Headin to CO this fall I'm looking for new boots I was sold on danners but I'm not reading very good reviews on the new pronghorns I am reading good things about setters any real world opinions would be great most of my hunting will be walking never been out west so I don't know whwt to exspect thanks Ron

Don't know about those but for rifle seasons I typically run Schnees with good luck. For early archery, I may use goretex trail runners or at most light hikers. Which season are you doing?

Cause they're made in China now.

I have a 8 year old pair of irish setter elk trakers and I like them better in the mountains than danners

I have not had any recent experience with the danners since i left the military but do use some Irish Setters Elk trackers. They have lasted me 5+ years without a problem. But i do not know if they still make that model of boot anymore.

I've got a couple different Irish Setter boots and love them. Very solid shank and sole. Just what I want in rough country.

I vote for Setters. I have done a few months in the mountains. Only I found better than Setters in Russell Moccasin HCH (expensive).

I'm going out during 2nd rifle season I'm thinking that temps shouldn't b really cold then thanks ron

This past year in 2nd season I took a pair of the old style Pronghorns and a cheap set of Wolverines that I bought to wear around the farm when it was muddy/snowing. Ended up wearing the Wolverines more than the Danners, nowhere near as well built but they were a lot more comfortable.

Good luck.

Danners for me, but just pick a boot that feels good to you...that's all that matters.

In decent ground I wear a pair of ASOLO with Gortex lining, in really tough and steep I use Scarpa or La Sportiva mountain boots.

I like these, plus they are made in the US

http://www.cabelas.com/mens-insulated-hunting-boots-cabelas-8-elk-hunter-8482-400-gram-boot.shtml

I've got some Danner Pronghorns (1st gen) w/ 400 grams thinsulate and they're AWESOME. A buddy bought some Irish Setters (don't remember the model) and they SUCKED... fell apart quickly.

I like those that 338rcm cited above... if I were to upgrade I'd do those or the Meindels made for Cabelas.

I like the USA made Danners for hunting "out West" but my only pair of Irish Setters are an upland boot.


ddj

Kind of depends on what you're going to be hunting in Colorado. Danner has some good boots for extreme hunting conditions and Merrell makes very good hunting boots and, Kenetrek boots are some of the best. Personally, I wear Wolverine boots when doing extreme hunting in the contiguous states.

338RCM, That just cost me a few bucks. The made in USA pushed me over and a pair of 14s are heading my way now. Thanks

I'd suggest most of your hunting should be glassing. I'd suggest that as always there are some Irish Setters better than some Danner and some Danner better than some Irish Setters. I'd say it really doesn't matter for walking and it may matter for freighting in rough terrain. My suggestion is buy what appeals to you and go hunting then either buy another pair because you liked the first pair or buy a different boot because you didn't.

I'd say I use a pair of Irish Setters more than my Danners for woods loafing - but I've got two pair of Danner made in America that I might choose for rougher use where I may not know where I'm sleeping that night and for freighting heavy loads either packing in or out with the traditional Goodyear welt stitched down and a couple pair of imported tennis shoe Danners I bought on sale that are fine but wouldn't stand up and can't be refurbished.

Trying to cinvince my wife I need to get a pair of these too. She says I have more hunting boots than she has dress shoes.


LOL!!!

I've used Danners in the mountains before, and didn't care for the lack of support in the particular model I had. I also use my hunting boots while backpacking, and those Danners were good boots, but not backpacking boots. I don't know the model I used, and I looked at their website and they don't make it any more. It was not like a backpacking boot, more like an upland boot.

I have Lowa Rangers right now, but they were pricey. They are also very stiff, so good in the support dept, but not very cushy. However, I have yet to have a boot that resulted in happy feet after hiking 10 or 15 miles.

I've heard good reports about Hanwag and Meindl also.

For cold weather, Schnee's pack boots are the best I have used.

I'm also active duty and wear a pair of Danners every day. For that use the Danners have been great.

Have not seen a Irish setter mountain boot in a very long time. Where are they made?

30338,

I've got the 8" uninsulated version - great boots. I like the bob sole - pretty quiet if your doing your part. And great foot and ankle support with the lace to the toes feature.

Get some Sno-Seal and coat them up and then set them out in the sun (less labor intensive than a hair-dryer). Repeat 2 or 3 times more times and you're good to go.

