Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting How to avoid boots with glued on soles?

Whites of Spokane Wa. Lug soles are glued, stitched, and have several screws through them as well. They are not featherweight yuppie slippers, one can have them custom made, and one can have them rebuilt.

I’m breaking in a pair of these.

https://www.zamberlanusa.com/produc...egian-welt-hiking-boots-waxed-dark-brown

BUY Made in USA .

I like the leather alicos, but not great in every day wet conditions . Have to treat often. I like the scarpas and have a wide foot.

Agreed. I've had a pair for about 9 years now. Only used for hunting, mostly northeast whitetails and western pronghorn/mulies. Preseason, I clean em up and apply a good coat of SnoSeal and they're good to go all season. Tough, comfortable and dry.

Red Wing here.

Seam Grip

I like Hanwags, Lathrop & Sons, White’s and USA made Danners. Never an issue with soles on these.

I have a really nice pair of Lowas that I hadn't worn for a couple of years, but were at the time in great shape. Last summer about 10 miles into a back-country hike in Denali, both outsoles came almost completely off. The glue just gave away. Taped them up and made it out. The Lowa rep said the boots were at least 10 years old, meaning my boots had sat on a shelf somewhere for a couple of years before I bought them. Apparently, the glue degrades over time regardless of use. They recommend replacing boots every 5 - 7 years (of course they want to sell boots). Lowa rebuilt them for me at moderate cost, and now they are good as new.

A couple of lessons learned: Use "fresh" boots for serious hikes, and buy from places that turn a lot of inventory to get a better chance at recent production. If you have a few pairs of boots around, rotate them as they are NOT going to get better with age.

Check out Limmer boots. One can get boots custom fitted & hand made in New Hampshire or the essentially the same boot made in Germany, but not custom fitted. Extremely high quality either way.

I've been through Meindl, Kennetrek, Danner, Asolo, Lowa and a few others. The soles don't just fall off the good ones- at least not in the first couple of years. I rarely have a boot last me more than 2 seasons so I have no experience with the getting 'old'.

shoe goop for the win.

Boots have problems with glued soles but I have had more trouble with the stitching on boots. I have wore out several makers of brand named boots in 9 days Pheasant hunting. Yes when I Pheasant hunt I walk through the grass not down the little game trails, even with a Dog he will not find all the birds because the wind is not always be in his face.
You will just put up more birds if you bust through the cover. Praire Grass cut the thread on boots if it's poorly designed.
I have found Pheasant hunting to be harder on my foot wear than Elk hunting or Antelope or Mule Deer and Caribou and Bear hunting.
So while I'm not a huge fan of glued on soles there are bad designs in stitching up a boot.
Currently I am hunting in Meindl hikers and Boots when my hikers were out I want to try a different brand because yes after about 2-3 years my hikers the soles start to come unglued, and I want to see if there is something better.

Had the same experience last October on an elk hunt in New Mexico with my Lowa’s. They were not worn hard.

I no longer have to walk but about a mile or so
to get to where I hunt, so I don't need expensive
specialized footwear. I wait until after Christmas
when all the hunting gear gets put on clearance
and I buy all the cheap boots in my size that I
can afford. If they make it a season or even two
and they start coming apart, I call it good and
toss 'em and drag out another new pair.

I've had some fairly expensive boots come
apart out in the sticks because of soles
splitting, seams splitting, stitching coming
undone, etc.
Too much to write about

#


But aware Some goodyear/storm welted footwear
can still have only cemented outsoles.

ie; Goodyear welt product claims may only be stitching
together leather upper, insole, welt and midsole.
https://youtu.be/1YBUZjjHF-k

Zamberlain [and others] are an example.
Zamberlain also do a Norweigan-welt boot,
looks impressive with its double-row stitch
but the outsole is only cemented.

Personally I like the storm-welt for outdoor boots
and even casual shoes.