I typed this up in reply to another thread but realized I'd intended to make a thread on this at some point last year.
2 years ago I tried the L&S custom boot system and since then, like many people, I've been on a quest to find great boots.
In 2019 I wore the L&S mountain hunters and while they were the nicest boot I've ever used, the last didn't work well for my foot shape. When I did the consult Stephen and James thought it'd be close and suggested we try it with the option to change boots if needed.
Below is a somewhat disorganized summary of my boot testing/opinions from the past 2 years.
TLDR - Get the L&S boots if they work with your foot shape. Also blackovis and gohunt have great return policies that will allow you to try on any boots you want. I ordered from both as neither had all the sizes/styles I wanted to try.
--
Stephen and James Lathrop were great to work with. Ultimately the L&S boot didn't work for my foot so we went to a Lowa Tibet though. Also a good boot but the construction/quality seems to be a small step down from the Lathrops. Not that the Lowa's are bad, just that the L&S are exceptional. Right now I've got Crispi Colorado's and Lowa Tibets. I like both and will use the colorado's in the early season and the Lowa's later. Jury is still out on long term durability.
I beat the crap out of the L&S boots in New Mexico and they held up great (not the ones in the photo), I wore the Crispi Colorado's for 3 weeks in WY last year and they did fine as well through lots of wet grass and also snow. They aren't as heavy duty of a boot but they are also a bit lighter.
I ordered from BlackOvis and GoHunt, found my size, and wore them around the house a bit to figure out what worked for me. Not all boots shown in the pictures. Yes it was expensive (temporarily) Both companies were fantastic to work with on the phone and with their return policies though. I tried on the following.
L&S Mountain Hunters (from L&S)
Crispi Colorado
Crispi Guide
Crispi Nevada
Crispi Wyoming
Crispi Idaho
Crispi Valdres
Lowa Tibet (from L&S)
L&S by far had the nicest construction. Seemed to have thicker/stiffer leather. Waterproofing is eVent rather than goretex. Lacing system was great as well but the ankle area had a lot of volume and my chicken legs wanted to move around unless i really cranked them tight. Rubber rand is thick and held up well through the Florida mountains in New Mexico. Great customer service. These are the boots to get if they fit your feet and you want heavy duty.
I tried Crispi's as it's hard to find much bad about them online in terms of comfort. The Crispi's seemed to have very soft/supple leather. Potentially a bit thinner than the others but that's a subjective comment. I suspect that's why many people find them the most comfortable out of the box though since they conform to your foots shape a bit easier. I really wanted to like the Nevada's but the toebox was ever so slightly different than the CO's and my foot slipped a bit due to the heel pocket shape (not bad, but enough). I did not like the Idahos/wyomings due to the heel pocket being slightly lower (subjective opinion). Valdres aren't as heavy duty of a boot but I'm sure they have a place in someones quiver. I ended up keeping a set of Colorado's. I archery elk hunted with the colorado's and they kept my feet dry/comfortable. I also wore them in the snow in October in WY and didn't have any issues (I re-waterproofed them between hunts w/ Granger Repel). I put the L&S insoles in them as the standard crispi inserts aren't anything special. I really liked the stiffness/rocker. Lacing system is fine but not as nice as L&S or Lowa. There are only 2 tabs above the lock until you get to the 10" boots with the Crispi's.
Lowas - I haven't hunted in these yet. I wore Camino GTXs in 2018 and liked them but ultimately ended with blisters so I returned them to REI. They kept me dry through some major rainstorms. After returning the Mountain hunters to L&S I got setup with some tibets. The tibets appear to be well made and a little heavier duty construction than the crispis (again a subjective opinion). I will start wearing these with a weighted pack in spring. I bought these through L&S and they modified the toebox for me to eliminate a little bit of rubbing when I tried them on. I'm also using the L&S insoles. Jury is out on this boot but I think they'll be good. They have a good lacing system w/ 3 posts above the lock. Also has a locking tab at the top of the foot before you get to the ankle so you can truly independently tension the top and bottom portion of the boot without any special knots. Also has a post in the middle of the tongue to keep it centered which I like. Rubber rand seems to be pretty thick although I've heard of people complaining they separate sometimes so we'll see what happens this year.
Hit "click to expand to see the pics". Apparently quoted them instead of copied them.
