Kenetrek Mountain Extremes and Hardscrabbles

hobbes

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I've been looking at new boots for elk hunting here in Montana. I've not taken a step above a Danner quality boot, but I'm going to be trying the Kenetreks on this evening. I won't be hunting from them this season other than maybe working on breaking them in some on a pheasant hunt or three if I choose to purchase.

I've noticed some complaints about heel slip and get that they are a much stiffer boot as compared to say a Danner.

For those of you with heel problems.....did you recognize the slip in the store and assume that break in would cure that or did they feel great in the store?

I've not had a blister while elk hunting in a long time and dont intend to start just for the sake of a "better" boot.

A really stiff toe box may be a problem also due to a problem with my right foot. If there is any side to side compression of my right toes it pinches a nerve between my 3rd and 4th toes and I have to remove my shoes in a short while. Ski boots kill me and I had to give away a previous pair of Danners that were too narrow. Tennis shoes never bother me because they are so flexible. Ive taken more than one pair of boots and hiking shoes,back after a day or two around the house. So far I've stuck with softer boots because of this. I can have a boot that fits well but doesn't apply excessive pressure with softer boots.

However, the older I get, the more I think about my ankles.
 

sto4355

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I also would like to here more about this. I tried on a pair of mountain extremes in the size i uaually wear and the heal seemed to slip to much and when i went a size down im affraid my toes are to close to the front. I cant get a 1/2 size, my feet are to big they dont offer them. The smaller size fits my heal really well, and the bigger size has more than enough toe room. Not sure what to do.

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hobbes

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I just walked around in them both at the store. I dont care for the hardscrabble height, but like the mountain extremes NI. However, 15 minutes and I've got pain throbbing between my third and fourth toes in my right foot. (Look up Morton's neuroma.) I tried the wides in the 400g but they are too big. Zamberlains were too narrow immediately.
 

N2TRKYS

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I wear a 10W and my Mountain Extreme NI were right on size for me. I pretty much took mine out of the box and went elk hunting when I bought them several years ago with no issues.
 
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hobbes

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I was disappointed because they were a good fit and I dont think break in would have been much of an issue if not for Morton and these toes. The W wasnt going to cause that problem but Id have had blisters from movement.
 

N2TRKYS

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I was disappointed because they were a good fit and I dont think break in would have been much of an issue if not for Morton and these toes. The W wasnt going to cause that problem but Id have had blisters from movement.

I don't have the problem that you have, but I usually have trouble finding shoes/boots that feel right. Good luck with your search and hunting season.
 

William Hanson (live2hunt)

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The heel slip was noticeable right away for me but gradually got better with break in and good socks helped a ton.

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Gorp2007

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I just bought a pair of Mountain Extremes on Monday and I'm 3 miles into the 50 mile break-in period. I don't have any heel issues so far, but I'll update if something develops.
 

sto4355

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I just bought a pair of Mountain Extremes on Monday and I'm 3 miles into the 50 mile break-in period. I don't have any heel issues so far, but I'll update if something develops.
Did you notice any or much heel slip when you purchased them. I'm having a hard time figuring out how much movement in my heel is to much.

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If you feel a hotspot on your heel, put some Leukotape before you get a blister. If you are talking about up and down slipping a little slip might be fine, but I would put on a little thicker sock until they break in. If you are talking about side to side slip, that is no good. They are too big in the heel cup. I don't want them to slip at all on my feet, and after a break in period, the fit was a lot better on mine.
 
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Gorp2007

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Did you notice any or much heel slip when you purchased them. I'm having a hard time figuring out how much movement in my heel is to much.

If you feel a hotspot on your heel, put some Leukotape before you get a blister. If you are talking about up and down slipping a little slip might be fine, but I would put on a little thicker sock until they break in. If you are talking about side to side slip, that is no good. They are too big in the heel cup. I don't want them to slip at all on my feet, and after a break in period, the fit was a lot better on mine.

Sto, I've actually wasted a bunch of time Googling "heel slip" and I can't find anything definitive on how much is too much, but I can tell you that while I get a little bit of movement in my Kenetrek's, it's no more than what I get out of any other pair of boots or shoes that I own.

Laelk, I just get some up and down movement, but so far no hot spots or other areas of concern. I'm going to keep the hikes short but frequent for the first week or two before putting in longer miles and more elevation changes. I have an old cow pasture behind my house where I can get in a 2 mile loop in the morning and after the kid goes to bed, so the miles aren't hard to come by, just a matter of making the time. And as for blister care, as soon as I bought my boots I also went on Amazon and ordered a roll of Leukotape and a jar of Kenetrek boot wax.
 
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hobbes

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Just out of curiosity, I tried on the Mountain Extremes again while at Cabelas in Billings, but in 11.5 instead of my usual 11. I did this because I tried on an 11.5 in an Irish Setter Elk Tracker because they didn't have an 11 and they actually felt pretty good. I like the Elk Tracker, but it's fairly heavy and definitely a much softer boot (I may have to go with a softer boot).

