After the season boot thoughts

[harge57]

So I spent all spring trying different boots for this elk season.

I tried the following:
Cabelas Mendls Perfekt Hunter
Salomon 4D
Zamberlain 1012
Crispi Guides

I ended up sticking with the Crispi Guides.


I ended up hiking at least 100 miles this season over 14 days. I probably put in 50 miles prior to hunting to break them in.

I was mostly very happy with my boots.

Traction was great (felt like I had better grip than my brother and dad)
Waterproofing was great (my boots were soaking wet for 5 days straight but my feet were always dry.)
Comfort was good to great

I did experience pain on the balls of my foot after a few days of hard hiking, almost like bruising. Is this avoidable? I am thinking its from the stiffness of the boot. It is manageable and feeling sore on day 3 is pretty much the normal anyway.

 

[907to406]

Try some different foot beds. Most of the higher end boots still come with crappy inserts which is unfortunate but just the way it is. Shell out another 30 to 60 bucks for decent inserts and you and your feet will be much happier. I just spent 5 days in my Crispi guides doing an average of 10 miles a day with the green super feet foot beds and had happy feet the whole time. Only soreness I experienced was from my quads and glutes but that was after 4 days and packing out a full boned out mule deer with all my gear for 3 miles.

 

[mfllood3800]

I used the Salomons for early archery and rifle season, and when steep and deep I threw on the Crispi.
The Crispi hurt my feet way more than the Salomons, but were better at resisting water.
I am now late season chasin cows and I have switched to a 400 gr insul boot, usually. But today it was warm enough, so I put the Salomons back on- they are my favorite in comfort- hands down.

 

[twall13]

Everyone has different feet. I ran my Crispis for one season with the stock insoles without issue but do feel they are slightly more comfortable the past 2 years since I changed the insoles. The superfeet didn't work for me but the Cabela's cork ones did. Unfortunately it takes some experimenting, which often costs money. If you can, take your boots in to a store that has multiple indoor options and test some out in your boots before purchasing any. That's what I did at Cabela's.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Jardo]

I bought some non insulated nevadas this year and the damn things ruined the balls of my feet. Doctor said I have a massive sprain that is taking months to get over.

The sole curves up near the ball of your feet. This places all of the impact on the ball of your foot for each step. If you look at a pair from the side, you will see the front of the boot curves up.

May not be a problem for most of you, but for me the boots kill my feet. Even with new green superfeet insoles. I think crispi designed the curve to make break in easier and quicker but it's a huge fail in my opinion. What sucks is they have about 30 miles on them and I don't think black Ovis will take them back. I'm going to call them and ask what can be done. I hope they will allow me to trade exchange them.

Sucks because I was really exited about this boot.

 

[Nick Muche]

Why did you wear them this year without breaking them in to be sure they were a proper fit?

 

[rm06]

I believe it has more to do with how the boots fit your foot combined with your gait. I had similar problems with the balls of my feet wearing Lowa Tibets and the previous, very similar boot which I can't recall the model name. The balls of my feet would be extremely sore for days afterward and I tried Superfeet Green, Orange and L&S footbeds.

My first exposure to higher end mountain footwear was the Crispi Nevada which decent enough but lacked the stiffness I needed. I wore the Cevedale / Tech Light Hunter this year and was relatively pleased with the results. I didn't have a lot of time to break them in and I wasn't in the type of shape I'd like to be in for the terrain and elevation I subjected myself to so I did come away with some hot spots and minor blisters but they outperformed everything I've tried previously and I did not suffer any pain in the balls of my feet. Boots were absolutely soaked the first three days of the hunt by rain and creeks and my feet were dry.

I really like they way they fit and I will continue to use them. I am always on the lookout for the next miracle boot, however.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Might be self evident but perhaps not on the ball of foot pain, that gets amplified if your feet are wet from sweat for a prolonged period. In hard conditions switching out to fresh socks mid day knocks that back quite a bit. I get sore there still at times but mainly from extended side hilling.

 

[Beendare]

Good tip on changing the insoles. I went through a few different insoles until I found the ones I like and it made all the difference.

 

[Jardo]

Why did you wear them this year without breaking them in to be sure they were a proper fit?

I ruined my feet this summer breaking them in. I didn't wear them on the hunt. I wore my kennetreks.