Ok...anyone who is shopping a new pair of boots, should take a look at schnees beartooth insulated. I wore these on my CO elk hunt and they were amazing...no breakin was required. They fit me like a glove right away and were extremely comfortable and supportive through miles of walking/hiking.

I hunted in a pair of meindle perfekts last year & they just didn't fit me right, were uncomfortable, and I returned them. No issues with the schnees. Check them out if you need a new set.

If the Meindls were uncomfortable why did you buy them in the first place?

I was told they required a breakin and would then loosen up. So I bought them and and tried to work them to a comfortable place. I had the proper size, but the 'crease' along the toe-line continued to bite my feet well after the rest of the boot loosened up. They just weren't for me given my foot.

I'm not bashing them...was simply providing a point of reference.

What shape foot do you have?

I have a bit of a narrow heel cup and the front part of my foot is a little wide. So the challenge is finding a shoe/boot that is a touch narrow in the heel & little wide in the toe box.

Thanks

I bet the seam was off. I had that happen in a pair of Keen's I use for around town hikes. Returned them and the seam biting my toes was no longer in the way.

Thanks for the review. I am debating whether or not to get another year of use out of my Schnee pacs. We hunt after XMAS in + 10,000 of New Mexico and can get quite a bit of snow and cold. Therefore, these tall boots and gaiters come in handy. There are times I may post and glass for a few hours and the felt pacs plus my woolens work out real well.
The bottom line is I am leery of a boot, even with 400grams of insulation to keep my feet warm. I also will change out my socks after getting to a vantage point to mitigate any cooling with damp socks.
I'll check their website.

Joe, I'd be using the Beartooth's if they fit my right foot. I've used 400 gram Thinsulate down in -30F and as long as I was moving, my feet were fine. No doubt, 200 gram Primaloft would work equally well. And I frostbit my feet severely in 1976 and they've never been the same since.

those look like my Lowa Sheephunters which I am using for my 7th season. They are one mean hombre and I love 'em.

The Lowa Sheephunter KILLED my feet... they may look the same, but the Lowa's are FAR stiffer... not for everyone's feet. I've had both...

I have a pair of the uninsulated ones and with about 30 miles on them I'm pretty happy. Get a slight pinch at the base of the big toe from the way the leather folds but it isn't painful. I did find they needed some breaking in to settle the heel. For those with wide, blunt feet like me, they are built on a straight last and the toe box is roomy. They are built for high volume feet, so there can be a little too much material for a low volume foot, which is why I think I have the fold that I do. Well made, and just the right combination of support and flex. They are heavier than the Schnee's website says, mine are about 4.5 lbs for the pair. Reasonable for the support they provide.

The nice folks at schnees told me the beartooths are based on the sheephunters, so the similarity was deliberate.

I have the schnees pac-boots, BTW and really like them. I don't hunt in as severe cold weather as you do, but they are my favorite for stand hunting in Jan in NW PA. For a non-Pac-boot, you might consider the Dannner Canadian. I have a pair and they are very very warm...600grms thinsulate and are quite tall at 10" with really good support.

These companies need to come up with some kind of a fitting system. Something thy could send you to take a foot measurement and then use it to help with sizing and models. It's not like you can go to very many stores and try on all these makes and models!

I want to buy a high end pair, but I can see a lot of return shipping in my future.

I agree. You pretty much accept the fact that you have to order 2 or 3 different sizes, pick the one that fits & return the rest. So the cost of the boot is actually a bit more once you return the ones that do not work. I consider it a 'cost of doing business' and just accept it. The alternative is to shop boots that are available at stores, and that really limits your choices...often to lesser quality boots.

I doubt they can get to a standard/uniform fitting system, but it sure would be nice!

If you're willing to pay for it, Lathrop and Sons will kinda do that with their fitting system. FWIW...

hmm, pretty cool.

http://www.lathropandsons.com/synergy-footbeds/synergy-footbeds-custom-insoles.html

so this would do exactly what i wanted, for ANY pair of boots. except that it would not affect fit problems arising from parts of the boot other than the footbed/last?

ie, if the toebox is not wide enough, this won't help.

I don't know if they work on brands other than they sell, but I do know that they will alter the boots as well for a better fit (obviously within limits). So, it might be possible for them to stretch/form the toe box to fit better. The offered to adjust my boots if the insoles + new boots didn't solve an issue I was having. I've only had one transaction with them and it was positive enough that my next expensive boot purchase will be with them as well.

They fit orthodics and prosthetics for a living.

thanks for the heads up. sounds like the kind of dedicated customer oriented business i like to trade with.

pointer - Like the looks of that insole system. What are your thoughts on it?

I have the uninsulated version and I love them. They are light and the best boot I have ever had. How they stay light yet give you all the support you need is one of life's great mysteries I guess.

sjb, I have two sets of the Lathrop's footbeds. One set in a pair of Danner 400gr Prong horns. One set in a pair of Asolo Sassalongs. Just finished CO 2nd rifle. 7 days of 3 to 5 miles and 500 to 1500 ft of vertical per day. No blisters, no complaints on the footbeds. Can not speak to their "fitting" service. But the footbeds have been GTG for me. YMMV.

Very good. I think I will order a set. Sounds like a pretty nice value to me.

I was completely happy with the set I did have and my next ones (insoles and boots) will be from them. I'm currently using SOLE's heat modables, and while they are loads better than the junk that came in my K-treks, they aren't as comfy as the Lathrops. The Lathrops are softer, for lack of a better word, and that works better for my big fatness. I get some discomfort/numbness around the ball of my foot and big toe with harder insoles that I didn't get with the Lathrops. That's my take, FWIW...

Thought I should update: just back from 5 days stumping through snow in Unit 76 CO, powder on the north slopes, breakable crust everywhere else, soft and wet in the afternoons. High mileage every day, with two hour sits in the evenings. Feet never got wet AT ALL, and my feet stayed warm except when wind came up and I was cold all over. All the break-in issues are over, no pressure points, no blisters, no hot spots, no urgency to take them off at the end of the day. Just perfect. These are very well designed and clearly built to last. I would definitely buy again, but it may be awhile as well made as these things are.

Glad you could 'second' my experience.

...maybe you should get the insulated set for those windy days. It's too bad they never go on sale (to my knowledge!)

Growing up in Bozeman I've lived in Schnee's boots every winter for decades, they're good but recent price increases made Kenetrek boots an option. The Kenetreks are lightyears better for the same price or slightly more. PS, the new owners of Schnee's are more interested in margins (lots of Chinese made parts etc.) than quality, don't expect the same boots if you haven't bought a pair in a few years.