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Nick's Handmade Boots?

cville_bowhunter

cville_bowhunter

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Jan 26, 2022
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252
Does anyone have any experience with this company?

I am trying to satisfy multiple criteria here with my next pair of boots...finding this a bit difficult

Made in USA
Leather
Uninsulated
preferably non-waterproof (no goretex)

If you have any other suggestions as far as companies, I'm all ears
 
Jtaylor

Jtaylor

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Dec 25, 2018
Messages
1,825
Great boots! Last forever and are rebuildable. White's are good too and used to be the premium between the two but you can't go wrong with either. They take time to break in.
I have the White's Smoke Jumper and Nick's Hotshot in rough out and they're very similar boots so maybe take price into consideration.
 
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cville_bowhunter

cville_bowhunter

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Jan 26, 2022
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252
Jtaylor said:
Great boots! Last forever and are rebuildable. White's are good too and used to be the premium between the two but you can't go wrong with either. They take time to break in.
I have the White's Smoke Jumper and Nick's Hotshot in rough out and they're very similar boots so maybe take price into consideration.
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Are you hunting in these? Hiking? What kind of mileage are you putting on them? Have you gotten them wet at all?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to make an informed decision here!
 
Jtaylor

Jtaylor

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Dec 25, 2018
Messages
1,825
cville_bowhunter said:
Are you hunting in these? Hiking? What kind of mileage are you putting on them? Have you gotten them wet at all?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to make an informed decision here!
Click to expand...
I worked in them, I was a hotshot. These are the boots most wildland firefighters wear that dont want their soles melting away from the boot like other glued and stitched soles. I've been away from that for awhile though so maybe there's a new and improved boot. I hiked and packed a lot of miles in some super rugged country. They're built super tough but aren't comfortable at first until broken in and they take awhile to be broken in.
The soles are glued, sewed and screwed in so they don't delaminate. The waterproofing is only as good as the waterproofer you use (I used Obenauf's heavy duty lp).
If you're looking for tennis shoe comfort like Keens or something, these aren't it but these are they type of boot that'll last a lifetime for hunting and hiking use.
They're stiff and lace up high for ankle support so you won't roll an ankle in the back country.
All this being said, for casual hunting and hiking around once and awhile I'm not 100% sure these are the boots. The joke used to be you're not breaking in the boots to your feet, you're breaking in your feet to the boots.
 
cville_bowhunter

cville_bowhunter

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SH Member
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Jan 26, 2022
Messages
252
Jtaylor said:
I worked in them, I was a hotshot. These are the boots most wildland firefighters wear that dont want their soles melting away from the boot like other glued and stitched soles. I've been away from that for awhile though so maybe there's a new and improved boot. I hiked and packed a lot of miles in some super rugged country. They're built super tough but aren't comfortable at first until broken in and they take awhile to be broken in.
The soles are glued, sewed and screwed in so they don't delaminate. The waterproofing is only as good as the waterproofer you use (I used Obenauf's heavy duty lp).
If you're looking for tennis shoe comfort like Keens or something, these aren't it but these are they type of boot that'll last a lifetime for hunting and hiking use.
They're stiff and lace up high for ankle support so you won't roll an ankle in the back country.
All this being said, for casual hunting and hiking around once and awhile I'm not 100% sure these are the boots. The joke used to be you're not breaking in the boots to your feet, you're breaking in your feet to the boots.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I want something a bit more rigid like what you're describing. Although, I don't know that I need a fire resistant product. If I go with either of these companies, I will probably go for something a step down from what you got.

I took a pair of merrell hiking boots out west last fall to upland bird hunt, and they were coming apart after the first day. I probably had 100-150 miles on them when I took them out there, and they still "looked" good. It went from almost 80 degrees the first day to sleeting with 20-25 knot winds the next. The now broken down boots soaked through in about 20 minutes, and it made for a quick but miserable morning hunt. So, now I am wanting something that I can scout/hike in during the spring/summer, hunt in during the fall/winter, and maybe go hunt out west again without having to throw the boots out
 
Jtaylor

Jtaylor

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Joined
Dec 25, 2018
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1,825
cville_bowhunter said:
Honestly, I want something a bit more rigid like what you're describing. Although, I don't know that I need a fire resistant product. If I go with either of these companies, I will probably go for something a step down from what you got.

I took a pair of merrell hiking boots out west last fall to upland bird hunt, and they were coming apart after the first day. I probably had 100-150 miles on them when I took them out there, and they still "looked" good. It went from almost 80 degrees the first day to sleeting with 20-25 knot winds the next. The now broken down boots soaked through in about 20 minutes, and it made for a quick but miserable morning hunt. So, now I am wanting something that I can scout/hike in during the spring/summer, hunt in during the fall/winter, and maybe go hunt out west again without having to throw the boots out
Click to expand...
I'm not 100% sure what sets the "fire rated" boot aside from the rest of the lot but they do have screwed on soles which could add to durability in other applications. I'm guessing they probably use some sort of Nomex or Kevlar heat resistant thread as well. I believe mine came with leather laces too as synthetic laces melt pretty quickly.
The Vibram sole they have are pretty hard as well as the rest of the boot but add to the durability.
Good thick wool socks make the break in period a lot better and will help with blisters and wicking moisture.
 
bigmike23

bigmike23

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Jan 29, 2020
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Location
PA
cville_bowhunter said:
I'll keep these in mind, but I really do want to get US made if I can help it.

What do you like about them?
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First off, Schnee's is an American company out of Montana. So you are supporting an American company. Schnees has their boots made in Italy, as even they know Italian boots are the holy grail.
I do not have the bear tooth classics.
However, I own the Timberlines. The Timberlines, Beartooth, and Beartooth classic are virtually the same exact boot with some differences. The Timberlines are a flex 1 boot. The Beartooths are a flex 2 boot. The Classics are also a flex 2 boot, but do not have a waterproof membrane as your looking for, and are leather lined to wick more sweat out and are more breathable.
My Timberlines are perfect. They just upgraded the hardware, so now they tighten even better and more uniformly. Mine have never ever leaked. They are one of the only boots I've ever worn that I forget I'm wearing. And Schnees has a reputation for unbeatable customer service.
 
F

FrankNess14

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May 17, 2020
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619
Location
GA
Whites boots are 25% off on black ovis this weekend. I don’t know anything about them but thought I’d share.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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