Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Boot HELP.

Ok here's the deal. 2 years ago I bouht a pair of Lathrop and Sons Hanwag Alaska Gtx boots with their footbeds. Not the gold package. I have worn these a ton in the last few years to work and on shorter 2 mile hikes. I have recently booked a SE Alaska Mt goat hunt so I have started hiking more. I felt these books were broken in. I started my first day with s 50 pound pack and a 3 mile hike. My feet were kinda sore or tired after. Day two I made it 4 miles with the 50 pounds and I got a awful blister on the top of my left little toe. Day three I hiked with the 50 pounds 5 miles and I got a awful blister on the side of my foot behind my little toe. My feet were sore and tired after these hikes also. These hikes have been on fairly level terrain so it got me thinking maybe these aren't the boots I need to have on a once in a lifetime goat hunt. I talked to my outfitter and he recomended Lowas and Meindl boots. I looked at the Meindl Alaska hikers today and they have great reviews. Also looked at the perfect hikers. I am also looking at the Crispi line of boots. I would like to stay with either Crispi because I can get them at cost or the Meindls because I can use points and get them for free. I think I want a boot that is a little less stiff than the Hanwags. Can anyone please help me out. I have a year and a half before my goat hunt but I need to find the perfect boot now. Thanks for the help.

Best advice I can give you is, use your points for the free boots and give them a try. Also buy the other boots at cost and give them a try. Boots are a very personal thing and no two peoples feet are the same.

Just find what ever fits. Everyone thinks there is some magic answer for boots, there is not. I love my Lowa Tibets, others do not. I do not like Meindel boots, others swear by them. It might help if you told us if you have wide feet, narrow heel, etc.

FWIW, I had the Lathrop and sons high country footbeds and I thought they were the worst I have ever tried. They would not last very long, were thrashed after a couple weeks. I should say I dont like any footbeds though, Soles and Superfeet none of them work for me.

MCH has it nailed. It's about fit and only fit. Each boot maker uses a different set of forms that their boots are made on, called lasts. What you're looking for is the boot maker that has the lasts that fit your feet. Aslo fits me well. Spend time in shops where you can try bots from quality makers like Meindl, Lowa, Aslo, Scarpa, etc, etc, and don't feel bad about trying boots on without purchasing them. When you find the pair that fits your feet you'll know, and then buy them even if they're a few more $$ than you want to go. Your feet are good, your hunt is good. Your feet are bad and you're not hunting.

Frank

Boots are personal, I did a hike yesterday with 70 + lbs in a pack and 2k of vertical, on a steep mountain trail in Montrail mountain masochists (a trail running shoe) . They were fine. They work for me. Hot spots, or blisters are normal on a shoe you are not used to. If I go out in boots or shoes I haven't put a lot of miles on, then I carry blister remedies.

Find what works for you, what works for me won't always work for you. There are a lot of thing to consider, do you require water proof ness, what is the fit, what is the traction, what kind of terrain, etc. My shoe choice comes down to a few things. I've put in long days in montrails( so I know I can do it without issue) I don't require a boot for ankle stability, I like the grip of 5.10's. I find I do better in shoes, than boots, even with weight and on steep hillsides. I move to boots in the winter for better snow / gaiter performance. However, I have developed the (probably long forgotten) ability to use shoes instead of boots. I find boots, don't give me the freedom of movement I need, and thus far over the years, my ankles have not paid the price and my knees have been spared.

Aslo makes some great boots and there have been more then a few pairs I have wanted to own. However Aslo doesn't make man size boots. If you have normal to narrow feet from what I hear they are great.

Back in my ice climbing days I bought a pair of Scarpa's that fit me so good. I wish I had bought three or four pairs.

Now when I find that "Right Fit" I buy multiple pairs. It ain't easy being a Big Foot.

Kevin I agree I am a big shoe fan. But there are a few times when I really need a boot. The benifits of shoes is they build strength in the tendons and muscles in the ankles.

Montana

I agree, I had a pair of Aslo's and they felt small. Last year I blew out my 5.10's in the weminuche, when I got back they were all out of stock .....everywhere. Now I have a brand new "Extra" pair in the closet, just in case.

I have a pair of Merrill low cut "hiking shoes" that I wear a lot in the winter for everyday wear. I've hiked with the pack on acrossed some flatland and they feel great, but I'm still hesitant to actually hunt with them. I like the security of a lace up boot while side loading. I love my danners so far. Not as expensive as some, but they just seem to fit me. Last two years after the hunt my buddies had blisters...knock on wood, I haven't had that issue yet. The rest of my body is always shot tho.

