softer than most (Kenetrek, Lowa, etc.) which provides a bit better traction, especially in wet conditions, but they wear quicker. I've got close to 200 miles on mine and the soles are showing some wear, especially at the toe. I thought the Vibram soles were the same on pretty much all of the Crispi boots but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, it's a trade off. Softer usually means a bit better grip but doesn't wear as well.

It was in the 20's the day I was on rocks and noticed I was slipping,the temps may have had something to do with it? The Danners that I'm use to have really soft Vibrams that required new soles after 2 to 3 years at the most.
Maybe the Crispi's need a little more break in time?
I wear them now just about every day and really like them.
 
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Mar 15, 2016
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Boulder, Wy.
i bought the idahos and they were way to narrow, and high arched, they just felt weird, black ovis told me they run wider than most boots, i just did not have the same experience. so i sent them back, was worth the try with their sale. good customer service just not the boot for me.
i wear lowa boots primarily and on the steepest slopes with weight i can touch the end of the boot, but like others stated, I have yet to wear a boot that is correct size that won't allow this on steepest slopes with weight on your back.
so far the lowa boots all fit my feet very well. depends on your foot....
 

twall13

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i bought the idahos and they were way to narrow, and high arched, they just felt weird, black ovis told me they run wider than most boots, i just did not have the same experience. so i sent them back, was worth the try with their sale. good customer service just not the boot for me.
i wear lowa boots primarily and on the steepest slopes with weight i can touch the end of the boot, but like others stated, I have yet to wear a boot that is correct size that won't allow this on steepest slopes with weight on your back.
so far the lowa boots all fit my feet very well. depends on your foot....

You are exactly right, it depends a lot on what boots fit your feet. I sent back a pair of Lowa Tibets in favor of my Crispi's as they fit my foot better. I've been very happy with the Crispi's but if they didn't fit my feet I'd be looking elsewhere.

I am a little surprised that several people feel the Crispi's have high arches. I'm no expert by any means but I do have flat feet and haven't had a problem with the arches in my Crispi boots. I wore them for one season with the stock insoles without issue. I added some Cabela's Perfekt cork insoles to give a bit more cushion last year but could have been fine without them. As with most boots, change out the insoles if the arch isn't right for your foot.
 
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Mar 15, 2016
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663
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Boulder, Wy.
tall
i used a pair of synergy foot beds and a pair of super feet as well in the crisp and the idaho just didn't fit
the arch felt extremely high, and the ball of my foot felt like it was mashed into the ground
it did get better with the other foot beds , but it just wasn't comfortable
which speaks to individual feet
i just ordered a pair of the lowa baffin on shoe buy for 250$
smoking deal, they are LL and they fit my feet so good. this is my first pair of LL boots, around the house a few days now and they fit incredibly well
i would like to try the cabelas perfect cork insole, if you have more feed back on that product that would be great... you can pm me as well
 
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IdahoElk

IdahoElk

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Did 5miles today snowshoeing in a foot of fresh powder with gaiters on,feet stayed warm and dry,these Valdres are great!
 

Grundy53

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Nov 24, 2013
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649
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Washington State
Figured I would give this thread a bump. Just got a pair of these delivered today. So far they feel great. They are light but feel very sturdy. I'll will report back after I actually put them to work for awhile.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Mar 30, 2018
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Location
New Mexico
How does the Valdres GTX Plus match against the Wyoming GTX. I’m stuck between this two boot. I’m aware the Wyoming has the ABSS and Valdres doesn’t. I hunt here in New Mexico so the terrain varies as does the weather.
 
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