Boot Company Rant

[greyghostnw]

The endless search… some keep it simple some very specific oriented to terrain, weight, temps, materials , shape, lace design, rand no rand, heel welt for different crampons, shank types, etc… the list goes on. Your specific needs may vary. Narrow it down to what you want out of the boot and go from there to start your search. Boots mass produced are what they are a lot of trying on and learning what last and flex you like from companies. I dont think you will find a magic easy answer to your needs or wants…boots are a pain in the arss to figure out but the necessary evil to do the things we like out there. When i find some i like i buy multiple pairs. Adding a few features you want besides fit would help others help you id think for suggestions?

 

[C.payne]

The boot search is extremely frustrating!
After an expensive long search I landed on the La Sportiva Aquilibrium.
Salewa Raven 3 also fit my heel great but were a bit too tight over the bridge of my foot and would give me nerve pain.
The Aquilibrium also have a wider toe box without being too loose in the rest of the boot.
I would love to find an all leather or more burly boot to supplement the Aquilibrium but can’t afford the process at the moment.

 

[Dave0317]

Yep, I agree and I wish companies were more transparent about their lasts. Danner was good about that a number of years ago. They had descriptions of each last they used so you could see which were built for more narrow feet, which had wider toe box, etc.

It’s a symptom of modern consumerism. Look at rifle calibers. Dozens of calibers occupy minutely different niches when in reality, like 4 center fire rifle cartridges could cover the spectrum.

My other complaint is the marketing of waterproofing. OP mentioned insulated and non-insulted. But, most companies, even in their non-insulated models, use a waterproofing layer. Finding a sturdy boot that is not waterproof is actually kind of tough. But for dryer and warmer hunts, a breathable boot is far better for covering miles. Again, the typical modern consumer in the hunting market, who rides ATVs and covers few miles, spends more than the handful of hard core backpacker types ever will.

 

[Dave0317]

So true on the Goretex. It just doesn’t last in boots because they flex so much and are put through hard use. And then if you put a more traditional boot dressing on leather boots to try and waterproof them, that will just clog the Goretex pores and the garbage bag analogy is even worse. I have a pair of RedWing heritage boots for work/fashion that are just leather… if i condition them and wear good wool socks my feet still breath WAY better than when wearing my hunting boots ( and they are pretty water resistant when treated properly). I recently picked up a pair of GoRuck Mac V boots for training… GoRuck specifically makes these boots to be NOT waterproof ( they even have drain holes in them) . They are a single layer of leather, and there is no extra padding in them to soak up water or sweat. They are meant to get wet and dry fast. Build quality isn’t the greatest but I workout in them all the time now and my feet feel great, and they are 100% dry by the next day when I go to workout again… would I wear them on a mountain hunt?… likely not, but it would be cool if a boot manufacturer made something similar, maybe a bit burlier with a Vibram sole and good underfoot comfort… I bet they would be great in most all hunts that weren’t in a totally wet environment…

related to your boot dressing comment,
I’ve actually found the all leather boots that are not waterproof, actually are more than sufficiently waterproof once a good wax based polish is applied.

That would by my ideal boot construction. Non-waterproof, real leather, then wax polish for a good balance of breathable, but very water resistant for short splashes, dew, etc.

 

[Wapiti66]

For boots that fit a bit sloppy try adding another insole to take up some of the room. I’ve added a thin insole to my existing insole and had good luck. Also can downsize to a thinner insole to gain a little extra room to “customize” the fit of a boot on the tight side. I’ve found boots stretch and break in over time and so I change my insoles accordingly to keep the fit where I like it. Never found the perfect boot but this is my cheap easy fix

 

[realunlucky]

Hanwag Yukon sound like what your looking for.

