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Have had 3 pairs of Vasques and never experienced ANY leakage in the wet of the Pacific Northwest.


Just put 50th mile on a pair of KEEN Targhee II Waterproof Mid boots.

Most comfortable fit and performance of my many boots. No toe jamming on steep descents.

Goretex forced Vasque to do it right many years ago.

Agreed on the Vasque's ability to repel water. No leakage ever and they have been tested under real life conditions including literally hiking in a shallow creek for miles due to steep canyon walls.

On the Keen Targhee II's, Thank you for relating your experience with these. I have not considered this brand before. I am needing something a bit heavier than the Vasques for rocks of which the entire time will be spent above treeline at 14,500 strictly in sharp and unstable rocks the whole time. Do you think the Keen Targhee III's would be an upgrade? I have a few months to make up my mind and want to get the options on the table before the next trip to Peru.

Am trying to remember why I chose the Targhee II over the III...seems like reviews indicated the III's were on a narrower last. Toe rubber on the III is slightly different.

Wore them on pavement, sand, trail, fallen timber, talus, rock, boulders and scree as well as snow. Feet stayed dry from the inside although am in the habit of changing socks midway on any appreciable hike distance. In the North Cascades wore them in around 2" of water and feet stayed dry. Worked well with hinged crampons for LIGHT duty on firm snow. Would recommend a much stiffer boot for step kicking earlier in the season and ANY front pointing application. Unless you are very experienced as a climber, I wouldn't recommend these as mountaineering boots.

Found that replacing the laces with extra long small diameter perlon (orange with reflective stripes/REI) was able to thread the lace through the nylon webbing on the back of the boot (not the pull loop), tie an overhand and come back to the front and tie a regular knot which gave even more rigidity and heel support.

The insoles are removable which allows you to swap insoles from other boots if desired and assists in daily interior drying.

Main benefit is that they are VERY light on the feet and VERY comfortable and durable as an *approach* or "trekking" boot.

**KEEN** recommends that you select a half or full size LARGER than your regular size as these run a bit small. Good advice.

Errata re boots: (aka ramblings of a backpacking codger re boots from 1958 till now)

Serious boots need the intersection of fit and quality. Gotta have both, no matter how well it fits nor how well built it is.

During my odyssey I wore out a pair of Vasque Sundowners, (maybe 20 ?) years ago, so this is dated material. At that time they were all leather, quite comfortable, light weight, and what I'd call a good medium trail hiking and packing boot. The sole and body were too soft for serious off trail hiking or climbing, for me anyway. I was doing a lot of group backpacking on trails at the time, and they were good for that. When the foot bed cracked all the way though and across, I went to boot cobbler Dave Page in Seattle and Dave told me that their construction at that time did not allow replacing the damage to my boot. To his credit, Dave flat out refused to name any boot or boot company as better or worse, and he stayed absolutely neutral when I asked.

Salewa has apparently discontinued the Rapace model I like so well. That is normal in my lifetime. 40 years ago I was learning this and so when I bought a superb pair of almost seamless leather lightweight Merrills, after a week or two of use I ought another pair and stored them till the first pair wore out. I should have bought half a dozen (!) though I've had better boots since, including my current Salewa Rapace. I considered buying a second pair of Rapace right way, but at my age and health, these may outlast my life.

If you find a boot that is excellent for you... Ditto for other excellent gear.

Excellent boots that fit my foot and my use over the years have included One Sport Moraine, a boot used on Everest a lot at the time and rated the best in 1997 by Backpacker magazine. That company became Montrail and I have not followed them.

A number of folks on this forum are knowledgeable and put boots to tougher use than 98% of purchasers. Mountain goats usually call for a different boot than most pheasant or whitetail hunting. Both are legit, not better nor worse, but quite different. Also, for the Peru man, nobody wants a boot or gear repair when we are miles away from roads. IMO err on overkill, over strength, over quality. We need to filter reviews and recommendations though our use and the use the reviewer put the boot through.

As a crusty old Canadian wolfer growled to me about popular hiking boots, “They are good for strolling the sidewalks in Banff.”

Good advice! I bought a second pair of Meindl Denali's a while back for exactly that reason. They don't actually fit me all that great, but I'm used to them.

