The quest for hunting boots...

[JeffRaines]

So, as my last thread got 0 responses, I've taken it upon myself to find a pair of high quality boots that will work for me.

As for my background, I'm coming from Salomon Quests. I got a pair two seasons ago, and so far they have been the burliest boot I've been able to wear comfortably. I know, they're not so burly in comparison to what I'm trying... anyway, I've been happy with their performance until this season when I've noticed some parts starting to come unglued and I'm certain theres a small leak somewhere. I'm sure they'll last the rest of the season, and for lighter stuff next season I'm sure they'll be fine but I'm gonna need something a little better going forward - I'm not interested in spending $220 for boots every other season... or worse, the thought of them failing on a trip... thus begins my quest.

My feet are also difficult, I'm not sure if they're just not normal shaped or if they're bitch feet, but for some reason most boots won't work... theres either some rubbing that I can't eliminate, or some other issues that make the boots unusable.

I started with Crispi, since I've heard so much about them. After speaking with the guys at BO, they suggested the Nevada, and Idaho. I decided to just try the Nevada - the Idaho looks too much like the construction of the Salomon I currently use. Maybe its more durable, but I don't want to pay over $300 to find out otherwise. The tried and true full(or mostly) leather boots seem to get the nod for highest durability when taken care of. The upper lasting through at least one resole would be preferable.

I'm about two weeks into trying these Nevada's, and I think they're going to end up going back. I feel some heel slip in the backs of them that I can't eliminate no matter the insole or lacing. While wearing them around the house they seem "okay" I'm just afraid that once they hit the trail and get broken in further that slip is gonna get much worse. I'd say I have 6-7 miles on them so far around the house. Not only that, I can't seem to get rid of the excessive space in the toe area. I mean, theres a TON of space up there. I feel like thats also going to be bad news. I'd consider going down a half size but I'm afraid of not having enough length... my toes are about where they need to be lengthwise, just too much volume. Another issue with these is the obvious inability to go and try on multiple pairs. There aren't really any retailers around that carry these so its an order and hope for the best situation. I don't want to continue to pay the shipping fees back if these don't work. These are working best for me with Superfeet Guides. The stock insoles were too small and the Greens are too much(and cause much more heel slip). Maybe these boots are geared toward the people who wear two pairs of socks, but I prefer to go with one pair of good fitting socks(Darn Toughs).

Next up are Kenetrek Mountain Extremes. These seemed to fit much better out of the box - the jury is still out on them. I've heard the soles weren't as durable as Vibram. I have maybe 2 miles on these total so far(around the house). I will say theres much more arch support in these out of the box as well. Time will tell for these.

I also tried hardscrabbles, and a few cabelas/miendl offerings. I didn't care for the Hardscrabbles, and the Miendl offerings were just too voluminous.

Next up on my list will be Lowa Tibets(if these Nevadas don't work out, which I don't think they will sadly). I will likely purchase them from REI if they feel okay in the store and actually take them out on some test hikes. I believe REI also carries the Zamberlan Guides as well, so those will be on the try list too.

Any advice or suggestions would be awesome... otherwise I'll update in a few days with what I found so far.

 

[Jacob_Outdoors]

Since it seems like you’ve tried a lot of the obvious top tier brands my recommendation would be to visit a local boot shop and do a fitting.

We have a couple of places around here that will take you through a proper fitting and help selecting the correct size and fit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maninthemaze]

Since your trying out so many different boots and their associated expenses, you might try the custom fitting service provided by Lathrop And Sons. I have a pair of their Tech Lite hunters that I really like. My only complaint with them so far is the tread seems too deep. They pack easily with mud and don't clean themselves very well. I'm thinking of adding a little more angle on the treads with a dremel to fix the problem.

Just my 2 cents and worth the price charged.

 

[maninthemaze]

And yes, the custom fitting service can be done long distance. It's done with some kind of carbon paper, tracing of your bare feet and lots of pictures.

Just my 2 cents and worth the price charged.

 

[JeffRaines]

Since your trying out so many different boots and their associated expenses, you might try the custom fitting service provided by Lathrop And Sons. I have a pair of their Tech Lite hunters that I really like. My only complaint with them so far is the tread seems too deep. They pack easily with mud and don't clean themselves very well. I'm thinking of adding a little more angle on the treads with a dremel to fix the problem.

Just my 2 cents and worth the price charged.

I've considered this, I just haven't heard or read enough from people to make me feel like the $150 is worth it. Maybe I'll go looking for more reviews.

 

[EasilyExcited]

i got tired of my salamons leaking, went to crispi and they didnt fit my feel well. i ended up going the custom route through lathrop and sons and did a elk hunt with a pair of lowa tibets fresh out of the box and had no issues. expensive yes, but saved a ton of time and money dicking around trying all kinds of boots.

