Kenetrek or Lathrop & sons

[Muleyslayer14]

Has anyone been able to directly compare the kenetreks to Lathrop & sons?

It’s time to replace my current Kenetrek mountain extremes UI. I have been happy with the boots apart from irresponsibly melting near fire and losing waterproofness. They also seem to be a littler hotter than goretex boots.

I like the Lathrops on paper but as we all know that doesn’t mean much. If I were to go with kenetreks again I would do the hardscrables. Thanks guys!

 

[JeffRaines]

While I have no skin in the game, I do know that the L&S boots are made by Lowa.

Hopefully someone comes along and chimes in with more information!

 

[Muleyslayer14]

While I have no skin in the game, I do know that the L&S boots are made by Lowa.

Hopefully someone comes along and chimes in with more information!

Interesting, I wasn’t aware of that. I spoke on the phone with someone at L&S yesterday and they told me each boot was hand assembled in Germany or Italy can’t remember. Thanks for the input.

 

[wildcat33]

Construction and last of the the L&S is light years ahead of kennetrek. Just my opinion.

Opinion is worthless though. More import is the fit to your feet. Lots of great boots out there...

 

[fishslap]

I can’t compare Kenetrek to l&s, but I did the full l&s process and wound up returning the l&s mountain hunters for scarpa kinesis pros. The scarpas are working way better for my foot. The ankle part of the l&s was too flexible and the alternating leather/fabric on the upper part was bending inward and impinging my lower ankle when steep side hilling. Hard to explain but it was impossible to deal with. Other than that they were comfortable and well built, I really wanted them to work but it wasn’t in the cards.

 

[Muleyslayer14]

I actually made my order with L&S today. I was disappointed when scouring online at how few reviews and comparisons have been down between these two boots, they have a lot in common. In my opinion they are above most companies.

I understand that every single foot is different, but some things can still be reviewed like build quality, durability etc. I may try and build my own review after a year of wear in the L&S.

@fishslap That’s too bad about your L&S but Scarpa makes a fantastic boot, and it’s great you found what you needed.

 

[Marine4life]

I have the Kene Mtn Extremes but in the 400g and had them for 2 years with no major issues. The boots have lost some of their stiffness and on occasion in warmer weather I would get hot spots but that is expected in my opinion due to the insulation. I bought the hardscrables this winter and they just didn’t work for me. I tried various socks, liners and lacing patterns but they continually tore up my heels. It’s so disappointed and wanted them to work. I also have a pair of Crispi Wyoming’s which I really like but are not stiff enough for rugged terrain.

Because of that I just went thru the process with L&S and can say the experience was very good. I dealt the James primarily and he just returned from Italy where he told me they hand make them for L&S but I wouldn’t be surprised if other boots are made in the same factory. My Mtn Hunter Elite boots arrived a few days ago and when I put them on the fit with the custom footbeds is different than I have ever felt before. This is primarily due to the winged footbed and it wrapping up around the arch and outside of the foot. I also have a little more room in the toe box than most other boots. Solid stiff boot which is what I was looking for but a bit heavier than I was expecting. They also fitted me for a size 10 1/2 where I have always wore a 10 but they feel like they fit.
I have spent over 3 hours on the phone with them getting info and going thru the pre and post fit consult.

I am in the wear in phase so can’t give feedback on how they fit after being on the trail but from a process perspective it was very detailed and I was very satisfied with what they have to say. However, it is expensive and if you don’t have fitting issues with other boots than buyers remorse could be a possibility. Recommend you give them a call for more info.
Hope that helps.


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[Muleyslayer14]

I have the Kene Mtn Extremes but in the 400g and had them for 2 years with no major issues. The boots have lost some of their stiffness and on occasion in warmer weather I would get hot spots but that is expected in my opinion due to the insulation. I bought the hardscrables this winter and they just didn’t work for me. I tried various socks, liners and lacing patterns but they continually tore up my heels. It’s so disappointed and wanted them to work. I also have a pair of Crispi Wyoming’s which I really like but are not stiff enough for rugged terrain.