2 years ago I tried the L&S custom boot system and since then, like many people, I've been on a quest to find great boots.
In 2019 I wore the L&S mountain hunters and while they were the nicest boot I've ever used, the last didn't work well for my foot shape. When I did the consult Stephen and James thought it'd be close and suggested we try it with the option to change boots if needed.
Below is a somewhat disorganized summary of my boot testing/opinions from the past 2 years.
TLDR - Get the L&S boots if they work with your foot shape. Also blackovis and gohunt have great return policies that will allow you to try on any boots you want. I ordered from both as neither had all the sizes/styles I wanted to try.
--
Stephen and James Lathrop were great to work with. Ultimately the L&S boot didn't work for my foot so we went to a Lowa Tibet though. Also a good boot but the construction/quality seems to be a small step down from the Lathrops. Not that the Lowa's are bad, just that the L&S are exceptional. Right now I've got Crispi Colorado's and Lowa Tibets. I like both and will use the colorado's in the early season and the Lowa's later. Jury is still out on long term durability.
I beat the crap out of the L&S boots in New Mexico and they held up great (not the ones in the photo), I wore the Crispi Colorado's for 3 weeks in WY last year and they did fine as well through lots of wet grass and also snow. They aren't as heavy duty of a boot but they are also a bit lighter.
I ordered from BlackOvis and GoHunt, found my size, and wore them around the house a bit to figure out what worked for me. Not all boots shown in the pictures. Yes it was expensive (temporarily) Both companies were fantastic to work with on the phone and with their return policies though. I tried on the following.
L&S Mountain Hunters (from L&S)
Crispi Colorado
Crispi Guide
Crispi Nevada
Crispi Wyoming
Crispi Idaho
Crispi Valdres
Lowa Tibet (from L&S)
L&S by far had the nicest construction. Seemed to have thicker/stiffer leather. Waterproofing is eVent rather than goretex. Lacing system was great as well but the ankle area had a lot of volume and my chicken legs wanted to move around unless i really cranked them tight. Rubber rand is thick and held up well through the Florida mountains in New Mexico. Great customer service. These are the boots to get if they fit your feet and you want heavy duty.
I tried Crispi's as it's hard to find much bad about them online in terms of comfort. The Crispi's seemed to have very soft/supple leather. Potentially a bit thinner than the others but that's a subjective comment. I suspect that's why many people find them the most comfortable out of the box though since they conform to your foots shape a bit easier. I really wanted to like the Nevada's but the toebox was ever so slightly different than the CO's and my foot slipped a bit due to the heel pocket shape (not bad, but enough). I did not like the Idahos/wyomings due to the heel pocket being slightly lower (subjective opinion). Valdres aren't as heavy duty of a boot but I'm sure they have a place in someones quiver. I ended up keeping a set of Colorado's. I archery elk hunted with the colorado's and they kept my feet dry/comfortable. I also wore them in the snow in October in WY and didn't have any issues (I re-waterproofed them between hunts w/ Granger Repel). I put the L&S insoles in them as the standard crispi inserts aren't anything special. I really liked the stiffness/rocker. Lacing system is fine but not as nice as L&S or Lowa. There are only 2 tabs above the lock until you get to the 10" boots with the Crispi's.
Lowas - I haven't hunted in these yet. I wore Camino GTXs in 2018 and liked them but ultimately ended with blisters so I returned them to REI. They kept me dry through some major rainstorms. After returning the Mountain hunters to L&S I got setup with some tibets. The tibets appear to be well made and a little heavier duty construction than the crispis (again a subjective opinion). I will start wearing these with a weighted pack in spring. I bought these through L&S and they modified the toebox for me to eliminate a little bit of rubbing when I tried them on. I'm also using the L&S insoles. Jury is out on this boot but I think they'll be good. They have a good lacing system w/ 3 posts above the lock. Also has a locking tab at the top of the foot before you get to the ankle so you can truly independently tension the top and bottom portion of the boot without any special knots. Also has a post in the middle of the tongue to keep it centered which I like. Rubber rand seems to be pretty thick although I've heard of people complaining they separate sometimes so we'll see what happens this year.
Hit "click to expand to see the pics". Apparently quoted them instead of copied them.
Some of the contenders. L&S are in the middle w/ no box.
Valdres, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, L&S
Nevada and L&S
Nevada and Tibet
Nevada and Tibet