 

[EasilyExcited]

the 150 only covers the custom insoles. there is an additional charge for customizing the actual boot if needed

 

[gelton]

Are you looking at insulated or non insulated?

Dont discount the Shnees Beartooth II...outdry will probably outperform goretex in boots. I picked up a pair of original Beartooths in wide but they were still too narrow for me, hopefully the new last is a bit wider because if so I will try them again. It sounds like you have a narrow to normal foot though so this shouldnt be an issue.

I am a fan of lowa because their wide just fits me. I have run the tibets, ranger and mountain extremes. I have a bad ankle so I sold the tibets because I needed more support. So I run the mountain extremes pretty much full time now.

With that being said - I am in the market for a non insulated or slightly insulated 9-10 inch boot and if the lasts are wider on the new beartooth II it will probably be them. I like the look of the Crispi Wildrock but they arent offered non insulated and I like the look of the Schnees Granite as well.

Not a fan of nuebuck leather as full grain performs a bit better.

 

[JeffRaines]

Non insulated only. My feet typically run hot

 

[tttoadman]

The lace locks on the tibets seem much more functional than some of the others. many boots have the lace locks on the heel lock loops which seems a little harder to get tight. They also say that the "floating" heel lock loops on the tibets keep the heel tight as you stride. The idea is to leave the toe box loose, and then really crank down on the heel lock loops. The other pc of advice I will give if slow down. Stiff boots are not made to walk like you are wearing shoes. You need to stride a little shorter and turn your feet over faster to make time.

 

[wind gypsy]

Just trying on crispi Nevada's I had the same impression as you - my heels felt apt to lift and the forefoot was way too volume for my narrow feet, they would have slid around a lot in there. One thing I've noted - minor heel slip in some boots hasn't always meant blisters for me sometimes it does. If there is a lot of pressure against your heel and it still slips, that's when the blisters come.

As far as kennetrek soles not being as durable as vibram, that is too general because of the huge range of soles made by vibram. There are plenty of vibram soles on mountain type boots that are soft rubber and will wear considerably quicker than kennetrek mountain extremes. The soles on friend's kennetreks seem reasonably durable.

On your list of other possibilities - I'm a fan of the Zamberlans. I got the 980's this fall which I believe are the same as 960 guides but with a taller upper. I'd highly recommend trying the 980s, there is some flex in the sole that makes for comfortable walking out of the steeps but enough with the supportive taller upper to handle rougher country well too.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I love my Kenetrek Mountain Extreme NI boots. I have a wide foot and most boots don't have enough room for me. These do. I've been wearing this pair for about 3 seasons with no issues. I pretty much took them out of the box and went on my first elk hunt with them with no break in time. I didn't have any issues with this.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Matt W.]

Boots are tough one. I've had great luck with a boot, only to wear the boot out after a few seasons. I started with La Sportiva Makuluks, went to Cabela's Miendls (worked great for 2 season, 3rd season they leaked and blisters galore) then moved to Lowa Bighorns via Lathrop & Sons (boots were awesome for a solid 2 seasons, but the rand starting pealing off, leather got torn by rocky terrain, and the soles wore down, and by 3rd season blisters again). Currently running Crispi Guides. They seem to be good so far. I tried a few other boots through that process and they just did not work for my feet.

Rokslide, a few years back, did some theme months to prep guys for the next season. Boot month was one of them and the staff here wrote quite a few articles on boots (boot reviews, fitting, etc)
Rokslide's Boot Month: New Reviews and Killer Giveaways! - Rokslide
Check out Robby's post above, links are in there to explore more. Hopefully something in there helps.

Good luck!!

 

[JeffRaines]

Thanks so much guys. The Crispis are on their way back and that option is out. Gonna continue with the Kenetreks and going to check out the Lowas this weekend.

 

[mfllood3800]

Not sure why you got the Crispi Nevadas if uninsulated is what you want- these are insulated.
I have these same boots, and like you I was able to switch out the sole to one that worked for me. None of the super feet soles work for me ever. Some of the cheap - $10 at department stores are great, but what I found for insulated boots, for me any way, is the insulated thicker soles for cold weather. These seemed to fill up the space. I have wide feet so not a lot of width issues, and I ordered the regular width boot. So far they are snug, but for their purpose will be perfect, especially with 40+ lbs.

I also have the Salomons. These are by far the most comfy. They are not intended to be water tight- hence the mesh panel- this is more for flex, breathing, and comfort.
I used seam sealer silicone and thinned it down with paint thinner, (70-30) and brushed in all the mesh areas and stitching, and now have a water tight boot as well as 2 year old refurbished boot.