Because of that I just went thru the process with L&S and can say the experience was very good. I dealt the James primarily and he just returned from Italy where he told me they hand make them for L&S but I wouldn’t be surprised if other boots are made in the same factory. My Mtn Hunter Elite boots arrived a few days ago and when I put them on the fit with the custom footbeds is different than I have ever felt before. This is primarily due to the winged footbed and it wrapping up around the arch and outside of the foot. I also have a little more room in the toe box than most other boots. Solid stiff boot which is what I was looking for but a bit heavier than I was expecting. They also fitted me for a size 10 1/2 where I have always wore a 10 but they feel like they fit.
I have spent over 3 hours on the phone with them getting info and going thru the pre and post fit consult.

I am in the wear in phase so can’t give feedback on how they fit after being on the trail but from a process perspective it was very detailed and I was very satisfied with what they have to say. However, it is expensive and if you don’t have fitting issues with other boots than buyers remorse could be a possibility. Recommend you give them a call for more info.
Hope that helps.


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Thanks for the reply and great info of your experiences. I have dealt with both kenetrek and L&S customer service and both are outstanding, good people with a wealth of knowledge. I highly respect both companies. I did spend about 45 min on the phone with James today, he was very helpful. I’m excited to try my L&S out and after about 1 year of heavy use in different environments I intend on doing a complete comparison of the two boots.

 

[Marine4life]

Thanks for the reply and great info of your experiences. I have dealt with both kenetrek and L&S customer service and both are outstanding, good people with a wealth of knowledge. I highly respect both companies. I did spend about 45 min on the phone with James today, he was very helpful. I’m excited to try my L&S out and after about 1 year of heavy use in different environments I intend on doing a complete comparison of the two boots.

Like you said it would be great to see a review comparing both boots. Kenetrek has been great to me as well with the exception of the Bridger which failed in many ways. They also treat us vets well with a bit of discount. Still not sure why the HS kept blistering me up but after as many miles as I put on them you would think either the boot or my feet would break in.


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[Muleyslayer14]

Like you said it would be great to see a review comparing both boots. Kenetrek has been great to me as well with the exception of the Bridger which failed in many ways. They also treat us vets well with a bit of discount. Still not sure why the HS kept blistering me up but after as many miles as I put on them you would think either the boot or my feet would break in.


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That’s certainly interesting, especially because they claim the HS is just a shorter mountain extreme.

 

[Marine4life]

That’s certainly interesting, especially because they claim the HS is just a shorter mountain extreme.

I think the insulated ME and the fact that I only wear them in cooler weather and with heavier socks makes my feet less sensitive to wear and friction. But I don’t know for sure.


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[Kotaman]

Out of 30 some pairs of boots I’ve tried, the Hardscrabbles are the only ones that tore up my feet.

L&S has been great in my dealings with them. I’ve never tried a pair of their branded boots but have ordered from them for years. I’ve wanted to like Kenetrek but they just don’t work for my feet,

 

[Muleyslayer14]

Out of 30 some pairs of boots I’ve tried, the Hardscrabbles are the only ones that tore up my feet.

L&S has been great in my dealings with them. I’ve never tried a pair of their branded boots but have ordered from them for years. I’ve wanted to like Kenetrek but they just don’t work for my feet,

Very interesting to hear that twice now, I wonder what it is. What’s boots are you ordering from them?

 

[Kotaman]

Very interesting to hear that twice now, I wonder what it is. What’s boots are you ordering from them?

My "go to" boots from Lathrop for mountain hunts WERE the Lowa Bighorns, which are no longer made. Luckily, I bought three pair. One pair has about had it, I gave another pair to a guide whose boots blew out on a Stone Sheep hunt and I still have one fairly new pair that I bought when Midway had a limited size run. I've also bought Han Wags (three different pair) from them, (no longer available) Lowa Cevedales and Lowa Tibets. I'm currently testing out the full Crispi line and have had excellent luck with all of their boots, however, L&S does not carry Crispi.

I really want to like Kenetrek as I have buddies that wear them and I see a lot of guides wearing them, but both the Hard Scrabbles and the Extreme 400's tore up my heels bad, even after their advised 50 mile break in.