Pac boot for whitetail hunting verses Muck boots?

[LookinforDirt]

10" tall pacs with some gaiters would cover a lot of situations. When I think cold weather MI hunting, pac boots would be my first choice. Used them for years when I lived in MI. That said, in a need something now situation, I bought a pair of Cabela's Comfort Trac 1200g rubber boots and find those warm and easy to walk in (regular 400 yard walks to my hunting spot). Easy enough to get on and off.

 

[Jamo318]

If you’re bow hunting from a tree stand, the extra support from a hiking style boot inspires a lot more confidence while standing to draw. Other than that, I wear lacrosse Granges whenever I can get away with it, there is nothing quieter.

 

[PA Hunter]

I love my Schnees I have the Hunter 2s and the extreme I think that have a thicker liner. The air bob soles are awesome even for big mountain hikes.

 

[Ugly_Duck]

Bringing post back to life, have been using LaCrosse rubber boots for stand hunting but feet have been getting cold often in them. Thinking they dont breathe enough for my feet and they sweat. Considering PAC boots but have been reading mixed reviews on them holding water out. As I am usually walking through some soggy lowlands to get to my treestand.

 

[Brent21]

Ugly Duck I’m in the same situation with my boots. I go between my Schnee’s Granite and mucks. I’m wanting a PAC boot as well my biggest question is do you go 10” or 13”. I’m thinking it will be easier on and off with the 10”.

 

[Joebe]

I like the mucks if it's not to cold and or I'm hunting swamps. Once it gets cold I go Pack boos. I'd love a pair of Schnee's but I can't kill my Lacrosse ones. Must have had them for 20 years. It's all we used to use in Maine back in the day.

 

[Brent21]

What height PAC are you running? My question is do I need a 13” or will the 10” with gaiters work?

 

[Lawnboi]

What height PAC are you running? My question is do I need a 13” or will the 10” with gaiters work?

I use 10” and will continue to.

Longer boots are nice if you are tucking in your pant bottoms for snow, the boot essentially becomes the gaiter. Personally if I need over 10” in snow to keep snow out of my pants I’ll go ahead and throw on snow shoes. I havnt had the desire for a higher boot in quite a bit of snow and slush on the lakes. I tuck my pant leg in and let it go, occasionally using gaiters. If gaiters are your plan I’d just go with 10”. Lighter and easier to get on and off.

Whatever you do get Hoffman’s.

 

[Hoffman Boots]

The main difference between pac boots and rubber pull-on Muck styles is support and breathability. The rubber-style boots are great when there is less mobility and a lot of moisture - swampy-type conditions and wading in areas with surface water. For the person walking a bit more or in areas with less surface water, a pac style will provide you with much more ankle and leg support and more overall warmth. There are 3 higher-end pac boot makers - Hoffman's, Schnees and Kenetrek. Hoffman's and Schnees both make their uppers here in the states. All 3 are good boots and will provide much more support than a regular pull-on style muck boot and even a LL Bean style do the heavier leathers that the uppers are built with. Warmth would be the next question you need to ask yourself. A Thinsulate lined boot is great for the person who is on the go with little sitting in cold conditions or the person hunting in mild conditions. The downside of Thinsulate is heat retention. Heat will dissipate from Thinsulate much faster than a felt style liner. If you plan on using a pac boot for tree stand hunting, ice fishing, snowmobiling, or sitting and glassing, a felt-lined boot will keep you warmer.
Like I mentioned, there are some good pac boot manufacturers still out there. I can only speak about my company, Hoffman Boots. My dad started building pacs in 1972 and ever since, it has been our mission to build the best pac boot and keep the production here in the United States - Kellogg, Idaho in fact. Our most popular models are the Guide boot which features either a 200 or 400 gram Thinsulate liner or for those looking for the warmest boots, our 9mm felt-lined Mountaineer boot may be the better choice. It just depends on what you are going to use the boots for. As far as the height of the boots goes, we build all of our pacs in 10", 12", or 14" heights - this is truly a personal preference. At Hoffman's, we still use premium 7-7 1/2 oz oil-tanned leather uppers, the nicest leather of any. We have not gone to lighter weight leather so when your boot does need a rebuild, you can be sure the leather quality will still be there. I hope this helps a little and like I said, stay with either of the 3 companies I mentioned and you will be satisfied. We do try to keep our prices down a bit lower which in no way reflects on the quality of our boots - just trying to offer a fair price to the everyday hunter. If anyone is at the Western Hunter Show in Salt Lake City, stop by and say hi and try on a pair of our pacs. We will be in booth 3177.
Thank you all for such a great forum.
Jim Hoffman www.hoffmanboots.com
PS. Rokslide members to get an additional discount on our pacs. Promo code: Rokslide15

 

[Brent21]

The main difference between pac boots and rubber pull-on Muck styles is support and breathability. The rubber-style boots are great when there is less mobility and a lot of moisture - swampy-type conditions and wading in areas with surface water. For the person walking a bit more or in areas with less surface water, a pac style will provide you with much more ankle and leg support and more overall warmth. There are 3 higher-end pac boot makers - Hoffman's, Schnees and Kenetrek. Hoffman's and Schnees both make their uppers here in the states. All 3 are good boots and will provide much more support than a regular pull-on style muck boot and even a LL Bean style do the heavier leathers that the uppers are built with. Warmth would be the next question you need to ask yourself. A Thinsulate lined boot is great for the person who is on the go with little sitting in cold conditions or the person hunting in mild conditions. The downside of Thinsulate is heat retention. Heat will dissipate from Thinsulate much faster than a felt style liner. If you plan on using a pac boot for tree stand hunting, ice fishing, snowmobiling, or sitting and glassing, a felt-lined boot will keep you warmer.
Like I mentioned, there are some good pac boot manufacturers still out there. I can only speak about my company, Hoffman Boots. My dad started building pacs in 1972 and ever since, it has been our mission to build the best pac boot and keep the production here in the United States - Kellogg, Idaho in fact. Our most popular models are the Guide boot which features either a 200 or 400 gram Thinsulate liner or for those looking for the warmest boots, our 9mm felt-lined Mountaineer boot may be the better choice. It just depends on what you are going to use the boots for. As far as the height of the boots goes, we build all of our pacs in 10", 12", or 14" heights - this is truly a personal preference. At Hoffman's, we still use premium 7-7 1/2 oz oil-tanned leather uppers, the nicest leather of any. We have not gone to lighter weight leather so when your boot does need a rebuild, you can be sure the leather quality will still be there. I hope this helps a little and like I said, stay with either of the 3 companies I mentioned and you will be satisfied. We do try to keep our prices down a bit lower which in no way reflects on the quality of our boots - just trying to offer a fair price to the everyday hunter. If anyone is at the Western Hunter Show in Salt Lake City, stop by and say hi and try on a pair of our pacs. We will be in booth 3177.
Thank you all for such a great forum.
Jim Hoffman www.hoffmanboots.com
PS. Rokslide members to get an additional discount on our pacs. Promo code: Rokslide15

Thanks for your reply Jim. I love the fact that you can talk about your company and boots without running down a competitor. It speaks to character and that speaks to someone who will back up their products. I have heard nothing but positives about your company the others that you mentioned. It is nice to see a company doing things the right way and producing quality boots made in the USA.