I also have Salomon Summits and those are nice, but I do get a pinch on the widest part of my foot, which simply means a different sole is needed.
It is amazing on the insoles as far as changing the boot fit. Once you find the insole you like, it will work with almost every pair of boots, shoes going forward.

I recommend spending as much effort on getting the right insole, as the boot.

 

[JeffRaines]

Not sure why you got the Crispi Nevadas if uninsulated is what you want- these are insulated.
I have these same boots, and like you I was able to switch out the sole to one that worked for me. None of the super feet soles work for me ever. Some of the cheap - $10 at department stores are great, but what I found for insulated boots, for me any way, is the insulated thicker soles for cold weather. These seemed to fill up the space. I have wide feet so not a lot of width issues, and I ordered the regular width boot. So far they are snug, but for their purpose will be perfect, especially with 40+ lbs.

I also have the Salomons. These are by far the most comfy. They are not intended to be water tight- hence the mesh panel- this is more for flex, breathing, and comfort.
I used seam sealer silicone and thinned it down with paint thinner, (70-30) and brushed in all the mesh areas and stitching, and now have a water tight boot as well as 2 year old refurbished boot.


I also have Salomon Summits and those are nice, but I do get a pinch on the widest part of my foot, which simply means a different sole is needed.
It is amazing on the insoles as far as changing the boot fit. Once you find the insole you like, it will work with almost every pair of boots, shoes going forward.

I recommend spending as much effort on getting the right insole, as the boot.

They offer the Nevada in a non-insulated version now, which is the one I had.

 

[JeffRaines]

So got my hands on the Lowas today. Was going to try out the Zamberlans but they were out of my size. After a brief try out I ended up bringing them home.

My initial observations are that these boots are somehow STIFFER than the others I've tried... with that said, there was little to no noticeable heel slip with stock insoles and my thinner DT hunt socks. There are some light pressure points on the tops of my feet that I'm sure can be alleviated with some lacing tricks. I also notice that these don't have near the 'kicker' that the Kenes have... they feel like they fall flat on the ground with each step. Theres also less room in the toe box, which is good for me since I have a low volume foot anyhow.

I got adventurous this evening and tried a couple different combinations, switching out insoles and socks mainly to see what worked best.

The Kenes with SF guide insoles and either one of my socks, both the thin and thick, are probably 90-95% of the way there as far as fit.
The Lowas are 80-85% - I'm dinging these due to the top of foot pressure. I'm gonna try some different lacings later and see if it can be alleviated, if so I'd put these right there with the kenes.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Not sure if you are still considering Zamberlan. I just bought a pair of 1996 Vioz. Absolutely love them, previous pair was Lowa Ranger. The Zamberlan have s roomier toe box than Lowa, but width through the instep seems very comparable.

Heel cup seems to fit well with no pressure points. I think it would be worth your time to check them out. I think I may also purchase the 960.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[as.ks.ak]

So got my hands on the Lowas today. Was going to try out the Zamberlans but they were out of my size. After a brief try out I ended up bringing them home.

My initial observations are that these boots are somehow STIFFER than the others I've tried... with that said, there was little to no noticeable heel slip with stock insoles and my thinner DT hunt socks. There are some light pressure points on the tops of my feet that I'm sure can be alleviated with some lacing tricks. I also notice that these don't have near the 'kicker' that the Kenes have... they feel like they fall flat on the ground with each step. Theres also less room in the toe box, which is good for me since I have a low volume foot anyhow.

I got adventurous this evening and tried a couple different combinations, switching out insoles and socks mainly to see what worked best.

The Kenes with SF guide insoles and either one of my socks, both the thin and thick, are probably 90-95% of the way there as far as fit.
The Lowas are 80-85% - I'm dinging these due to the top of foot pressure. I'm gonna try some different lacings later and see if it can be alleviated, if so I'd put these right there with the kenes.

If you continue having issues with boots, just bite the bullet and do the L&S fitting. Myself and one of my hunting buddies have done it and guess who's never had an issue since?!

Also, if you're not familiar with Leuko tape. Get on Amazon and get yourself a roll or two. It's magic for your heels! If you're boots fit properly you'll never get a blister if you're smart with your moisture management and reapplying tape when absolutely necessary....that being said, I tend to get 3-6 day/tape job on a grueling hunt. That stuff is immaculate. Hope you found the boots that work! Because that boot search is a scary one until you find the right thing!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RosinBag]

One warning on Leukotape, use is as a preventative measure when your skin is intact. The tape has unbelievable adhesion and like said above will stay on for three to five days. If your skin is already compromised it could pull that skin right off of you when you remove it. It is a great item to put on any area that you historically have had an issue with before the hunt, then it should be good to go.