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Originally Posted by smokepole
Originally Posted by Happy_Camper
Elk,

My favorite by far are the ones that I wore yesterday. They are one piece Italian leather and craftsmanship. Vibram Norwegian welt soles that go hundreds of miles with confidence soft enough to be grippy on rocks, yet supportive at any weight. I haven't hunted your area, but have been in wet woodlands, steep hills, bouldering, and all conditions...feel like a mountain goat. Comfortable Glove leather lined. 6" Tall and 3 sets of hook quick lace up and differential adjustments. . I've never seen better boots.
They usually go on hunts and hikes. They breath very well too compared to anything else I've worn in the weight category. That's probably because it doesn't cut corners with synthetics.
Just $300 ms. Not a bad price because they last far longer than my other boots. However many hundred miles later, the calf skin lining in the heel box is worn through, but just as comfortable as ever. We are expecting snow Sunday, so I will be wearing merino socks as insulation and a light coat of conditioner for water repellent/salt protection.
Alico one piece smooth grain Italian art.

Is the brand a secret? I think that was the question.

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Originally Posted by smokepole
Originally Posted by Happy_Camper
Elk,

My favorite by far are the ones that I wore yesterday. They are one piece Italian leather and craftsmanship. Vibram Norwegian welt soles that go hundreds of miles with confidence soft enough to be grippy on rocks, yet supportive at any weight. I haven't hunted your area, but have been in wet woodlands, steep hills, bouldering, and all conditions...feel like a mountain goat. Comfortable Glove leather lined. 6" Tall and 3 sets of hook quick lace up and differential adjustments. . I've never seen better boots.
They usually go on hunts and hikes. They breath very well too compared to anything else I've worn in the weight category. That's probably because it doesn't cut corners with synthetics.
Just $300 ms. Not a bad price because they last far longer than my other boots. However many hundred miles later, the calf skin lining in the heel box is worn through, but just as comfortable as ever. We are expecting snow Sunday, so I will be wearing merino socks as insulation and a light coat of conditioner for water repellent/salt protection.
Alico one piece smooth grain Italian art.


Is the brand a secret? I think that was the question.


I can't believe I read his drivel twice trying to find the brand name....

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Cut and paste from an online catalog but nothing compared to the whoppers he tells on the "Hunters Campfire."



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Originally Posted by The_Yetti
Originally Posted by smokepole
Originally Posted by Happy_Camper
Elk,

My favorite by far are the ones that I wore yesterday. They are one piece Italian leather and craftsmanship. Vibram Norwegian welt soles that go hundreds of miles with confidence soft enough to be grippy on rocks, yet supportive at any weight. I haven't hunted your area, but have been in wet woodlands, steep hills, bouldering, and all conditions...feel like a mountain goat. Comfortable Glove leather lined. 6" Tall and 3 sets of hook quick lace up and differential adjustments. . I've never seen better boots.
They usually go on hunts and hikes. They breath very well too compared to anything else I've worn in the weight category. That's probably because it doesn't cut corners with synthetics.
Just $300 ms. Not a bad price because they last far longer than my other boots. However many hundred miles later, the calf skin lining in the heel box is worn through, but just as comfortable as ever. We are expecting snow Sunday, so I will be wearing merino socks as insulation and a light coat of conditioner for water repellent/salt protection.
Alico one piece smooth grain Italian art.


Is the brand a secret? I think that was the question.


I can't believe I read his drivel twice trying to find the brand name....


Now that made me laugh --- as I read it twice looking for the name only to be annoyed twice ...

I will say those Meindls look good - any actual experience with them?

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Lowa GTX sheep hunters for me. They last without blowing seams out and grip rocks well but I found they need an insole. Even with a Dr. Scholls insole the balls of my feet were absolutely killing me last year after getting my ram out 8 miles one way, two trips. The insole lasted only about 40 miles total and were wore through. The brand new socks I had were also wore through on the ball, after the two days getting the ram out. That may or may not have been partly due to the internal part of the sole on the Lowas.

I plan to use the Lowas again this year but want a better insole.



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Last edited by Happy_Camper; 01/15/22.
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Off topic, but I'm curious what it costs to hunt Dall sheep twice today?

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Originally Posted by pointer
Best insoles I've used are those by Lathrop and Sons. I'd not be afraid to try their boots either. That said, Meindls fit my feet better than anything else I've tried.

Lathrop sold me hanwags custom fit years ago. Loved em. The soles fell off with only a weeks use a year etc.. IE Boots still great. No way to repair.

I see they sell their own now. My boss has em. Other than price says so far over all the boots he has tried they have been the best. And thats considering that any other boot has died in a season on the mountains generally speaking.

Thats not the answer but I'm with a few others. Fit is the most important with the exact socks you will wear. Thats because I assume I'll get only a year or two out of them basically as hard as we can run them at times.


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Originally Posted by elkrazy


I will say those Meindls look good - any actual experience with them?


I have only used the Cabelas version, but have done a couple trips in the Brooks with the perfekt and the Denali. The perfekt was insulated, has more of a walking sole, and no rand. Denalis were stiffer, shorter, lighter, uninsulated, with a full rand.

I agree with ND, that a less stiff sole is ideal there. That said, I would take the Denalis if going back, based on the lack of insulation and rand.

