Sheep Boots

[BRWNBR]

I would imagine a pair of plastics would outlast any others wouldn’t they?

 

[adventure907]

I would imagine a pair of plastics would outlast any others wouldn’t they?

In general, I think yes. The way plastics wear out for me, is walking the soles off them.

 

[dhoftiezer]

The sheep hunting boot discussion is like the ford, chevy, dodge, etc discussion. Personally I need a full sole mountaineering boot due to chronic planter fasciitis. I'd love to wear kennetreks, meindles, lowas or the like but with a full pack plastics treat my feet best.

 

[Maverick940]

I would imagine a pair of plastics would outlast any others wouldn’t they?

Generally speaking, yes. Depends on how many miles a person puts on them. Plastics last me about two years, and then I have to replace them. I use Invernos. I like them. They fit well and break-in easily and they tend to get me through two season's (spring and fall) of use. Like Adventure907 said, the soles of mine usually wear out first.

 

[Silvereagle50]

So now that I’m fully confused on regular vs plastic boots, what do y’all have to say about boot height?

I really prefer a 6” boot whether riding my Harley, the boots I wear to work ( teacher), or hunting white tails here in Oklahoma.

That being said, would 6” be ok or should I look more towards an 8” boot? And hopefully you don’t suggest something taller.
This would be for a sheep hunt in Alaska.

 

[Silvereagle50]

Now i've looked at the Cabela's Meindl boots and they all seem to be 10" boots. Guess I need to go try them on and see what they are like.

 

[Maverick940]

Now i've looked at the Cabela's Meindl boots and they all seem to be 10" boots. Guess I need to go try them on and see what they are like.

Cabela's Meindl boots are pretty good. My clients prefer those, hands down. I picked up a pair about ten years ago for in-town wear and light scouting in the desert. They're not bad.

 

[ericF]

Now i've looked at the Cabela's Meindl boots and they all seem to be 10" boots. Guess I need to go try them on and see what they are like.

The Meindls are being discontinued by Cabelas. You might still find a few pairs in the stores, but most of the models are gone from the website and it is getting to be slim pickens at alot of stores. Just another brilliant move in the path to making Cabelas obsolete since Bass Pro took them over.

 

[Maverick940]

The Meindls are being discontinued by Cabelas. You might still find a few pairs in the stores, but most of the models are gone from the website and it is getting to be slim pickens at alot of stores. Just another brilliant move in the path to making Cabelas obsolete since Bass Pro took them over.

That's a bummer.

 

[ColeyG]

After having used the La Sportiva Trango Evo S for years, I picked up a pair of the updated version of this boot, the Trango Cube GTX, this year and they are awesome...for me. They are lighter and more comfortable than their predecessors and include some nice updates like a gravel guard for the gusseted tongue.

There are lots of great options out there and fit is the most important thing to get right by far.

Here are a few more thoughts and recommendations I put together re: mountain hunting boots for the JOMH last year.

https://journalofmountainhunting.com/footwear-philosophy-for-mountain-hunting-by-coley-gentzel/

There are some design components specific to "mountain boots" that I think are very important and can make a big difference in both comfort as well as safety. Sure plenty of folks have made all manner of footwear work in all types of situations, but personally I prefer tools designed for precise applications. When climbing mountains chasing sheep and goats, I'll take a boot that is designed for just that, going up and down mountains.

 

[Diddywahdiddy]