JohnDog

This applies to all boots, but one thing to check before even trying them on is the insoles. This is my #1 annoyance with just about every boot made these days from $50-$500 they almost all come with thin junk insoles.

On the face it seems like no big deal, you go spend $20-40 for a good insole, but it's a double whammy. In most of these boots the included insoles are very thin with no support, cushion, or heel pocket. So the boots have a lot more volume than they will once you replace the insole with something of quality. So not only does the factory insole suck, but you have to keep replacing it with another crappy thin insole in order for the boot to still fit properly, or deal with a boot that is now too tight front of the foot, and possibly too tall in the heel changing how your heel fits into the boots heel pocket. Plus, it's actually hard to find replacement thin insoles.

That's the real problem, boot companies design the fit/cut/width of their boots for those thin crappy insoles so when you replace them with something of quality, you've completely changed the fit of the boot both in the volume and heel position.

I learned this the hard way with a pair of Meindl Alaskan boots, great boots but the factory "air" insole is worthless. If it's not bad enough that a $300+ boot comes with a $0.25 insole, once I put a real insole in them that had support and cushion it took up way too much room in the boot so the boot was not wide enough up front, and it lifted my heel enough that heel blisters resulted. Only option was to continue using crappy thin insoles with poor cushion and support.

I understand companies do it to save money, but at least put a cheap insole in there that has some thickness to it so that when you replace it the volume and foot position stays approximately the same. Frankly companies like meindl, lowa, scarpa etc. should be ASHAMED they are putting these insoles in boots costing hundreds of dollars. Add $15 to the price of the boot and include a good insole to begin with! A good insole can take a mediocre boot and turn it into a great all day boot, you'd think companies would want that for their customers.

In fact I've had high end lowa, la sportiva, meindl, danner, merrell, scarpa, etc. boots and the only pair so far that came with an insole thick enough so it was similar fit to a good replacement insole was my Danner combat hikers. It was still not a good supportive insole but at least it was similar in size so the boot fit the same when it was replaced.

Take along a good cushion/support insole with you when trying on hunting/hiking boots along with a good pair of medium cushion socks, or whatever sock you plan to wear. Even if it's just a cheaper insole that's 3/16" thick or so to mimic what a quality superfeet, sorbothane, sol, etc. insole will. You'll also be amazed what a good supporting insole can do for the support and hiking stability of a hunting pac boot like the Schnee's as well.

Don't be surprised if once you start putting a good insole in boots before trying them on that they don't have enough room in them, in most boots with a good insole even normal width feet have to go to a wide size.

The best procedure I've found when trying boots on is this. First take the insoles out then put your bare feet in them without socks on. This really lets you feel how the last or flat base of the boot fits the shape of your feet because the insole can mask how the shape of the boot last really fits your foot. Then put the insole in and do it again. It's so much easier to tell if it's going to rub your toes, too narrow, not enough/too much arch, heel way too big not big enough or a heel pocket that doesn't fit without the sock on especially a thicker hiking sock. Then do the same thing with your hiking socks on, see if any areas got too tight when you added the sock. A good general rule is if you slide your sock foot all the way forward in the boot unlaced you should just get your index finger between your heel and the heel pocket of the boot. If that all still feels good lace them up and wander around for 10-15 minutes in them, stairs or an incline board will tell you very quickly if they are going to give you heel blisters, but just walking on flat ground will tell you almost nothing about blister issues. Then kick the toe into the floor repeatedly to see if you can make your toes hit the front of the boots at all, which you don't want as you'll end up with black and blue toenails on long downhill sections especially with a pack on. It's also not a bad idea if you are going to be carrying a heavy pack to simulate that, the extra weight will flatten your foot out making it longer than without a pack on, especially if you have high arches. If they pass all that you are doing really well and the rest you won't find out till you get a lot of miles on them. Many boots won't make it past the bare foot test right off. It's a lot of work, but boots are too expensive these days to go buying them without doing as much as you can to ensure they really fit well.

The above might sound like a rant and too much work, but I have notoriously hard to fit feet (wide front foot and narrow heel) and I've gone through a ridiculous amount of boots to find a couple that fit well, but the above now lets me eliminate 90% that won't right off the bat.

