I've heard many times over the last few years that the "real" meindl boots are "so much better" than the Cabela's meindls. Cabela's has a contract with Meindl, so they're the only ones who can sell Meindl boots here in the states. I've owned the cabela's version, and I've had nothing but success with them. I've done some research and tried to figure out the difference, but I'll be durned if I can find it.
The ones that keep saying that the cabela's meindls are a lower quality boot are typically those that are selling a competitor. I've asked several of them (lathrop and sons, AJ Brooks) to tell me what corners were cut, and I haven't gotten a straight answer yet. I did hear "it's a price point boot" and "they use lower quality materials", but nobody seems to know where those corners are or what lower quality materials were used.
From what I can see, the cabela's version features the same nubuck leather, goretex lining, vibram sole, lacing system, nylon shank, PU/EVA midsole, air active footbed and rubber rand.
If anybody here knows, I'd love to know the difference. I've only seen pictures of the non-US version, but the only difference I can see is that the collar is lined with leather instead of cloth.
Is there anything else I'm missing that would justify the price difference?