I have used several brands over the years, but for the last three, I have been running the Hanwag Alaska GTX. I hunt big game all over the west and Alaska, plus I put a lot of extra miles on the boots from December to February chasing big running pointers in the basalt and limestone after chukar. The Hanwag rands really do well in the nasty, sharp, rocky stuff. I liked them well enough that I just bought a new pair to rotate with the older pair. I will take both to the Brooks Range in two weeks.

+1 still my favorite hunting and hiking boot!

I see the Hanwag is a B/C class boot. Just wondering if it has some flex for flat ground walking? Does it fit with a narrow heel box? They look a little clumsy, but must not be.

I have been using a pair of hanwags for about the last 6 years. I spend a lot of time in the bob marshall and Frank church wilderness hunting. Steep and Rocky to say the least. These boots have held up exceptionally well. I spent 5 days in 6" of wet slushy snow a couple of years ago hunting a big deer. Never had wet feet. The soles are a little stiffer than I like and when the ground is completely frozen in the winter, the hard soles are slick. Softer ones grab better. My knees used to get sore after steep climbing for a few days. After switching to the hanwags, I have not had a problem anymore. I have been impressed by now well these boots have held up.

Always wanted a pair of Hanwags, but they never raised a Bavarian cow just quite big enough to make me a pair.

Thanks for the report. I'll be giving them a look.

No, the Hanwag Alaskans are very stiff, which I prefer in very steep country, especially when carrying a heavy load. I would not use them for hunting flat country. They are a fairly narrow boot, unless you buy the wide version.

This is moderate bird country where I live.

Chet,

That looks like Kilimanjaro at 13,000 feet.

Except the dog. There were no bird dogs...

That's a bummer. Everything is better with a GSP.

Have really tried to like a lot of different brands of boots, but having a wide foot most just didn’t fit. Nirvana for me is Meindl, Oboz and Irish Setter.

I have a wide foot across my toes narrow in the heal. Oboz are not bad but they are not rugged or built to last.

I don't do real well with "real boots." I have some heel issues such that I need ankle flex, not stiffness, so that my ankle can bend to conform to the slope, otherwise it puts all the pressure on a small area on my heel, the skin comes off, and I'm done for a week or two while I heal up.

The best boots I ever owned were a pair of Danners a friend picked up for me on a military base. They look like an uninsulated Ft Lewis but I think they were 8", not 10", high. They were flexible enough to meet my traction needs and were the first boots I ever owned, other than cut-down hip waders, that kept my feet dry. They're long dead.

Mostly I hunt in low tops. Guess I'm lucky, I don't need ankle support. I've played with a lot of options. Mostly I keep coming back to Merrell MOABs of various configuration. I use the low top Ventilators most .. either hot weather or dry cold. 'til recently I grudgingly pulled out a newer pair of Danners if I had to deal with wet conditions. They didn't fit real well, didn't flex real well, were too tight at the ankles and restricted circulation so I got cold feet despite the insulation, blah blah blah. (If I sound not-impressed, you heard correctly.) I picked up 2 pairs of mid height Merrells late last winter, one was the MOAB waterproof, the other was the Phaserbound waterproof. The jury is still out but both seem to do ok-ish. They wouldn't handle deep water of course, but combined with knee height waterproof gaiters lashed down, they seem to do real well with shin-high wet brush, soggy snow, and the like .. for me, anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in the later part of hunting season after the rains and maybe some snow arrives this year.

I saw some good advice up-thread: if you find something that works, grab another pair or two before they're discontinued or changed.

Tom

My next boots will be from either Meindl or Lathrop and Sons. Since Cabelas dropped them, I'm glad to see some other guys in Sydney, NE carrying them.

https://meindlusa.com/

Though I very well may get the Meindls from Hoffman Boots. Their house branded Explorer looks good as well.

https://hoffmanboots.com/hoffmanmeindl-boots

I'm currently in Lowas but feel they are getting pretty beat up for the amount I've been using them so was thinking of trying Scarpas or Crispi next time. Strange that no one else has mentioned Scarpa yet? Also, I thought the Crispi fit narrower but what I am reading here contradicts that?