As an aside if you have a boot that fits well but just gives you heel blisters take a look at the Engo patches, they are similar to a teflon like sticker that adheres to the heel of your boot allowing your heel to slip without blister causing friction. I've used them in a couple boots I liked but could never remedy heel blisters with by any other means. The only downside to them is once you use them you have to keep using them, you can't remove them without leaving sticky residue on the inside of the boot, for me they last about a year of frequent hiking and are pretty cheap. They've saved a couple pairs of boots from being worthless for me in the past, but I think of them kind of a last resort.

John, Sounds good. I'll coat them up when they come in.

Todd, Interesting points on the insoles. I think I have probably pounded my Schnees inserts into oblivion and will replace those. The Schnees have the volume in them to allow me to do that with no worries. I'll be interested to see what the Cabelas show up with for inserts.

Boots are an individual thing of course. That being said, I have never seen a Danner boot that felt or held up as well as my Irish Setter 869's...ever. I used to love Schenes but the "LL Bean" style boot, while rugged, is just plain not comfortable at all and heavy as lead. And it is an ordeal to get on and off too.

They both will leak eventually but the Danners take longer. When doing a lot of late season hunting I use two sets of boots and a good boot dryer. Danner boots like the Rain Forest have a stitch down sole that will last longer as far as water proofing goes but what I have learned is that you are going to get wet it is just how fast you can dry out that is the issue.

I have had decent luck with a pair of the Irish Setters (#878). They were really good until their third year, this fall, when they started to leak after two days of rain and wet grass. I like the fit and support. And they have held up well other than the leaking. I used them in archery season in Colorado.

I've got a pair of Irish setter's {forget the model but it had "whitetail" in the name} and a pair of Danner pronghorns right now. The Irish setters have been far superior in every way. Both have been worn for about 5 seasons now. The Pronghorns haven't been waterproof since the middle of the second season. The Irish Setters still are, plus they've always been more comfortable. The bob sole on the Setters provide far better traction than the hard compound soles on the Pronghorns too. You have to be careful about stepping on wet rocks or logs with those damned Pronghorns or you'll break your neck. About the best thing I can say about the Pronghorns is that they're lighter than the Setters.

Of the Danners, get those made in USA. They are the ones significantly higher priced, rebuildable. I like the Danner Hood Winter Lights and Canadians.

Here's a link to the Canadians. They are well made, good support, feel great on my feet.

http://www.danner.com/canadiantm-600g-hunting-boots.html?gclid=CPerrqfPlq4CFQNeTAodsVBJhQ

toddm

That is some of the best boot fitting advice I have ever seen written! Guys reading this should take heed. There is real experience talking here. The insole thing is very real and sure can affect fit a lot. I have inserts, so have to try anything on with those. They are not paper thin and the fit sure does change with those in the boot.

Toddm - what boots are you wearing now? I am desperate to find some wide-friendly boots, and am almost barefoot because what I have now are disintegrating. Need both light duty hikers and hard duty elk country boots, but prefer not too high 7-8" height due to calf size. Any recommendations?

Thanks

I bought a pair of Elk trackers this past year in 600mg, wore them Deer season. Liked them so much I bought a second set in 1000mg for Elk season. Elk to Antelope these are far the best boots i have used.

Since Ron is my buddy I'll ask this question coupled with this one. How much insulation do you really need? We will be covering a lot of ground, hills and mountains. Just making sure we don't buy super HOT boots and pay the price later.

Thanks

I have both Irish setter and danners,I just got a pair of the Cabelas lightweight hunters by Meindl they are by far the most comfy lightweight boots I have ever had on my feet !! even better than my Hanwag hikers !

My Redwing (Redwing - the maker of IrishSetters) boots are falling apart and their customer service guy "Matt" told me I should just buy a new pair.
I paid twice as much to buy the American Made redwings and would have been much happier with two pair of imported boots for the same price. That said I am rather happy with my Danner boots, they're military style/type boots.

