I don't have an agenda against L&S, but I also believe a company should accept and address both good and bad feedback about their products.
Lathrop and Son’s Elite Hunters have been one of the best fitting and most comfortable boots I’ve owned. If I lived in a dry climate I would be a lifetime customer, but I live in rainy, wet Oregon and hunt in wet conditions. I originally purchased a pair that were too small and had blister issues on both heels. I called, spoke to someone in their shop, and they quickly determined that the boots I purchased were too small and recommended a larger size, great customer service. I readily purchased another new pair in October 2020 and wore them on a Snake River Elk hunt in November 2020. They performed flawlessly in up to 20” of snow over the 7 days we hunted. I was very pleased with my $475 purchase. In October 2021 I used them for a Colorado late season elk hunt with minimal snow, but I did cross a small creek several times and they didn’t leak. In late October 2022, now 2 years old and having 2 trips totaling about 12 days and ~100 miles, I hunted Sled Springs in Oregon. I hiked mainly on the roads to get into and out of the areas we were hunting in 3-4” of snow. One hour into opening morning my right foot was sloshing in water and the next day both feet were soaked. Since we were 7-8 miles behind the gate I didn’t have another pair of boots and proceeded to wear these daily with waterproof socks. I would end each day pouring water out of my boots, pulling the inserts out in an attempt to air dry. I was disappointed in paying this much for boots that were only waterproof on 2 trips. I’ve definitely had both worse and better experiences with "waterproof" boots.
I emailed L&S to explain what had happened and find out if I had done something wrong. I take care of all my gear including my boots immediately upon returning home from a trip. They graciously asked me to send them in for testing and I did as requested. As expected the boots leaked and I received a call from someone at their shop to be told that the boots were out of the 1 year warranty period and that a “certain percentage of boots will leak prematurely”. I was offered a fair discounted price on a new pair of boots that equaled their normal year end sale price, which was a little less than $400. I turned the offer down since I had a fairly new pair and chose to just wear my leaking boots with waterproof socks.
I understand the warranty period and I know all boots are prone to leak. I’ve had cheap Danner’s last 3-4 years and more expensive Lowa’s that lasted 1-2 years, so I don’t blame L&S’s. The issue I do have is the honesty and transparency of L&S. Recently they have been advertising heavily on social media posting videos promoting their boots and their customer service. I’ve honestly commented with positive comments about the fit and comfort, but also my experience with the waterproof property of their boots. The negative review could have been addressed with an acknowledgement and understanding, but instead they chose to delete my first post and then proceeded to block me preventing anyone from seeing the negative review. Their choice, but if you promote your products and their reliability, then you should also expect some criticism and deal with honest reviews.
Lathrop and Son’s Elite Hunters have been one of the best fitting and most comfortable boots I’ve owned. If I lived in a dry climate I would be a lifetime customer, but I live in rainy, wet Oregon and hunt in wet conditions. I originally purchased a pair that were too small and had blister issues on both heels. I called, spoke to someone in their shop, and they quickly determined that the boots I purchased were too small and recommended a larger size, great customer service. I readily purchased another new pair in October 2020 and wore them on a Snake River Elk hunt in November 2020. They performed flawlessly in up to 20” of snow over the 7 days we hunted. I was very pleased with my $475 purchase. In October 2021 I used them for a Colorado late season elk hunt with minimal snow, but I did cross a small creek several times and they didn’t leak. In late October 2022, now 2 years old and having 2 trips totaling about 12 days and ~100 miles, I hunted Sled Springs in Oregon. I hiked mainly on the roads to get into and out of the areas we were hunting in 3-4” of snow. One hour into opening morning my right foot was sloshing in water and the next day both feet were soaked. Since we were 7-8 miles behind the gate I didn’t have another pair of boots and proceeded to wear these daily with waterproof socks. I would end each day pouring water out of my boots, pulling the inserts out in an attempt to air dry. I was disappointed in paying this much for boots that were only waterproof on 2 trips. I’ve definitely had both worse and better experiences with "waterproof" boots.
I emailed L&S to explain what had happened and find out if I had done something wrong. I take care of all my gear including my boots immediately upon returning home from a trip. They graciously asked me to send them in for testing and I did as requested. As expected the boots leaked and I received a call from someone at their shop to be told that the boots were out of the 1 year warranty period and that a “certain percentage of boots will leak prematurely”. I was offered a fair discounted price on a new pair of boots that equaled their normal year end sale price, which was a little less than $400. I turned the offer down since I had a fairly new pair and chose to just wear my leaking boots with waterproof socks.
I understand the warranty period and I know all boots are prone to leak. I’ve had cheap Danner’s last 3-4 years and more expensive Lowa’s that lasted 1-2 years, so I don’t blame L&S’s. The issue I do have is the honesty and transparency of L&S. Recently they have been advertising heavily on social media posting videos promoting their boots and their customer service. I’ve honestly commented with positive comments about the fit and comfort, but also my experience with the waterproof property of their boots. The negative review could have been addressed with an acknowledgement and understanding, but instead they chose to delete my first post and then proceeded to block me preventing anyone from seeing the negative review. Their choice, but if you promote your products and their reliability, then you should also expect some criticism and deal with honest reviews.
