2023 Crispi Briksdal MTN

[B_Reynolds_AK]

I received a pair of the new 2023 Crispi Briksdal MTN GTX's in yesterday. Initial impressions are quite good for the latest iteration of the Briksdal, a now classic mountain hunting boot. I wore out two pairs of Briksdal SF's before moving on to the Hanwag Friction 2 for my serious mountain boots. The Frictions are quite a lot stiffer than the SF's laterally and seem to have a better build quality. For steep terrain, they perform much better for me.

This year I will be covering lots of miles on a couple sheep hunts and wanted a boot that walked easily, yet still offered enough ankle support to pack out heavy loads in rough terrain. Also, a synthetic boot was a priority as well, which these are. The original Briksdal nubuck leather would completely saturate and become quite heavy & take days to dry out. The fit is similar to the original boots. I'm a true 8.5 and normally size up to a 9 in order to fit my aftermarket insole, liner socks and Darn Tough's. Size 9 (42) in these fit perfect.

I may try out the new SF's as well when they become available. I'll update this thread as I get more time in them.

 

[jparker]

what are your initial thoughts? i'm really debating on getting a pair of these since they have made them more flexible than previous models.

 

[TX_Diver]

What's the toebox like on them as far as height and width?

 

[nobody]

What's the toebox like on them as far as height and width?

Never tried a pair, but in talking with Crispi about a boot upgrade last week, they confirmed the Briksdal has their most “technical” fit, and that includes the toe box. They said the Briksdal and the Thor have the narrowest and lowest volume toe box and overall fit of any of their boots. I owned a Thor and can confirm it’s a narrow toe box relative to their other boots, and the Briksdal is built on their same last (foot mold) as the Thor.

 

[schmalzy]

I really liked the regular Briksdals and felt they were about perfect with superfeet insoles. As obvious as it was, I didn’t even think about these new ones not being leather and drying quicker.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gostovp]

I just picked up a pair of these at scheels and didn’t realize until I got home they weren’t leather. Any thoughts on durability of the synthetic upper vs leather?

 

[ssgjpd]

How is the stiffness of these compare to the original Briksdal?

 

[gostovp]

How is the stiffness of these compare to the original Briksdal?

I’ve never worn the original Briksdahl but these aren’t as stiff as the Nevada or Summit

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

So I ended up sending these back. The instep area is higher and narrower than the previous Briksdal's, regardless of what insole I tried in them. This doesn't agree with my foot and would cause cramping in my instep. I would like to try the 'EE' version and also the SF's when they become available and see if that helps.

 

[gostovp]

I’ve put a few miles on mine. So far I’m liking them

 

[mtwarden]

to the OP, might also look at the Thor if you're wanting non-leather and lighter; stiffer than the Mountain and lighter

fit is very similar to the original (leather) Briksdal if you've tried those, stiffness on par as well

 

[phillip]

They look nice!

 

[CodeMonkey]

In case anyone is wondering about sizing... I ordered a 11.5 (Euro 45) and an 11 (Euro 44.5). I have one foot that's about a euro size larger, so everything is a compromise. In previous boots, I have generally sized to the smaller foot and have yet to be burned by being too short. The one time I've sized to give the larger foot more room, the smaller foot develops all sorts of fun hot spots from swimming around in there.

Even with a comically thick sock and my orthotics, I have about half an inch of room (hand thickness) front to back on my bigger foot (the one that reads 11.5 on a Brannock device) in the 11s, so I sent the 11.5s back. If I kick my toes hard into something, I don't feel it in my toes, so I think I'm good.

I will edit this post if I am missing toe nails after a packout.

 

[bond111]

I just purchased the Briksdal as my first true hunting boot. Excited to see how they feel with some miles on em.

 

[n8saki]

Ordered the MTN SFs, will give feed back after some time in them.

 

[bond111]

A touch over 13 miles in my Briksdal MTN GTX so far, and they’ve needed 0 break-in. Truly comfortable from the start. I really enjoy the comfort of the ABSS.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

So I just tried some of these on, my only other experience with Crispi is trying the original Colorados, which I did not like. Wow. I've been trying to use the new Schnee Missions but they simply do not work for my foot, the forward angle is uncomfortable for me. Tried multiple insoles and get crazy arch cramps (sounds similar to what you had going on Ben). I can't get a good heel lock with the Mission lacing system, and the lower lacing/lock transition to the higher part of the boot doesn't work that well for me. When I lace them tight enough to lock my heel, it hurts my foot.

So all that said - transition to these Crisipis, and I go try on a pair today - wow. Between that ABSS padding, overall width/feel/fit, heel lock, lightweight feel on the foot, comfort, that lacing system to the toe, and the way you can get the bottom laced, lock it, then dial in the top exactly like you want it - it was all hugely noticable. The upper had a thinner tongue and seemed to flex pretty easy, compared to the lower. I'm not saying the Mission is a bad boot, but for me, what Crisipi is doing really stood out quite impressively to me in comparison to the pain I had rucking this AM. Stiffness seems like a bit more than a 3, to me, compared to their other 3-rated boots on the shelf?

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Adding to above post with some field use, both helping with a mountain goat tag and some higher country elk hunting.

Comfort remains superb, as does the water resistance. Unfortunately, durability appears to be an issue with how the rands seal to the soft synthetic material…..I have separation on every side of the boot between two pairs. I typically have not had issues with rubber rands coming apart like this. These are going back to Crispi for warranty (if just one area was separating I’d just home repair them….)

I’ve read some comments on Crispi having soft but sticky outsoles. I can confirm that is the case, they look pretty rough after some shale days above tree line. They perform quite well though, so decent trade off.

 

[gostovp]

I ended up returning mine to Scheels. They leaked at the back in the synthetic area just above the heel. That rand separation is pretty bad

 

[gostovp]

Adding to above post with some field use, both helping with a mountain goat tag and some higher country elk hunting.

Comfort remains superb, as does the water resistance. Unfortunately, durability appears to be an issue with how the rands seal to the soft synthetic material…..I have separation on every side of the boot between two pairs. I typically have not had issues with rubber rands coming apart like this. These are going back to Crispi for warranty (if just one area was separating I’d just home repair them….)

I’ve read some comments on Crispi having soft but sticky outsoles. I can confirm that is the case, they look pretty rough after some shale days above tree line. They perform quite well though, so decent trade off.

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Did Crispi end up warranting these for you?