Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Yet another boot question

I use a pair of Wolverine boots I got for half price at Bass Pro Shops in 2008. Leather and nylon with 200 or 400 gm Thinsulae (can't remember exactly). They have a bob sole. Have used them in 2010 and 2011 plus wearing around town...very comfortable boots. I have also worn Wolverine steel toe boots at work and was very impressed by them.

danner is a totally different boot fit than meindls. meindl is sized more european and the lasts as such are different than most any other boot I have tried. for me the heel area on the meindls is way too big. I tried out the hiker model on a 50 mile backpack trip. I just never was happy with the heel fit. my favorite danners are the discontinued frontier model that boot fits my feet really well. however if you want a large toe box the danner pronghorn has a ton and for me the toe area is kinda too big. you might really like those if your heel doesn't do well in meindls. otherwise if you get your heel to fit meindls are great boots especially over rocks and with a load on your back.

scheels had some crispi boots that I really liked but at the time last fall they wanted $400 for them last I looked they were marked down to $250. they are the best fitting boot I have ever tried on in a store. I don't see why you would go with more than 400 grain insulation in a general hunting boot. I use my 400g boots in the snow and in very cold temperatures and do just fine. I would suggest useing a good pair of wool socks and matching your sock thickness to the temps you plan to hunt in. light early fall or heavy wool cold and snow.

Check out Crispi Boots. The model I bought is called the "Wild".

I've owned a lot of boots over the years, but these are my all time favorites.

donsm70

Meindl Perfekt. Still going strong for over 6 years of 365 days a year wear.

Made in Germany.

Well, I got a pair of Meindle's for Christmas and we are going to give them a try. Lots of toe room and an interesting heal. Seems like they will be easy to slip on even when semi-frozen in the morning - damn I hate that. They are ridiculously tall boots but snow won't be sliding down them that way. Seem like a good boot, now time will tell. I'm drawing an elk tag in WY this year.

I'm another Kenetrek fan. I have a pair of Mountain Extremes that performed well on a recent elk hunt in CO. But, I will caution that they do require break-in before serious use. The manufacturer suggests 50 miles. I had about 35 or so miles on mine before a CO elk hunt and wish I would have had time for more. I did get a small blister on one foot but, the boots are COMFORTABLE, warm, and waterproof and provide excellent support. I'm not about to let a blister get in the way of a fine hunting boot. I've got some time to finish the break-in before an upcoming New Mexico elk hunting trip planned for later this year.

I like Danner Canadians. I am on my second pair and wore out another pair from Cabelas that were the same boot. I use them for everything except ice fishing and stand hunting when Schnees pacs get the nod.

Well, I took my Meindle's out for a spin today. They work well. My toes got a bit cold after an hour in 20F weather. I guess I just have cold feet. But there is room for better socks too. Otherwise, they are perfect for just about everything I put them to, though a bit twisty on steep side slopes along a river cut bank. I like 'em.

This guy wasn't so crazy about them however

I've tried lots of boots and keep coming back to Danners. I usually go over to the factory store, which is right near the Portland airport, and look at the seconds before paying the big bucks for the first runs.
It seems they change their line up every year, but I can usually find a good pair that fit my feet well. The ones I bought this year are the canadians and I like them a lot, but didn't put a lot of miles on them as my other Danners still have several years' worth of life left in them.

A couple things I like about the Danners is they don't need to be broken in and they are as warm as you buy them- if I want boots with no insulation or lots of insulation you can buy them that way.
The drawback to Danners is that with the waterproof Goretex bootie, you need to wear the socks you are going to use on your hunt to try them on or they may not fit. The bootie never stretches out and if you wear lighter socks on your hunt, you will slip around in them. If you wear heavier socks on your hunt you risk cutting off your circulation which can cause cold feet and much worse- don't ask me how I found this out. Luckily, the 10D's fit my feet perfectly and I can walk many miles in them any day and never feel uncomfortable (at least due to my boots).

