Best Elk Hunting Boots With Minimal Break-In For Early Oct. Elk Hunt

[Aerosith]

Crispi Altitude GTX is an awesome boot! Very comfortable and required zero break in time. The one downside to this boot is durability, I would not use this boot in intense rocky terrain and constant side walling. I wore out my first pair doing that in about 200 miles, But the warranty got me a new pair for free.
I now only use them on easier terrain and trails.

 

[huntin_fool94]

Salomon's are a great option but they don’t last very long. my advice would be to become a REI co-op member and you can return your boots for any reason within the first year. its the best way to find a boot that fits you.

 

[Dbnd]

Salomon Quests are great if you need more ankle support. Danner Mountain 600s don’t have great ankle support but are as comfortable as sneakers and for me, required literally zero break in. My ankles are pretty stout and I’ve done 8 days above 11k ft chasing elk in them with no issues.

 

[geoff995]

Vivo Forest Tracker ESC. Hands down the most comfortable boot I’ve ever worn. Minimal “break in” time.

 

[MtnW]

Question.You guys that are wearing the Salomon Quest.
Are you using the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex or the Salomon Quest Element Gore-Tex?

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Question.You guys that are wearing the Salomon Quest.
Are you using the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex or the Salomon Quest Element Gore-Tex?

Mine is not the Element.

 

[FlyGuy]

Question.You guys that are wearing the Salomon Quest.
Are you using the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex or the Salomon Quest Element Gore-Tex?

Quest 4 GTX for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[FLShooter293]

I have a pair of Crispi Altitude with Sheep Feet insoles that work great just not enough ankle support. Tried a pair of Crispi Colorado II’s and they killed my feet. Bought a pair of Zamberlan Lynx Mid GT’s and they are awesome. Perfect fit, stiffness, weight and ankle support with no break in time needed. I’ll use the Zamberlan this fall with the Altitude as a back up. Everyone’s feet are different. Try as many brands on as you can.

 

[2531usmc]

Interesting that the Salomon boots are considered not very durable on this discussion. Conversely, the Salomon boots are extremely popular with the SOF guys. I would guess the durability of a Navy SEAL’s boot on deployment is not much different than that of an elk hunter.

I don’t have first hand experience either way, I just find it interesting

 

[TAArrowood]

I've had really good luck with minimal breakin and durability with my Scarps.. Only complaint is that they have a fairly narrow toe box.. I've had good luck with Asolos too..

 

[idcuda]

Question.You guys that are wearing the Salomon Quest.
Are you using the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex or the Salomon Quest Element Gore-Tex?

Quest 4 GTX. Zero break in and that's legit - probably true for most people, too. I find it hard to believe some of the boots being suggested are truly zero break in.

 

[ahenry82]

Schnees timberline or beartooth for me pretty much zero break in time

 

[tradarcher5]

Crispi boots don't need much break-in. Durable in rough terrain.

 

[MtnW]

I wear a size 14 . Pretty hard to find a retailer where I can try on multiple boots. REI for instance only goes up to size 13 in the Salomon’s .
I ended up ordering the Salomon Quest 4 GTX, Crispi Thor’s and Altitude’s. Hopefully two of the three pairs of boots will be a good fit. I will report back in a couple of weeks.
MtnW

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I wear a size 14 . Pretty hard to find a retailer where I can try on multiple boots. REI for instance only goes up to size 13 in the Salomon’s .
I ended up ordering the Salomon Quest 4 GTX, Crispi Thor’s and Altitude’s. Hopefully two of the three pairs of boots will be a good fit. I will report back in a couple of weeks.
MtnW

Siskel & Ebert, two thumbs up!

 

[Schnee's]

Did not plan on a elk hunt this year. Got a opportunity to hunt New Mexico with a buddy in Oct. I am down south working and all of my gear except for rifle, ammo and optics are in storage in Colorado. What’s a good boot for mid season elk hunting that has a minimal break in period?

Our Timberline or Beartooth for sure. beartooth is a little stiffer, little more break in time. But either is a solid choice. A good friend of mine when on an ibex hunt a few years back. Got some brand new beartooths, took them out of the box and put them in a suitcase. Didn't wear them at all before leaving... Got back after hunting at 14,000-16,000 for a week and said they were awesome! Super comfortable. Now, i don't recommend doing that... but they are pretty dang comfortable. - matt

 

[Schnee's]

I had very good results with Schnees. The Timberlines were worn right out of the box without issue. I also got a pair of Absaroka from Schnee which fit like a glove and had a short break-in period thereafter. I think the Granite Mid is the successor to that although Schnee would be better to ask.

Thats correct. The Granite Mid is the successor to that boot. - matt

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Another for Meindl. They seem broke in right out of the box.

 

[wildcat33]

Ive gone out on two big trips with two different brand new pair of Schnees. Risky and dumb for sure but both times no issues. Id recommend an un-insulated pair.

 

[Hoffman Boots]

The Hoffman 8" Explorer boot in my opinion is an awesome boot. Great support and comfort right out of the box.