We hunted the brooks from the highway, which means a minimum 5 mile walk before you are legal to shoot. And that means a 5 mile minimum pack out with a ram. If you are flying in, you will likely be doing a lot less walking, so that's something to consider when weighing the advice here.

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Originally Posted by JD45
Off topic, but I'm curious what it costs to hunt Dall sheep twice today?



A good bit more than 2015 on his first trip. Back then in the Chugach that hunt cost $15K to the outftter.



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Alico or Peter Limmer. Next level custom fits & quality but might not be the aesthetic you prefer.

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Originally Posted by pointer
Best insoles I've used are those by Lathrop and Sons. I'd not be afraid to try their boots either. That said, Meindls fit my feet better than anything else I've tried.


My last pair of sheep boots were Lowa Tech Lite Hunters with the foot beds from Lathrop and Sons.
The footbeds were very comfortable and the only problem I had with them was absorbing water if you wind up with a few days of soaking wet boots. My last sheep hunt with them I wound up with soaked boots for days and the insoles turned into swollen up, soft gooey gel. And because the gel swelled up, it separated from the top fabric in some areas. Once they eventually dried out they reverted back to original size, but the separation from the top fabric was permanent.

Those boots were the best fitting, most comfortable, best performing mountain boots I’ve ever used. Expect for one thing. They were not great at keeping water out. I’m not sure if the gortex liners got damaged in the first year, but I wore those boots until there was nothing left of them. I used a pair of gortex socks to compensate for the leakage. The last couple years of use my sheep hunting partner kept asking me why I hadn’t thrown them away yet because of how worn out they were lol. But they were so close to perfection for my feet, I wasn’t ready to risk going back to something else.

I’ve hunted Stone sheep every year except for one since 2003 and what I’ve learned makes a perfect mountain boot for me is a combination of support, but still have agility. So I don’t like high top boots because they’re heavy, and too restrictive for long heavy pack hikes and have a lot less agility/mobility when climbing and dealing with rocks.
The Lowa Tech Lite Hunters had a minimalist design to save weight and add agility/mobility without sacrificing support and durability where needed. For example the souls were narrower than other brands I’ve used and really made a difference in the performance in rocks. Can’t get them anymore so my new pair last year is Kennetrek Hardscrabble. They could use a little narrower sole for my liking, but so far very happy with them.

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I will recommend the Meindl Denali. They have Vibram soles. While I haven't hunted sheep I am involved with both of my kids Scout Troop's and after several years wearing these boots I'm way into the hundreds of miles hiking either with a daypack or an Osprey 65L stuffed to the max. I've never had any boot problems.

These boots did take a couple of camping / hiking trips to break in. In all honesty the Vibram soles still look great! I know the soles aren't Meindl, but these soles may outlast the actual boot.

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A friend of mine hunted Stone sheep two years ago in Schnee's uninsulated Granite's and raves about them. He also has a pair of Divides, and convinced me to buy some. I'm taking them out on short hikes to break them in, but so far am liking them a lot.


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For those who rely entirely on a Gore Tex bootie in the boot--don't. Gore Tex ain't waterproof to begin with, and the bootie gets small tears easily. Leather boots should be waterproofed. I've been using NikWax wax for boots for years, and really like it. When I ordered my Schee's I noticed they recommend the NikWax too.


Casey

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Originally Posted by alpinecrick


For those who rely entirely on a Gore Tex bootie in the boot--don't. Gore Tex ain't waterproof to begin with, and the bootie gets small tears easily. Leather boots should be waterproofed. I've been using NikWax wax for boots for years, and really like it. When I ordered my Schee's I noticed they recommend the NikWax too.


Thanks for the tip about NikWax

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Another tip about nikwax is, if you wet your boots before you apply it, the leather absorbs it better.



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I've had good luck waterproofing/conditioning with Obenauf's. I've used Nikwax, but my experience is I had to reapply more frequently.

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There is a reason that people make sure that there is a rubber rand around their boots. Alico boots look ok but if you are side hilling in shale for miles which you are likely to do in the Brooks because you hunt off of summit ridge spires then they won't work as well for you. My feet like Zamerlans and Kennetreks but it takes a while for the Kennetreks mountain extremes to get broken in properly and then they are extremely comfortable. I probably have almost every brand except plastics and I probably should have gone that route. I have a pair of Lowa Tibet GT highs and I don't like them as much. I have two pairs of meindl Denalis type boot that are actually from Germany and there is a difference. I haven't tried Crispis but I saw of a lot of boot failure during last season albeit it was wetter than it has been in the past during the main part of the season. I do have a pair of Hanwag GT Alaskans and they are a good boot. Believe it or not the best boot for me is a Zamberlan GT Ibex low cut. They are amazing. I am interested in the Zamberlan Pro Mountain Tech. We will see how they match up.

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My hunt is booked for 2023; Brooks Range as well

I've been using Crispi Thor II's for the last couple of years here in Montana, decently stiff for a relatively light boot and very comfy for my feet- roomy toebox (my number 1 concern!), yet the midsole and heel firmly hold my feet with no slop. I put 500+ miles on them in a season, even some of those miles loaded with meat laugh I'm super impressed with the boot.

Evidently the Briskdal is made on the same last as the Thor, so I'm going to give those a go as I want an all leather boot

I agree with the above poster to glue/seal the rand right off the get go.

Good luck on your hunt!

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