My Two Cents. Last Fall I used the Salomon GTX with "Ortholite" inserts which worked great in Hell's Canyon and down in Mexico in the Sierra San Marcos y Pinos. There were total of six days of hiking in "even for us this was tough and technical" Idaho w Barker and Ted Day, then another six days down in MX with Emilio and company, w lots of elevation changes and sidehills...and everything down there has thorns. Even my 29 year-old son who's roped/climbed the "to-do places such as Half Dome, etc" in Yosemite said the hiking was technical. It didn't rain on us like it did in 2009 on the Oregon side along the Imnaha. However, the Salomons did great two weeks ago-my wife and I spent six days hiking in snow/sleet/rain in Pisgah Natnl Forest outside Brevard NC and the Salomons did great, stayed dry/waterproof just like they're supposed to.
As for the Dall's/Stone's terrain-I'm a Kenetrek non-insulated Mountain Extreme fan. I've had the same pair since 2012 Yukon Dall's-8 days of hiking w a couple days sleet/rain; 2013 Yukon Fannin's-7 days w 2-3 days sleet/rain; 2014 BC dark Stone's-11 days of mostly misery with bad rain/sleet/snow; 2015 and 2016 Yukon Stone's with 5-6 days rain/snow/sleet and the 2016 hunt it didn't get above 26 degrees. The Kenetreks have had the soles replaced once and have held up great-I'm training in them now getting ready for "back to the Yukon" this August for rams, then to northern Italy for mountain game in October. Find what fits your feet. The Kenetreks, for me, fit like a fine pair of gloves and haven't given one blister, and no break-in period.
Best of luck in your decision.
DWD

 

[thinhorn_AK]

So now that I’m fully confused on regular vs plastic boots, what do y’all have to say about boot height?

I really prefer a 6” boot whether riding my Harley, the boots I wear to work ( teacher), or hunting white tails here in Oklahoma.

That being said, would 6” be ok or should I look more towards an 8” boot? And hopefully you don’t suggest something taller.
This would be for a sheep hunt in Alaska.

I use the crispi birkadall SF which is an 8” boot. And it’s just fine.

 

[USMC-40]

Have some Kenetrek’s i Found gently used in my size and they keep giving my feet blisters on the back of my heels. Trying the Scarpa Rebel K’s - they should be here Wednesday - will report

 

[kipper09]

Not trying to derail the thread. I plan to wear a pair of lowa cevedale, anybody have any input on that idea?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jimss]

The lowa cevedale are mountaineering boots that are pretty stiff and heavy for my taste. I prefer mid-weight hikers similar to Lowa Vantage or Caminos. I tend to cover lots of country while sheep hunting. It's nice having a boot with fairly stiff soles and lower area around the ankles for rock and side hills but it's also nice having boots that aren't too terribly stiff and tall.....and lighter for covering lots of miles.

 

[duchntr]

Not trying to derail the thread. I plan to wear a pair of lowa cevedale, anybody have any input on that idea?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My hunting pard uses those boots and really likes them, as always fit is key.

 

[AK Shane]

I've worn hiking boots all the way up to mountaineering boots on mountain hunts. Wore some hiking boots on a goat hunt and it took me two months for one ankle to recover. I did a sheep hunt in a pair of Lowa Ticam backpacting boots and after 600 yards of sidehilling with a full pack my ankles were hating life. Moral of the story, stiff boots save ankles and possibly your hunt. My mountain boot preference is a lightweight mountaineering boot like the Scarpa Triolet. Boots like Kenetrek Extreme or Lowa Hunters are stiff enough to get you through the mountain's and versatile enough for all your other moose or caribou hunts. I've ran all my boots hard and have gotten good life out all of them so my only concern is fit.

Boot shopping sucks. I tried on 12 or 13 different pair of boots the last time I bought boots. Some of those I went back and tried on 2-3 times.

 

[ColeyG]

Not trying to derail the thread. I plan to wear a pair of lowa cevedale, anybody have any input on that idea?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like the look of these boots and they seem to be in the right class or category of boot for mountain hunting. As Jimss pointed out, they are on the more robust side of "light duty" mountaineering boots, which would be a good thing or a bad thing based on your intended use, anticipated terrain, conditions, etc. Lowa has been around for a long time and makes very high quality stuff. If they fit well, I am sure they will serve you very well in the mountains, perhaps less so on higher mileage, lower angle terrain.

Post up a review when you had a chance to put some miles on.

 

[Travis2282]

Does most guys use non insulated or insulated boots for sheep hunts? If so how many grams?

 

[ColeyG]

I use uninsulated boots down to about freezing. If I am anticipating temps at or below freezing for more than a day or two, I'll take a warmer boot.