High end boots?

[cornfedkiller]

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm hoping you guys here can help me out. I've been a flatlander and mostly treestand whitetail hunter my whole life, and most of the miles I put on my boots are walking to and from the stand, scouting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, etc..

I've always used what I could call "mid grade" boots. Irish setters, Rockys, Danners, etc. My latest pair is a Cabelas my Meindl Ultralight Hunter, and I like them, but they are less waterproof than they should be, and the leather seems to be getting worn rather quickly. They are 4-5 years old now, but as I mentioned, most of you probably put more miles on your boots each year than I have.

My question basically boils down to this: Are the high end boots THAT much better, and if so, what's better about them? I'm talking Crispi, Kenetrek, Lowa, Schnees.. They are obviously significantly more expensive than the boots I'm used to buying, but I don't mind paying for quality as long as they are worth it. Will I get more years/miles out of them? Would they be worth the extra cost for me?

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

I have a pair of Lowa Tibet GTX and I would say that are absolutely worth every penny for hunting the western states. What makes them more expensive and better are the features and ability to protect your feet. I'd say a conservative guess would be around 500 miles on my Lowa's in the last four years from hunting/scouting/camping trips and the tread pattern barely looks used. Also have never gotten one blister during my ownership of them, which includes many higher grade ascents and descents (where better fit and ankle/foot protection really matters). That being said, unless you are planning to start hunting the mountains, I wouldn't bother. You just don't need these types of features for flatland.

 

[Shepherd]

For your uses, I would probably stay with what you're using. I mostly hunt whitetail and turkey in the bluff country of WI/IA and I've used boots similar to what you're using and am satisfied with them. Are you satisfied with the boots you're using? If so, I'd stay with them. IMO going with high end boots would be overkill for your uses.

If you ever decided to go on a pack-in trip out west or someplace similar (with quite a bit of climbing/descending/side-hilling, stream crossings, etc.), you should look at some of the names mentioned above. I recently went on a sheep hunt in AK and an elk hunt in NW MT and invested in higher end boots (Crispi) after trying Lowa and Meindl. I now use my Crispi's at home for whitetail/turkeys and feel they are more boot than what I need.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wolfey]

How are you taking care of your boots? You mention the leather wearing out maybe a good cleaning and conditioning.

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[cornfedkiller]

How are you taking care of your boots? You mention the leather wearing out maybe a good cleaning and conditioning.

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I typically treat them with sno-seal twice a year.

 

[AllagashHunter]

Most folks, when they get into a pair of Kenetreks are getting 3-5 years out of the soles. It varies on the terrain of course and whether or not you sometimes drag your feet. If you are hunting around the lava rock in Arizona, you will wear it down much faster than if say, you were hunting elk in Montana. Once you wear the soles down to the point of needing a resole, you send them back to Kenetrek and they will put a new sole on the boot and recondition the entire thing, i.e. new laces, waxing, new insoles, filling cracks in the leather if desired, and rand repair.

The hardware, stitching and the rand are lifetime warrantied. they will fix them free of charge if you experience issues with them.

The most common reason for waterproofing issues or rand delamination, are due to getting the boots too close to a direct heat source, like a fire or a camp stove to dry them. that kind of heat will cause the waterproof membrane to shrink and deteriorate, it also causes the rand to peel and occasionally the sole to pull away from the boot.

Yes it is a big initial price, but you are getting close to a decade of use, (I've talked to guys who have their boots for a little over a decade, have resoled them once and their boots still look great) with only 1 or 2 resoles in there.

 

[mfllood3800]

For me, when I buy Crispi type boots, it isn't a simple, "I need them to last longer". It is the stiffness and support that a mountaineering type boot provides for where I hunt and the rigorous side hilling and vertical descent that is brutal on heels and toes. These are higher in price because they are specialty type boots.
If I were to go back to white tail hunting from a tree stand, I would not buy a set of crispi like I use out here in the west. How ever crispi has some boots that are not as stiff and more suited for what you do. I would likely use my Solomons for mid west hunting. They are very comfortable and don't offer the stiffness needed for mountaineering type hunting.
These are just experiences I have had with the models of the boots I have used.