In the uninsulated Kenetrek I didn't notice a big difference in the heel between the 11 and 11.5, but it did feel like I had better fit in the toe box. I'm going to try them on at a local sporting goods store so I can walk around in them longer to see if I think the 11.5's will solve my right foot problem without creating problems in other spots.
 

William Hanson (live2hunt)

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Just out of curiosity, I tried on the Mountain Extremes again while at Cabelas in Billings, but in 11.5 instead of my usual 11. I did this because I tried on an 11.5 in an Irish Setter Elk Tracker because they didn't have an 11 and they actually felt pretty good. I like the Elk Tracker, but it's fairly heavy and definitely a much softer boot (I may have to go with a softer boot).

In the uninsulated Kenetrek I didn't notice a big difference in the heel between the 11 and 11.5, but it did feel like I had better fit in the toe box. I'm going to try them on at a local sporting goods store so I can walk around in them longer to see if I think the 11.5's will solve my right foot problem without creating problems in other spots.
I wear the same in Kenetrek as I do Irish Setter and don't size up in either. The setters served me well but aren't nearly the boot Kenetrek is.

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Gumbo

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If you are getting some heel slip you might consider trying a flat insole underneath your regular insole. You can get them at a shoe store and they are about 1/8" thick and sold for dress shoes I think. I use them to take up a little vertical space in my Hardscrabbles and UI Extremes so I can get alleviate my toes sliding forward on downhills. I don't need them in my 400 gram extremes because the insulation takes up that extra space (they are built on the same platform as the UI). For what it is worth I get a little heel slip in all my boots but there is just enough space so they don't really rub tightly and cause blisters. I think a lot of folks get boots a half-size too small which is way worse, for me at least, in terms of foot comfort and blisters. Also, selecting socks to perfect the fit of the boot is critical. I always wear the same liners and socks a particular boot and have a different configuration for each boot.
 

Mike 338

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I have a pair of Mountain Extreme's. Regardless of miles on the boot, heel slip can be an issue. It's fully resolved with a generous patch of moleskin on the heel before starting out but I will blister every time without it. The boot is very good otherwise.
 

Johnboy

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I'm not thrilled with the durability of my Kennys. I have around 100 miles on mine (since October 2012), and in my opinion they are lightly used. They leak like a sieve (thank God for Sealskinz!), and the outsoles have begun to crack around the toes. I'm sending them back, and Kenetrek will give me a price for repair, if possible. I'm expecting it to cost in excess of $200, which is approaching the tipping point toward new boots.

Here they are, filled with water to find the leaks.

5710d3f65c3ba04abf5ab70f2baf102b.jpg

ec42bf4dcecbe7e0c9c014b6e7bde74c.jpg

48e5e63f82c5710ad95b58e37a3e5792.jpg
 
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Gumbo

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I'm not thrilled with the durability of my Kennys. I have around 100 miles on mine (since October 2012), and in my opinion they are lightly used. They leak like a sieve (thank God for Sealskinz!), and the outsoles have begun to crack around the toes. I'm sending them back, and Kenetrek will give me a price for repair, if possible. I'm expecting it to cost in excess of $200, which is approaching the tipping point toward new boots.

Here they are, filled with water to find the leaks.

5710d3f65c3ba04abf5ab70f2baf102b.jpg

ec42bf4dcecbe7e0c9c014b6e7bde74c.jpg

48e5e63f82c5710ad95b58e37a3e5792.jpg

I don't know how you managed to make your boots look like that after 100 miles. Mine are in far better condition and leak free after probably 20 times that many miles. But I take great care of my boots in terms of cleaning and conditioning. Honestly yours look as if they have been dried with heat several times which will kill any leather boot.
 

Johnboy

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I've dried them a number of times with an electric boot dryer, which applies gentle heat. These photos are from the day after I returned from Montana two weeks ago. If yours look better than this after 2000 miles, we must use our boots differently.
 

Gumbo

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If yours look better than this after 2000 miles, we must use our boots differently.

Maybe you are in sharp scree for most of those miles, I don't know. But I'm not the little old lady who only drove her Kenetreks to church and back on Sundays. Again, I take care of my boots and use them hard in gumbo, rocks, and water. The color of yours suggests they have never even seen a leather treatment and/or have been thoroughly baked. My only reason for commenting on this is that the high level of wear on your boots is definitely not what a person should expect from these boots in elk, deer, and antelope country. Kenetreks are great boots and rock solid in my experience with my 3 pairs of them and my wife's Hardscrabbles.

View attachment 58933

I think these have seen 5 archery and 4 rifle seasons in Montana on about 95% of my days afield. Maybe not 2000 miles in retrospect, but a hell of a lot more than 100.
 
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I've dried them a number of times with an electric boot dryer, which applies gentle heat. These photos are from the day after I returned from Montana two weeks ago. If yours look better than this after 2000 miles, we must use our boots differently.

Johnboy, what type of waterproofing do you use?
My Kenetreks are so dark from using their (Kenetrek) boot wax, they are almost black. I treat mine at the beginning of the season, during the season, then clean them and retreat with the boot wax after the season. They don't leak, and look almost new.
 
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