Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire If Rocky boots fall apart, what's a durable long lasting boot?

Rocky boots suck and the only thing that sucks worse is their non customer service! GW

Hoffman's from Montana. Are what Schnee's used to be before the sold out. Also LL Bean boots are extremely durable and work well here in the south. They do lack the traction of a lugged boot, but down here Bean's work great. For a lightweight boot I like the Courteney Patrol but the are pricey.

What do you use them for? The type of use will determine a lot of impact. Like are they getting wet a lot, is the ground you travel rocky and broken or even, do you climb with them? Wet a lot and some types of materials and glues wear out much faster. Rocky ground may tear apart some sole materials that are better if on flat ground for comfort walking. Twisting and stress in certain areas may rip up some types of boots.

And last years good boots may be next years bust, since they may go to cheaper materials, lower other standards, etc.

I have Redwings, but I bought a few pairs back before theyhanged location they are made and types of materials.
I like my Kennetreks and I think that some sellers like Schnees do make an effort to get better stuff (not always but more often).

Meindls and Lowas have held up well for me.

If only I'd known that twenty years ago when I bought mine. I broke a lace last spring, I guess that must be the start of the falling apart, since otherwise they've been completely trouble free.

Whites of Spokane Wa. Worn by loggers and wildland firefighters. Unlike glued on vinyl and fabric, they can be rebuilt.

Been wearing USA-built Danner Elkhunters for 20 years in cool weather and they are bulletproof.

Russell's High Country Hunters also hold up, incredibly comfortable from the getgo and very quiet, with the right soles. Just spent 2 weeks wearing them daily for many miles - wouldn't trade them.

for work boots, nothing beats usa made thorogoods for comfort. i wore redwings through my apprenticeship, but never again will they get a dollar of my money

Huh? EPA regulations have been my profession for 25 years, and this one has gotten by me. Please cite the EPA rule that killed the US adhesive-soled boot industry industry.


Regarding Meindls, you may wish to check this thread out. Comfort they deliver, durability they do not.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/10269790/Re:_Meindl_Story_--_A_Sad_One.#Post10269790

My favorite boots over the last 10 years have been Red Wings. They last.

Oops, one industry at a time please.

The one truly bad pair of boots I have bought in the last 10-12 years was a pair of foreign made Danners. One of their cheesy versions, they leaked like a sieve and the stitching was weak.



Rubber on one pair of Schnees cracked after about 1.5 years but they warrantied them. I would expect 3-5 winters of steady use with a good batch of rubber before they should crack.


I have had good luck with Meindls and Zamberlan for hunting boots.


And Muck boots are great if you're not scaling mountain cliffs. Not as clammy(IMO) and 10x quicker to put on and off compared to Schnee's. And they cost about half as much.



All-time favorite work boot was the Red Wing 606, wore out 3 pairs working concrete. Couldn't bring myself to throw away the last pair and still wear them once inawhile.


Currently wearing out a pair of low heel Boulets.

This is my experience too.

yes. Mucks work great around here in this God awful gumbo mud.

Also HOFFMANS, loggers and outfitters, can be rebuilt, and are long lasting, well made. I also wear DANNERS AND VASQUE.

I have had a pair of Rocky's for over 20 years and love them. I only use them for hunting though. I also have a pair of Kenetrek 800's that I use for Elk hunting. One week a year for 12 years. No better in my mind. I would purchase either boots again. However, if money is not an issue, I would get Kenetrek's.

I've had rockies fall apart way back in the 90s... never bought another pair after that.

Carolyn has Danners, but only because she likes their feel, they last a few seasons and come apart...

You generally get what you pay for...

Red Wing Iron Rangers. Worn the hell outta them. Work hard in em. Got em on right now. Bought them in October of 2012. Currently need to polish them. Like them so much I have another new pair in back up.

It would have been helplful if the OP would have let us know what he is hunting, where and when.

For years I relied on Danner's Sierra boot for all my hunting except in extreme cold or wet conditions. They served me two-fold because I wore them while logging. When the outersoles begin to break down I would send them in to Danner for a complete retrofit, which involved more than just the outsoles. They replaced the gore-tex and thinsulate liners, too. The cost kept going up and up. The last time it cost me about $200.

I said screw that and searched for other options. Cabela's Rimrock Hiker is what I have been wearing the last 9 or 10 years. In deep snow I put on a pair of gaiters. I really don't miss the 200 gram Thinsulate insulation of the Danners. Gore-tex liners hold up well and ever so often spray the boots with Cabela's WaterProofer which does not harm the Gore-Tex. I like the Cabela's sole better than the Vibram kletterlift sole of the Danner.

Never owned their hunting boots but I have a pair of US made Kenetrek packs. They're the only pack boot I've ever worn that I could actually walk any distance in.
My understanding is that they're now made overseas. Good thing the pair I have will last my lifetime.


Not exactly what I call hunting boots because they suck in snow but one of my favorites for woods bumming and fishing is a pair of 8" Bean Boots. I have a pair that's gotta be 20 years old and they just keep getting better.

Got a pair I bought 20 years back and still wearing 'em!