Lathrop & Sons Experience - Ongoing

[HoytHunter24]

Ok, so I have taken a couple walks around my neighborhood with my 100lb pack to see how these feel. The sizing feels just about perfect now. My toes aren't cramped and my toes don't hit the front of the boot going downhill any longer.

Walking with weight in these is a whole different ball game than using my Soloman gym shoes... I feel much more stable and each step seems... easier? James did mention that the sole of the boot is designed to help propel you forward and I am now see the difference that makes.

I have not had sufficient time (or weather) to really get out and work these in. One comment I do have is if you have "tall" feet these may not be the boot for you. When I am sitting down, my left foot gets some pressure from the top of the boot. Not a lot but just enough. My right foot clears just fine. When I am walking I don't get any pressure on either foot. This makes me think that if my feet were any taller I would have issues.

I am hoping to get a few more miles in these this weekend and then I will be hunting some mountain turkeys here in Washington for about 4 days next week where I hope to put on some real miles.

 

[HoytHunter24]

I talked with James. Boy do I feel dumb... the issue with pressure on my foot was the fact i tightened the lower laces too much...

While trying to figure out the pressure issue I did discover some different lacing techniques. I didnt change much but i laced the lower laces a little different which allowed me to keep them snug without a lot of foot pressure. I then threw on my 100lb pack and went for a walk with my son around the neighborhood. I am really liking these boots!

 

[HoytHunter24]

Last weekend I finally got them out for some hiking. Was in search of mountain turkeys in NE Washington state. Hiked a few miles of old logging roads as well as a few miles of cross country and climbing some ravines.

I can’t describe how happy i am with my investment! I had zero foot fatigue and these never made the bottoms of my feet hurt. I have now broke them in a little bit and they fit much better. My heel stays firmly in place while still having the right amount of toe box room.



Oh and I was able to fill my turkey tag!

 

[robby denning]

Good job on the bird Hoythunter!

And on your earlier comment about the pack feeling easier, I’ve noticed the same thing with a great pair of boots that fit right. I believe it’s because we become more efficient but who knows.


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[HoytHunter24]

Alright, time for an update after early season. Between scouting, a couple backpacking trips and 3 weeks of hunting, i can say i now have a few hundred miles on these boots so far this year.

These boots really felt great out of the box and i didnt feel like they needed to be broke in. But after 50-75 miles on them they felt even better. I got the lacing technique and tightness figured out and they feel great on my feet. The stiffness of these boots really helps in all the side hill and up hill climbing. Gives you a very confident feel during each step.

I had a few days where i hiked 15-20 miles per day. This amount of time brought to light an issue. I cant really say it is the boot. I have some pretty decent calluses on the outside of both my big toes from years of work boots and hiking. I always thought these were good for hiking and made my feet stronger.... well that isnt true. At the end of these long hikes half of my big toes would go numb. After season i didnt get the feeling back in them for a couple weeks. Come to find out, these calluses were putting awkward pressure on the outside of my toe, causing the numbness.

I have a few weeks before i get back out in the field to do more hunting. I plan to get these calluses shaved off and see if this helps my feet. I reached out to Steven at L&S who agreed with my thoughts and strategy to diagnose the issue. He says it sounds like the footbox may be too small, thats what would cause the toe numbness.

It has been several months since i first bought these boots. James and Steven still treat me like i just purchased them and are always fast to answer questions. When i shot them an email about this i immediately received a phone call from them to go over the issue. You dont find customer service like this much anymore.

I will post up after the next hunt to see if it gets better

 

[robby denning]

Alright, time for an update after early season. Between scouting, a couple backpacking trips and 3 weeks of hunting, i can say i now have a few hundred miles on these boots so far this year.

These boots really felt great out of the box and i didnt feel like they needed to be broke in. But after 50-75 miles on them they felt even better. I got the lacing technique and tightness figured out and they feel great on my feet. The stiffness of these boots really helps in all the side hill and up hill climbing. Gives you a very confident feel during each step.

I had a few days where i hiked 15-20 miles per day. This amount of time brought to light an issue. I cant really say it is the boot. I have some pretty decent calluses on the outside of both my big toes from years of work boots and hiking. I always thought these were good for hiking and made my feet stronger.... well that isnt true. At the end of these long hikes half of my big toes would go numb. After season i didnt get the feeling back in them for a couple weeks. Come to find out, these calluses were putting awkward pressure on the outside of my toe, causing the numbness.

I have a few weeks before i get back out in the field to do more hunting. I plan to get these calluses shaved off and see if this helps my feet. I reached out to Steven at L&S who agreed with my thoughts and strategy to diagnose the issue. He says it sounds like the footbox may be too small, thats what would cause the toe numbness.

It has been several months since i first bought these boots. James and Steven still treat me like i just purchased them and are always fast to answer questions. When i shot them an email about this i immediately received a phone call from them to go over the issue. You dont find customer service like this much anymore.

I will post up after the next hunt to see if it gets better

View attachment 125195

Thanks for the feedback. I had to get a callus cut of my right foot that was causing same issues. That fixed it. I went to a podiatrist just FYI. Let us know.


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[HoytHunter24]

Atleast I am not the only one with that issue. Maybe i will consult a podiatrist myself...

 

[wind gypsy]

Atleast I am not the only one with that issue. Maybe i will consult a podiatrist myself...

 

[HoytHunter24]

View attachment 126158

haha this was my first thought

 

[HoytHunter24]

I talked with Stephen again this week and after seeing the picture of my footbeds we both came to the same conclusion.


if you look closely on the right you can see a white “blister” formed in the footbed. This is right at the outside of my big toe. Stephen explained that the footbed is doing exactly what it is designed to do. It is absorbing the torque from my foot and blistering instead of my foot blistering. The abnormal pressure is definitely coming from my callus.
I have another elk hunt in a couple weeks and will report back with how it worked out.