Bob

Hey Brent, I also just got some Meindl boots. I blew out my other boots deer hunting, half way thru a 6 mile hike. Luckily I had a pair of Meindl hiking shoes with me. After I bought the hiking shoes, I have not put my tennis shoes back on. Most comfortable shoes I have worn. Same goes for the hunting boots.

I did not have time before my elk hunt to buy boots and get them "ready" so I was leery about buying new boots and taking them right out into the field.

I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they were. I tried them on at the store, but you just never know what they are going to "feel" like while hiking up and down canyons/rocks.

I did not have to break them in at all. They were quiet on the rocks, flexible and I didn't feel all the sharp rocks poking the bottoms of my feet. I hope they last a few years and if they do, I will be buying another pair when they wear out.

I think the pair I have, have 400 mg thinsulate. Not super insulated, but enough for the freezing temps I had while hunting and my feet never got cold, and should be good enough for the warm weather hunting here in AZ.

Hope yours are as comfortable as mine.

Mainly I wear two different brands. For easy contry not to much sidehill, my ASOLO 535's with Gortex for water resistent. For the heavy stuff, rocks and steep sidehills, I use the La Sportiva Glacier, also water resistent. I say resistent because I sometimes hunt the rain forest in Western Wa. This year 7 inches of rain in 10 days. Nothing other that rubber will stay totally dry in those conditions. I am on my second pair of the La Sportiva's and 3rd pair of the 535's. I hunt and hike in them 70+ days a year.

Two summers ago I dropped the hammer on a pair of Meindl Vakuum (memory foam) boots, and wish I hadn't. I have a D width foot, and they fit too tight in the toe. Funny, they felt fine at first, but seemed to tighten up considerably once broken in.

Then this summer, I went for a pair of Lowa Hunter GTX Extremes, and can't say enough good things about them. They fit like a glove, and was pleasantly surprised when they kept my feet totally warm on a 10-day hunt in northern B.C. this past Oct. 19-29 when the temperature ranged between -4*C to -12*C for the duration of the hunt.

I'll second these as very good boots for the money. With good socks I can wear them sitting still for hours in temps as low as the 20s and be comfortable. I get cold feet very easily. For temps lower than that I plan on buying a set of Schnees.

If you look, you'll notice a lot of those boots are Danners and similar from military contracts. Great boots and a terrific price for boots of that quality.
New, those boots are over $200 from Danner.

Bob

I bought a new pair of kenetrek mountain extremes a couple months ago. I will reiterate about the break in. I went on a few walks with mine to "break them in" but they weren't ready by the time I went hunting. I did about 1300 vertical feet and about 4 miles total (with some snow) the first day and by the end of the day the back of my heels were killing me. I went the next weekend and did the same thing and they were much better. Then the next weekend I went again and the boots were good to go.

I have a really bad ankle so the 10 inches of support is greatly appreciated. I would highly recommend the boots, just make sure you take the time to break them in ESPECIALLY if you are planning a > 1 day trip.

This is what I like about the Meindl Perfekt boots. It only applies to this model. I went for a long hike with mine the first day i got them. No breakin was needed.


"When German master boot maker Alfons Meindl finished this series of boots for us, he had one word to describe it � "Perfekt". In fact, they�re built so well, they�re recommended by the American Podiatric Medical Association for their foot-friendly construction."

Brent, what model did you end up with?

I have 2 pair of Meindls - the Perfekt Hunter (400gr) and Denali w/fit IQ (uninsulated). If these ever wear out I'll be looking to get the same ones.

I ended up with these ultralights with 400 gr, though the Perfekts sure look good too.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-400-Gram-Ultralight-Hunter-Boots-by-Meindl/1394676.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DMeindl%2Bultralight%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=Meindl+ultralight&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

How about a WIDE WIDTH boot. I tried on the PERFECT BOOT made by Miendel for Cabelas...it fit me terrible!!

Brent - tell us about the smokepole in this picture, it looks interesting - what make(r), caliber, length, etc