How much are high end skates? That's why you get less options in boots

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

 

[justinspicher]

Mountaineering boots were the fix to this dilemma for me. I went with Scarpa and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

 

[greyghostnw]

RIBELLE® HD MEN'S (FALL 2024)

<p>With an enhanced rocker profile under the ball of the foot to increase walking efficiency, the Ribelle® HD features adds up to substantial energy savings during long days in the mountains.</p>

us.scarpa.com

Been a pretty good boot for walking trail to steep edging to shale to steep vegetation plus can use semi auto crampons. Not a warm boot mine have been good with water infiltration but use gaiters when needed. June-sept. Maybe stiff for your liking.maybe a 3/4 shank. Id prefer maybe 20% less stiff moving forward but it certainly tackles a lot of terrain. On my second pair currently. Good luck

 

[bcv]

Boot threads remind me of "What new bow should I buy" threads
In that, what works for me may or may not work for you.
This thread alone is a perfect example.

I guarantee with all the boots in the market there's one that works for your eagle claws. So... figure it out. Because once you do, the boot issues become a moot point

 

[RAG]

Yep, I agree and I wish companies were more transparent about their lasts. Danner was good about that a number of years ago. They had descriptions of each last they used so you could see which were built for more narrow feet, which had wider toe box, etc.

It’s a symptom of modern consumerism. Look at rifle calibers. Dozens of calibers occupy minutely different niches when in reality, like 4 center fire rifle cartridges could cover the spectrum.

My other complaint is the marketing of waterproofing. OP mentioned insulated and non-insulted. But, most companies, even in their non-insulated models, use a waterproofing layer. Finding a sturdy boot that is not waterproof is actually kind of tough. But for dryer and warmer hunts, a breathable boot is far better for covering miles. Again, the typical modern consumer in the hunting market, who rides ATVs and covers few miles, spends more than the handful of hard core backpacker types ever will.

Oh my gawd, seriously! I wish more companies would make more non-goretex offerings to maximize breathability...but it's dang hard to find!

 

[RAG]

RIBELLE® HD MEN'S (FALL 2024)

<p>With an enhanced rocker profile under the ball of the foot to increase walking efficiency, the Ribelle® HD features adds up to substantial energy savings during long days in the mountains.</p>

us.scarpa.com

Been a pretty good boot for walking trail to steep edging to shale to steep vegetation plus can use semi auto crampons. Not a warm boot mine have been good with water infiltration but use gaiters when needed. June-sept. Maybe stiff for your liking.maybe a 3/4 shank. Id prefer maybe 20% less stiff moving forward but it certainly tackles a lot of terrain. On my second pair currently. Good luck

Ahhh, yes, I have these too...the Scarpa Ribelle HD. I have many boots for many different occasions, but I'll where these when I pack crampons! But they are pretty good for serious terrain even if you don't wear crampons...I feel like I have an average foot profile, and these fit me perfect (so I didn't think of them as being narrow).

Scarpa is my favorite brand of all. My most use boot, when I go fast and light, is the Scarpa Zodaic! But certainly not a narrow fitting boot either...I'd say average, but with at toe box that's actually shaped like most peoples feet and not pointy! Now the Scarpa Kailash...it's overall narrow (or at least felt "moderately narrow" to me).

 

[Huntinmechanic]

Legitimate rant! My feet look like Fred Flintstone's.

I'm on the opposite end of the boot size dilemma... 15EE. I've been wearing Lowa renegades for quite a few years. Until recently, there were very limited bigfoot options. I finally bit the bullet and bought a pair of Schnee's Beartooths. I like that they have only a few different models. I hope that translates into a great boot. I'll start breaking them in this week.

I agree with the sentiment of profit driving companies to produce countless models of (insert product here) that lack any real advantage over other/previous models.

Just like a previous poster mentioned about rifles....The 30.06 will kill damn near everything at reasonable distances. But, that doesn't make money. And like everything else in the social media world we live in, you ain't $hit unless you have the latest and greatest! Can't get any likes and follows killing animals with a Remington 721 at 200 yards!