I have really wide feet with skinny heals I find Asolo Wide size boots fit me perfect. I went to buy another brand boot but my skinny heal was swimming after about 5 different brands I tried the Asolo and magic happened.

Another thing to consider is whether your feet were conditioned yet for carrying a heavy load in relatively stiff boots, broken in or not. Just regular walking around on relatively flat terrain doesn't put much stress on your feet and they won't move around much in a stiff boot. Suddenly adding a lot of weight and terrain can show up the soft spots on your feet as the boot flexes more. Take at least a rest day between rucks to let your feet heal. Since you already have blisters, you'll have to back off more and let those feet recover.
Also, try some different thicknesses of good socks. Just walking around casual like, cotton or worn out socks won't hurt you but add sweat, terrain and weight and they'll flay the hide off your feet even in well broken in boots.
Steep terrain also stresses feet very differently from flat terrain so the soreness in the feet can also be a conditioning issue. Let your feet recover and ease into the steep stuff with the heavy pack.
It may be the boots and it may not be, especially if they were comfortable before you added the heavy work. I always thought of breaking in new boots as half was breaking in the boot and half was conditioning my feet to those boots. Good luck.

Hi!
Sympathize with your plight. I have small feet to carry too much weight.

My problem fit really went away when I got the Miendl Prefect Hikers. Be sure you get the correct size to allow wearing a pair of polypro liner socks under mid-heavy weigh wool. Very important to preventing blisters.

Have fun!

Well said. I find boots that wear well on flat surface distance hiking are not good on rocky hillside terain and visa versa. I have used Meindl Alaska Hikers the past few years, and the stiff soles have really cut the foot fatigue down. Yet, long fast hikes on flat trails and I don't head out with the stiff boots.

I had a similar issue with my Kenetreks; I'd get hot spots where I didn't think I should. I changed my sock "outfit" and it went away. What kind of socks are you using? I could get by with just a medium wool-blend hiking sock in my Meindls. In the Ktreks, I now use a silk-weight polypro liner under the woolies. That worked for me.

I'd also consider giving the folks at Lathrop a call. When I ordered my Meindls through them, I was worried about blisters as that is what I was getting new boots. My old one's had started giving me monster blisters (I have pics! and you probably don't want to see them ). They stated then that if I kept getting them to get back with them as they may be able to stretch/fit the boots to alleviate it. They do that for medical orthotics/artificial limbs as well. IMO, it'd at least be worth a phone call.

I also get hotspots/blisters more often the first few times out. I don't wear stiff boots too much for daily work anymore so it does take some time for my feet to toughen up...

Probably the best advise in the thread, IMO, as I have the same problem when I jump into heavy loads and with broken in boots. I have boots that I have deployed with, broken in, returned with and deployed again with later that gave me similiar foot problems. Working you feet under load is much different than day hikes on the weekends, I'll generally spend about two weeks getting my feet back into load bearing condition, and it's a long two weeks walking around on sore spots. I now invest in good quality socks, and change them often, it helps a bunch in keeping hot spots down and the moisture from softening the skin and rubbing it away. Good luck the next hunt!

Check out Kayland boots if you have a chance. I have two pairs (one heavier duty than the other) and I love them. My wife also has a pair of Kaylands that she loves. Yesterday we finished a 2 1/2 day 27 mile hike in the Lost Creek Wilderness in Colorado with over 5,000 feet of total elevation gain on Saturday. I carried a 40 pound pack and have sore feet today, but no blisters.

Thanks for all the sugestions. I did call Lathrop and Sons last week and their secretary said she would have one of the guys call me that day. I'm still waiting on a call. IMO this sucks for as much as these boots cost me. Put on my danners tonight with 50 pounds for 3 miles and no hot spots or blisters and no foot fatigue. I who's these Danners had better ankle support is take them to Alaska. I think I'm going to try a pair of the Meindl Alaska hikers. I'm going to order them tomorrow. We will see how it goes. Thanks for all the sugestions.

I bought a pair of Crispis last fall and really like them a lot. I have had Lowas, Meindles and Kenetreks, but the Crispis are made for my feet.

donsm70

Crispi for me Joel. I took Lowa's and Kenetrek's on my Sheep hunt. Both were great during training and with weight. Both caused problems on the hunt. I switched to Cripsi and have been very pleased. Give them a try. I have the Nevada, Hunter and Laponia now.

Lee

My outfitter for goats has me use Caulked boots, I've used the caulked Meindls on three hunts with good success. I use Sportiva boots alot, but am trying out some Crispi's this year too.
Don