 

[HoytHunter24]

Time for an update!

To pick up from where i left off. I had my callus taken care of and went on my next elk hunt. Most of the miles hiked were pretty flat. Although I spent an entire day side hilling and climbing through boulder fields and rock slides tracking a wounded bull. The stiffness of these boots definitely shined in that terrain. I could physically tell that I wasn’t getting foot fatigue like I normally would with more flexible boots.

I spent a few days hunting during late season and the only disappointment I had with these boots was that I didn’t get the chance to try them with a load of meat on my back.

My first season with these boots went well! I cleaned them up and they were ready for 2020.

 

[HoytHunter24]

Now on to 2020.

I managed to draw a spring bear tag for Washington state. I also had a shortened turkey season to take advantage of.
Turkey season didn’t equate to a ton of miles but I managed to smack a few birds


After these tags were filled it was time to concentrate on my bear tag.
I spent many weekends out hiking in search of my first bear. I backpacked in 5-10 miles and put in quite a few 10+ mile days covering country. Some of the hot days with a good sized pack made me wonder if these “heavy” boots were really worth it.
Well I was finally able to seal the deal on a nice bear a few miles in from the trailhead. It was time to put these boots to the test!



Finally, a packout! Between the head, hide, meat, rifle and general backpack and gear, I had around 100lbs loaded on my back for a nice hike back to the truck. (My buddy took the other half of the bear)



This was the heaviest load I had hauled with these boots. The going was slow but these boots really showed their worth. I had a ton of ankle support. I could feel the footbeds absorbing a ton of pressure. And best of all, i had zero foot fatigue at the end of it.
Once back home I cleaned them up a bit and they look good as new!

 

[HoytHunter24]

I have several more fall bear hunts, archery and rifle deer hunts and a 2 week elk hunt planned for this year.
200+ miles have really worked these boots in. They fit great and lace up perfectly every time now. I will report back again once I get some more pack out time with these boots

 

[HoytHunter24]

Well my first elk season is complete! Spent 2 weeks in the PNW. We had good weather for about half the season and the second half was met with quite a bit of rain. I knew this would be a good test for these boots.
We hiked an average of 12 miles a day. Feet always felt good and the stiff shank continues to prove itself when ascending and descending steep hills.
The downpour of rain tested the waterproofness of these boots as well. I spent multiple days in the rain and the first two days I had completely dry feet. I never dried the boots out at night as i didn't have a way to with the muggy weather. By the third day I did have some water working its way to my feet. I always wear gators and roll my pants up to keep water out of the top of my boots. But with how much water there was, I am not sure if the water made it to my feet via the top of the boot or through the tongue. All in all, these kept my feet dryer than my old Goretex boots!

Oh, and I got to test them out again with a packout... Can't say enough about these boots!

One complaint.... The synergy footbeds are just about worn out now. I have a permanent footprint in them that doesn't bounce back like before. The cushioning effect is not as good as it once was. Granted, James did say I would need to buy a new footbed each year depending on how much use they get. I may look in to Sheep Feet this off season.

 

[wildcat33]

Hell of a bull on your first season. Congrats!

 

[Jlsch45]

Thanks for all the great info. Looking forward to receiving my L&S Hunters this week and comparing to the Crispi’s I have. I didn’t have some issues with the Crispi boots and hoping L&S boot & insole don’t have the same issues.

 

[HoytHunter24]

Okay so I am now coming to another conclusion.
I don't like the Synergy Footbeds. Mine have worn out pretty quick and I have been hesitant to order a replacement set. They aren't very custom. They are a standard footbed with a arch piece glued in per your foot type. I put quite a few miles on them and they really needed to be replaced after one season.

I went forward and ordered a set of SheepFeet insoles.






I feel this is a much better process for getting a mold for your feet than the L&S process. These should be arriving any time.

My feet are fairly normal so looking back now, I am not sure I would do the whole custom part of this system. I could have purchased the boot by itself and ordered custom insoles for less than I paid for this entire system. Don't get me wrong, I still love my boots and my experience with these guys has been incredible. These are just my thoughts after 2 seasons of running these boots solely.

 

[robby denning]

Okay so I am now coming to another conclusion.
I don't like the Synergy Footbeds. Mine have worn out pretty quick and I have been hesitant to order a replacement set. They aren't very custom. They are a standard footbed with a arch piece glued in per your foot type. I put quite a few miles on them and they really needed to be replaced after one season.

I went forward and ordered a set of SheepFeet insoles.
View attachment 245240

View attachment 245242

View attachment 245243

I feel this is a much better process for getting a mold for your feet than the L&S process. These should be arriving any time.

My feet are fairly normal so looking back now, I am not sure I would do the whole custom part of this system. I could have purchased the boot by itself and ordered custom insoles for less than I paid for this entire system. Don't get me wrong, I still love my boots and my experience with these guys has been incredible. These are just my thoughts after 2 seasons of running these boots solely.

definitely let us know how these hold up.

I must not walk enough, my LS footbeds have held up well.

 

[HoytHunter24]

definitely let us know how these hold up.

I must not walk enough, my LS footbeds have held up well.

I will keep everyone posted.

In 2 seasons I put in over 300 miles on these. After the first season they were pretty wore in. My foot imprinted the footbed and it didn't bounce back like it used to. This season, there wasn't a whole lot of cushion left so when hiking long miles on an established trail with weight in my pack my feet got a little fatigued.

 

[fishslap]

The arch piece on my LS insoles came unglued after a few hikes. They wanted me to ship them back for repair.