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Boots you liked/disliked 2023

C

cibor

Active Member
SH Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Messages
110
I got this idea from bigmike23’s gear thread.

Cold weather
—Danner Pronghorn 400g

Warm (above 35/40 degrees)
—Keen Targhee II

I’ve had these boots for many years now and they’ve done me well. Their the old 850 last so they are 11.5 regular which translates to about a 13 wide in the newish 851 last.

I’ve seen more than a few people asking about boots so I thought this could hopefully consolidate those folks and their questions. I too am on the hunt for new boots, so far the Schnee Timberline and Meindl Comfort Fit Hunter sound really nice to me; appreciating a wide toebox. Sucks not being able to go into town and try them on though.

Anyhow, whatcha wearing?
 
My favorite hiking boots (tried this year for the first time) are on big time sale right now.

La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX Wide Hiking Boot

The Nucleo High II GTX Wide is a mid-duty waterproof hiker/backpacking boot. Featuring award-winning Gore-Tex® Surround™ technology with a traditional Nubuck leather look. WIDE FIT.
www.lasportivausa.com www.lasportivausa.com

They are super comfortable, have great tread, and are amazingly light. They aren't build like a basketball shoe (they seem sturdy) but that's about how much they weigh. I think the carbon chili color version looks really cool too.

I hope they last.
 
I have a fused right ankle with 11 screws and 2 plates and 2 screws in my left ankle. So, I have more difficulty finding boots that I can wear. I need boots/shoes with lower heels, something that gets closer to a zero drop. I like the mountain hunting boots like Kenetrek as they have a rocker sole, and this makes it easier to walk in with a fused ankle. For a cheaper priced boot, I like the Irish Setter Vaprtek as they have a low round heel that makes it nice for walking. I have had some different models of Rocky boots that were comfortable for me, but the Rocky's seem to start leaking fairly fast so that can be problematic.

I also walk a lot. 5-10 miles a day when possible and sometimes more. When one walks as lot, what may appear to be comfortable in the beginning may end up being problematic after several miles. I wish I had the money I wasted on boots that I thought was going to work out but didn't. With my fused ankle and modified gate, I can break down a pair of boots/shoes rather quickly and even though they may look in good shape, I will render them unwearable in a short time.

I wait and find boots on sale or on clearance before I buy them since I don't usually get long life out of them. I save my pricier boots for hunting and try to make them last longer.
 
raisins said:
My favorite hiking boots (tried this year for the first time) are on big time sale right now.

La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX Wide Hiking Boot

The Nucleo High II GTX Wide is a mid-duty waterproof hiker/backpacking boot. Featuring award-winning Gore-Tex® Surround™ technology with a traditional Nubuck leather look. WIDE FIT.
www.lasportivausa.com www.lasportivausa.com

They are super comfortable, have great tread, and are amazingly light. They aren't build like a basketball shoe (they seem sturdy) but that's about how much they weigh. I think the carbon chili color version looks really cool too.

I hope they last.
Click to expand...
My favorite this year is the leather ultra raptor ii gtx. Light, waterproof and comfortable.


La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid Leather GTX

The Ultra Raptor II Mid Leather GTX is the perfect option for hikers who need a shoe that can handle the daily grind.
www.lasportivausa.com www.lasportivausa.com
 
I’ve bought two pairs of Merrill boots in the past couple of years. The exterior of the boots are great and the waterproofing has held up well also. The insoles however are garbage. On my newest pair the insoles have lasted less than two months. If they could get the insoles worked out these would be great.
 
Thorogood snake boots. These things were affordable, surprisingly light weight and comfortable. Another surprise was they were not hot during the early season, and so far warm in the late season. Took a few hunts to break in. My original thought was to wear them in early season and then switch back to my original, but I haven't switched back yet.

 
I wear 3 different boots depending on location and time of year. River bottom boots are Lacrosse alpha burlys if it is wet and muddy or if hunting from the boat and dealing with muddy banks. Elk hunting or post season scouting I wear crispi valdres. For everything else, I wear my irish setter lace up snake boots.
 
Anyone ever heard of Reed’s boots? They are the most comfortable and durable rubber boots I’ve ever owned. Hands down better than Muck boots. I can only find them at the local Mennonite feed stores.
 
My favorite boots by far are UA HOVR Dawn WP. Waterproof but they don’t get sweaty(wear good socks). Great traction, feels like hunting in sneakers. They’re not insulated though.
 
This is my second season with Oboz Bridgers and I like them. They are a hiking boot and I've put a lot of miles on them, and they look basically new. For wet or unknown conditions, I wear rubber boots. Lacrosse and Gumleaf are my current boots. For really wet areas I have a pair of Tidewee hip waders that have served me well for the purpose but they have very little arch support, so I change into them as needed and use regular boots for most of the walk. I also have some 1000 gram Danner boots for stupid cold conditions. We don't get that very often in Mississippi but I have worn them in Ohio in snow.
 
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There are lots of boots I like, but I wore Lite boots every hunt this season, with Arctic shield covers for a handful of the coldest hunts. They’ve really grown on me as an all purpose midwestern whitetail boot.
 
Crispi Thor uninsulated. Got them on sale at GAOS so took the dive into higher-end boots. Love the stiffness for mountain hunting.
Danner Pronghorns 400g in wide have treated me well for colder weather paired with arctic shields when sub 25
 
Swamp: Thorogood Infinity FD 17”. Thorogood seems to have exited the "Muck" boot market since I got these.

Steeper terrain: La Sportiva Glacier. My dad brought these back from deployment 20 years ago. You'll break your leg at the shin before you roll an ankle.

Cold Sits: Schnee's Pacs

Snakes: Russell Moccasin Turkey Hunters

All of these with some variation of wool sock to match the temperature.
 
I used to have multiple boots for different weather conditions/scenarios but, after buying a pair of Crispi Valdres this summer for my Elk Trip they quickly replaced all of my boots. My feet are comfortable in Alpaca socks to around 40 deg. They are chilled but bearable between 30 deg. and 40 deg. The coldest I have worn them so far is 19 deg. I had a light merino sock under an Alpaca sock and my feet were good for a couple hours after the walk in. They started getting a little chilled about 8:30 so I added Arctic Shield boot blankets. I had a pack of hand warmers to add but dropped one so I figured it would be a good experiment. One boot blanket with a hand warmer and one without. There was a noticeable difference but both feet were comfortable for the rest of the day.
 
Love Crispi Thor GTX uninsulated as well, as I cannot wear insulated boots if I'm walking far. I have relatively wide feet and thw wide in this boot is perfect. I've had the same pair since fall of 2020 and I will probably need a new pair in the upcoming year. I hunt a lot of big woods/mountains and use Artic Shield boot covers when it gets from low 40s to 20s.
 
Jim DeSantis said:
Love Crispi Thor GTX uninsulated as well, as I cannot wear insulated boots if I'm walking far. I have relatively wide feet and thw wide in this boot is perfect. I've had the same pair since fall of 2020 and I will probably need a new pair in the upcoming year. I hunt a lot of big woods/mountains and use Artic Shield boot covers when it gets from low 40s to 20s.
Click to expand...


I tried the Thors but the sole was wayyyyyy too stiff for me. Felt like I sheet steel under my foot.
 
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