I've had several pairs of both Irish Setter and Danners, so I'd have to say neither. Meindl or Lowa is what I wear now; threw the Irish Setters and Danners out after the first trip in the Meindls and Lowas and haven't ever regretted it. In fact, I just keep liking them better. Wore the Meindls ice fishing a couple weeks ago in single digit weather, as we had about a mile and a half walk on the ice to the fishing spot. I took a pair of pack boots to change into, but never did - my feet didn't get cold on the ice all day, and they were the Meindl Alaska Hunters with only 200 grams of insulation. They're even quiet enough to stalk in while archery elk hunting.

I used Danners for work and the soles are so soft they wore down quickly from walking around which I didn't do a whole lot of, you can send them back to Danner to replace the soles but at the cost of it I was not impressed and wasn't planning on buying Danners again.

The Danner Bob tread pattern does wear very quickly in rocky terrain, but is superb traction and very quiet.

The more traditional Vibram pattern, such as that found on the Danner Hood Winter Light, is really tough and I've yet to wear out the soles in the western chukar canyon country.

I'm sold on the Irish Setter Elk Trackers w/ 200 grams of thinsulate. They are never too hot and if I need more insulation, I usually have a couple of pairs of socks in my day pack. The Elk Trackers open up nicely for the additional bulky socks, so my feet don't get cramped.

Danners on the other hand, have just never fit me well and didn't feel go with extra bulky socks, but I haven't bought any of then in at least 10 years and probably won't be in the market for boots again for another 10.

My vote is for Danner. I currently own 2 pairs. A pair of Danner Light II for everyday wear/light hiking and a pair of Hood Winter Light for hunting. Used the Danner Light II for turkey, elk and birds this year and they held up really well. Bought the Hood's when I realized some extra insulation would be nice.

They are hands down the most comfortable shoes I have worn ever. At 6'2" and 250 I usually have the midsoles of lesser boots compacted within 6 months of wear which makes for very sore feet after any amount of walking. The Danner's are still going strong a year later.

The vibram soles are a bit soft and asphalt will wear them down faster than dirt but that is a true with most boots. If you want harder soles look at thier work boots. Same cost but harder soles and more abrasion resistant leather. Just be warned that in cold temps those harder soles will give you less traction as the rubber tends to get rather hard.

Whatever route you go make sure you get a good brand of leather conditioner (I use the Danner stuff) to aid break-in and keep the leather from cracking. Putting $300 towards quality boots is really stupid if you aren't going to take proper care of them.

The Danners (U.S. made) have always fit for me, and I'm lazy and wear only one sock (per foot of course).

Here is what I use to keep them going:

https://www.obenaufs.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=33

i have a pair of danners that are three mounths old and the sole is coming off second pair in two years so im really starting to hate them

Made where? Recommend call to Danner customer service, they will bend over backwards to help, in my experience.

I've never worn danners or Irish setters but I did a lot of research on boots prior to buying. I eneded up going with Lowas. I've never worn a more comfortable boot ever. My last elk hunt was in a wilderness area that involved 7 miles of hiking a day, some of it moderately steep. They were very supportive of my ankles. I couldn't recommend them more. I've worn them second season Colorado and they were warm enough, and gore-tex lined. The only issue I had was sweating in them... and getting them dry by the next AM. For this reason I had a second pair of boots as a back-up for those AM's when they weren't quite dry.

Irish setters for me - last I really needed them, I was handing my warmers out to the danner and kenetrek crowd all day while my feet were dry and warm - and blister free after a full week of climbing around the Bitteroots.

Ive seen an increasing amount of complaints with Danners. (Especially ProngHorns) I have 2 sets of Irish Setters. Very rugged, comfortable, dry and warm. Get some good merino wool socks, too. Great boots and chitty socks are pointless!

Been wearing Elk Irish Setter Trackers for a long time. I usually get 5 or 6 years, then re-sole. One Hell of a boot for the money. mtmuley

Don't know about the new Danners, but I have two pairs (insulated and uninsulated) of Pronghorns that are still going strong after several years. I hope they haven't messed up a good thing.

I have 5 pair of Danners in various models. Haven't had a bit of problem with them and the oldest pair is 10 years old and well worn. Am replacing them with my newest pair of Pronghorns, they don't feel as broken in initially as the other pairs of ph were but are ok. I have worn them in steep stuff, flat land, and in between and other than needing a 1/2 size longer boot due to big toe problems they have never failed me. Never had any Irish Setters but wore Redwings for years at work with steel toes and they were great boots also.

Irish!