How do you shop for boots if you do not know what you need?

[Coach529]

Flat Lander from North Dakota relocated to Northern Idaho.

Taking part in the all the outdoors activities. Bird hunting.....Elk and Deer Hunting. Hiking, snow shoeing.

Picked up a set of Salomon X Ultra 2 gore tex mid hikers for summer use and possible early season archery. Need a set of heavier boots for winter use. Love the Salomon's the bit I have used them for hiking.

The only thing I have ever worried about is grams of insulation and waterproof for chasing game in ND. Trying to look at stuff I can buy locally. I an close to Cabela's and Spokane. Not sure who stocks what brands.

Thanks in Advance

 

[PNWGATOR]

Lots of boot choices locally with REI, Whites and Nicks coming to mind as retailers of premium footwear.

 

[Coach529]

Lots of boot choices locally with REI, Whites and Nicks coming to mind as retailers of premium footwear.

Never heard of White's or Nick's......I will have to do some research.

 

[PNWGATOR]

They're both custom boot makers. That said, they also sell other brands in their showrooms

 

[Coach529]

Thanks.....I will check them out.

 

[Ross]

Looks of reviews on here to give you a good starting point

 

[archer wapiti]

I'm running an Asolo product I got at REI. They were $400. More than I ever thought I'd pay for boots, but they're holding up well. I think I can get 4 years out of them.

 

[Clarktar]

Flat Lander from North Dakota relocated to Northern Idaho.

Taking part in the all the outdoors activities. Bird hunting.....Elk and Deer Hunting. Hiking, snow shoeing.

Picked up a set of Salomon X Ultra 2 gore tex mid hikers for summer use and possible early season archery. Need a set of heavier boots for winter use. Love the Salomon's the bit I have used them for hiking.

The only thing I have ever worried about is grams of insulation and waterproof for chasing game in ND. Trying to look at stuff I can buy locally. I an close to Cabela's and Spokane. Not sure who stocks what brands.

Thanks in Advance

You are also close to the Retail/HQ for Whites boots. Check them out for sure. Cool store front with a few nice mounts!

 

[HeadnWest]

Do some research, buy 3 of your top boot choices on Amazon, ( if you are prime member) free shipping and returns. Wear all three around the house and return the ones you don't like.

 

[Coach529]

Do some research, buy 3 of your top boot choices on Amazon, ( if you are prime member) free shipping and returns. Wear all three around the house and return the ones you don't like.

That is a great idea assuming the options are available on Amazon.

 

[Coach529]

OK, so the White's Dri- Foot interest me. Love the idea of a full leather hand made boot, although the weight kinda of scares me.

I wore a buddies Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 while bird hunting last year and liked them a lot. So those will also make the possible list.

Still looking for a place to try on Schnee's locally.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Take a quick overnight trip to Bozeman with your wife and go try the Schnees. You won't be disappointed

 

[Owenst7]

Take a quick overnight trip to Bozeman with your wife and go try the Schnees. You won't be disappointed

Was going to say this. I learned a lot when I stopped in there. It's a neat store with a lot of other stuff besides boots...plus Bozeman is a really cool town. Only about 45 minutes from Yellowstone if you need to leverage the wife or something. Schnee's offers a lot of experience and customer service for fitting that would be good to take advantage of, plus they carry other brands if their last just doesn't work for you.

I can tell you all about the Beartooth if you're interested in those. I've got about 200 miles on mine between summer backpacking and ~20F backcountry elk hunts.

I believe Sportsman's Warehouse carries Kenetrek as standard inventory.

White's are a big name in work boots and I believe pretty standard for smoke jumpers. I've never worn a pair, but I've never heard anything bad about them. Glancing at their site, it doesn't look like they make a "mountaineering" type boot like I would want for a backcountry hunt, but I'm sure everything they make is durable. Most of the boots I've liked for backpack hunting are made in Italy and have a pretty similar construction.

I like something with a stiff shank for walking across the boulder fields that are everywhere here in NV. I also like some flex in the forefoot to reduce stress on my knees when I'm walking on flat ground. I went with the Beartooth mids (about 1.5" above my malleolus bones) so they'd be a little less hot in the summer, but I'd prefer a full height boot when crossing creeks in the winter...I do more miles scouting in the summer so I went with that compromise. I like the flex the Beartooth has when I'm not inundated with a backpack full of meat, and they still provide sufficient support when packing out elk. My feet do get a bit chilled during first light glassing sessions below freezing, but that's an issue in just about any boot for me. I do plan to get a pair of full height insulated boots at some point in the future...probably granites, although it may end up being a pair of pack boots. The areas I've been hunting tend to get covered in snow at the same time it gets cold, and I really don't need a stiff boot in snow since it smoothes everything out around here.

 

[Coach529]

White's website is lacking. They make two versions of there hunting boot. All leather.

White's Dri-Foot Boots | Lace-To-Toe Dri-Foot - Outdoorsman by White's | Baker's Boots & Clothing

 

[Owenst7]

White's website is lacking. They make two versions of there hunting boot. All leather.

White's Dri-Foot Boots | Lace-To-Toe Dri-Foot - Outdoorsman by White's | Baker's Boots & Clothing

Those are sharp looking boots for sure. They don't give any info on the shank or ankle support/construction so I'd definitely want to try them on.

One thing I notice immediately in the picture is the lacing hardware is lacking. For that price, there's no reason they should run cheap hardware. The Beartooth 1s were lacking even, and still had nice rounded "pulleys" (for lack of a better word). The new Beartooth and the more expensive boots are using a sort of ball bearing type eyelet. I've worn boots with standard eyelets on mountain hunts and between the wear on the laces, lack of ease in adjusting individual lacing areas, and not having the laces flex properly with the rest of the boot, the eyelets are one of the first things I scrutinize on a pair of boots.

 

[Coach529]

How much shank should I be shopping for?

 

[Owenst7]

How much shank should I be shopping for?

Mine are full length 5mm nylon. I don't think I'd be happy with anything lighter for what I do. Not sure I'd want anything much stiffer either. I'm about 160 lbs, and I'm sure that could have an influence along with any other personal preferences.

If I stand on the point of a rock, I don't want to have to flex the bottom of my foot to keep the boot from folding over the rock. I also like for the front of the boot to flex when I walk on flat ground, without my knees having to move differently than when I'm wearing normal shoes. I also like to be able to kick my toes in and push up a loose/steep hill without flexing the arch of my foot a bunch. Most of these things you can test in a store by finding the edge of a bench or something. Keep in mind that pretty much any boot is going to become more flexible after 50 miles or so.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

I would not overlook the Meindl’s at Cabelas. As you are close to them I would try them. Lifetime warranty is hard to beat. I just returned from an Elk trip in Utah and wore a four year old pair the entire trip. Lots of side hill and snow.

 

[Coach529]

I would not overlook the Meindl’s at Cabelas. As you are close to them I would try them. Lifetime warranty is hard to beat. I just returned from an Elk trip in Utah and wore a four year old pair the entire trip. Lots of side hill and snow.

Something to think about......I am 10 min from Cabela's.

 

[Coach529]

What is the Meindl equivalent to the Kenetrek 400-Gram Mountain Extreme Hunting Boots?







































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