Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Knee High Rubber Boots: Xtratuf vs Lacrosse vs others?

Was looking to get some knee high rubber boots for hunting. I know a lot of guides wear the Xtratufs and I beleive they are made in the U.S. In other parts of the country guys like Lacrosse but I've heard they have druability issues since moving production to China. Are Xtratufs good, durable boots? ANy other recommendations?

Might look at Muck boots. I've got a pair I've been wearing every weekend for the last 3 years. Usually go for a 2-3 mile hike every Sat. and Sun. rain or shine. I live in Oregon, so it's not as cold, but is plenty wet.
These boots seem to be holding up good.
Virgil B.

I wear the x-tra tuff's for moose hunting. Of course they don't breate but ya just live with it. The trick to wearing them all day is to get them big enough to put an insulated insert in the bottom (not the full size liner). Then put a good quality arch support on that. I use arch supports by Danner. You can wear them all day in relative comfort this way. Since we're in the bush for the entire moose season (about 3 weeks), take a tube of "Goop" with you. Should you get a hole in one, it'll repair it. That's what we do. Hope this helps. Later, Bear in Fairbanks

The nice things about X-tra tuffs, is they also come in an insulated model.

The felt insoles are a must!! I purchased a pair recently for may self at work. I had them in the office and everyone was making fun of the ugly boots until they put them on... now the everyone has a pair. the regular x-tra tuffs are not super warm, but nothing a havy pair of smart wool socks cant take care of. One nice thing is that they say soft and flexable when cold- the cheap $10 pr "barn boots become stiff and pinch when cold.

I've heard some good comments about Muck, but never really tried them.

I love my xtratuffs and wear them more than anything else, save my redwing romeos.

the bigger size trick sure works.. been doin' it for years... felt insole under a quality insole with arch support makes em' feel like sneakers and keep your feet warm.... i have lacrosses but haven't bought a pair in years.... have to many to wear out...

woofer

When

When you guys say bigger pairs....how much extra room in the toes is there? Doesn't it become uncomfortable to have a lot of extra room in the front of the boot?

I went to xtratuf's website and they have no online retailers and the nearest retailer to me is 150+ miles away.
Where do y'all buy your boots?

B and J commercial in Anchorage.

M

You can buy them online at Tongass Trading in Ketchikan. www.tongasstrading.com I buy mine at Murray Pacific (www.murraypacific.com/ketchikan), but their website is a little more complicated to order from.

Xtratufs are the real deal. Everything else is an imitation.

You can buy them with corks, too...

DN

I've got a set of the La Crosse Alpha Burly's - my first and last pair. It didn't take six months for the rubber coating to develop tears in the ankle and leak. I plan to pick up a set of Muck boots to replace them.

I've got a set of uninsulated Xtra Tuffs I wear on the boat. I've had them for four years, and they've seen hard use. They are still comfortable and water tight.

Sweeney's in Soldotna are selling "seconds" (I can't tell the difference! Maybe they are a little off-color, is all) for about $50/pr.

Ditto on the felt insoles and arch-supports.

Mike will likely ship you a pair at cost plus postage.

I have two pairs of Xtr-tuffs... one is from 1980 and the second is from 1994. Both are still perfect, no leaks, no rips and no tears... I have spent a lot of time in them!

I don't know how they'd perform in Alaska but I swear by my Muck boots for working in the nasty stuff around the farm. You don't need any extra insoles because the neoprene is really comfortable. The only pair I had that leaked was stepped on by a 700 lbs bull calf and the foot slid off and cut the boot (I've had it happen to leather boots too). I also haven't had any problem with them getting sucked off my feet either. They are plenty warm (probably too much in the summer).

I love my "Mucks" !

This is what I'm afraid of. $100 bucks for a pair of boots is a lot of money when they develop leaks within a year of use. I'm afraid of muck boots because they don't have full rubber protection like the Xtratufs

if you want wear Xtratuff seems to be more than just the name, you see a lot of old ones around.

Kind of like Toyota p/u's and Subie station wagons, they may not be pretty, but they last, pretty much the same can be said for Xtra tuffs ime.

Here in Alaska's SE rain forest it is XtraTuff all the way! You see people in Mucks and Lacross but they don't stay on their feet too long in more ways than one. step out of a boat onto a slick dock and tell me which works best. Nothing even comes CLOSE to the traction of a Tuff!

In re-reading, I was not clear- these are Xtra-tuff "seconds" Sweeney is selling. The pair I bought 4 or 5 years ago is doing fine...