Boot Longevity - Satisfied?

[Dcoryn]

I used to get about 18 months out of a set of Kenetreks, I switched to Crispi Idaho GTX due to them being more comfortable but I only get 5-8 months out of a set.

I wear them every single day as a land surveyor/wildlife biologist. They always warranty the first pair because the waterproofing fails within one year of purchase. So essentially its buy one pair get one pair free. I'm waiting on pair number 5 to come in the mail right now. I think next time I might try Crispi's full leather boot and see if it lasts a big longer. But so far the comfort of Crispi's allows me to overlook their poor construction.

Just my .02 cents

 

[mtwarden]

Goretex membranes by their very nature aren't going to last too long -they're thin and your foot generates a lot of different forces on that thin membrane

I generally get 2-3 years out of hunting boots; I tend to rack up quite a few miles by the end of hunting season (probably 200-ish). This has held true with both La Sportiva and Crispi boots.

The king of longevity have been Schnee's pacs- almost thirty years with just one resole (but in need of another)- I don't think you could wear the uppers out

 

[Phaseolus]

I’m on my third pair of Lowa Renegades for my light boot. I‘ll get 2 years out of them before the seam by the big toe gives out. They are super comfortable and I can order them in Narrow. Having narrow feet limits what I can be comfortable in Since most boots don’t come in narrow. I’m always open to hearing about other narrow boots.

 

[Bailer]

I’m on year 3 with some schnees beartooths. The sole is pretty warn down but otherwise they’re in great shape. I have a new pair I bought on a sale. I’ll probably break them in over summer then get the old ones resoled.

 

[AttackMode]

Crispi Guide's have lasted me about 3.5 seasons. I do beat the shit out of them and average a good 200+ miles a season between scouting and hunting. They desperately need a resole and a new rand. I also just purchased a pair of Kenetrek 400g MTN Extremes for winter scouting and colder hunts. I hope the combo of the 2 will last me at least 5 years or longer with good care and rotation.

 

[nobody]

I say it depends on the person, their foot shape and how often they get used. To say 4 years is loaded, because some guys put more miles on their boots in 1 year that other guys do in 10.

For me, with foot issues (flat feet/plantar fasciitis), I'm good to about 5-700 miles on my Crispi's. At that point, even though they're not totally thrashed, they're broke down enough that my arches start to hurt significantly. Between hiking, hunting, shed hunting, and scouting, that's about 3 years for me. I picked up a pair of Idaho's last year when my Thor's randomly sprung a leak on opening day of Utah archery, and I'm guessing the Thor's had about 500 miles on them, and I got them in mid 2018. So they had 3 full hunting seasons plus 4 years of summer scouting (to be fair, 1 hunting and scouting season was during college, so less miles on the first year total) to get to that point, and the comfort was starting to wane a bit, but I figure I could've gotten one more full season from them. The Idaho's probably have 100 miles on them so far and I'm hoping I can get another 3 or 4 more full years out of them. We will see!

 

[Vandy321]

My Crispi briksdals are through 3 seasons of Rifle and Archery here in CO. I also wear them scouting and on local hikes with the family, around town even when it shows. I'd estimate 200+ miles/year doing some rough math in head.

They will make it a 4th season before needing re-soled. The upper is still in fastic shape as well and to say I neglect them is an understatement.

Very happy with their longevity.

 

[7718Sallee]

As a wet side PNW outdoorsman real waterproof boots and rain gear are essential and still hard to come by. I got 1 waterproof year out of my crispy Idaho and 1 waterproof year out of laponias. Both boots were very comfortable and still in good condition although the tread was wearing down. Had a pair of Danner pronghorns before that that didn’t last a year leaked after a couple months and were falling apart inside of a year. I bought some zamberlan baltero lite recently seemed good in the house but after 1 day in the field i can tell that they aren’t going to work with my feet. Looking for another light weight waterproof option now.
This is copied thread i posted a couple years ago. But good info on gore tex.
I bought a pair of Crispi boots at the pnw sportsman show february 2019 and they were great right out of the box comfortable/waterproof exactly what I was hoping for. I used them all year on several hunts and in the winter for outdoor activities. This spring 2020 during bear season walking through wet vegetation I could feel both my feet getting wet. I’ve never had any issues before so I tried them again on my next trip had rain pants and gaiters on and in wet vegetation my feet were getting wet. So I emailed Crispi and they asked for pics etc then told me to contact goretex because Crispi only has a 1 year warranty and goretex is lifetime warranty ( not what I was hoping for, seemed like they were just passing the buck) I thought that it was going to be a big hassle but I emailed goretex back and forth a few times they wanted a receipt from purchase which I didn’t have. But they asked about a half dozen questions and after I answered them they said to send them my paypal account info and a picture of my boots after I cut down the tongue 4” the next day I had 360$ in my paypal account.
I wish I would have known about this ACTUAL goretex warranty about 10 years ago. I’ve bought so many things that were supposed to be waterproof but weren’t or at least not very long that ended up getting thrown away. So anyway just trying to pass on the information and hope it helps someday else out. Good luck out there

Bill

 

[Aeast]

Boots I wear everyday it depends. Salomon quest 4d last about 3-4 months, it's usually a race to see if the gortex gives out or the sole falls off first. A full grain pair of Crispi's will last a good year, typically the sole wears down. Nothing over a year though.

Strictly boots for hunting will typically last a few season. Crispi, Hanwag, etc..

Rubber hunting boots will usually last me a couple years until they give out. I had a pair or lacrosse I bought about 20 years ago that I just this year
threw away, they don't make them like that anymore. I did get a pair of Gumleaf vikings to try, 85% rubber, time will tell.

I think you should get at least a year per $100 spent under normal wear conditions.

 

[Lowg08]

I have been wearing the same pair of meindl lineman boots for 5 years. Even with the rand missing in a spot on each boot and the seems busted in the spot. I have never had wet feet. I have a pair of meindl lineman’s boots in here that is I think 8 or 9 years old. No sole left but never leaked. I’m probably going to buy a pair of vakuum hunters to see how they compare. I’ve been through Salomon’s and scarpa and not any bad experiences just not satisfied yet

 

[QuackAttack]

Generally, I find suede boots to fail before full grain polished leather. Brass eyelets and studs that don’t rust. I snow seal in summer, apply heavy and put in a hot car for 30 min…soaks it up. After that, the leather is waterproof and tough.

 

[Carr5vols]

Recent boot lifes:

-Scarpa Terra GTX-2 years hunting and training
-Lowa Irox GTX -1 year hubting and training. Trash
-La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX-1 year so far good boot. Probably start leaking after traiing this year. Good warm weather boot.
-Hanwag Alaska GTX-3 years hunting and some training. Should get many more. Great boot

I would expect a over $200 boot to last at least 3 years. Also blessed with feet i can wear about any boot.

 

[manitou1]

I only wear my hunting boots while hunting and scouting. Treat them a couple times a season and keep them fairly clean between hunts. I hunt in fairly dry conditions (Wyoming) and fully expect 5+ years per pair, hiking about 150 miles a season.

 

[Ross]

2-4 yrs on average and with the abuse they take seems appropriate

 

[Altiholic]

2 years. Usually wear trango (cube or tower gtx or similar scarpa). Usually starts with rand cracking and pealing leading to sole delamination, but toe and edge tread is usually worn flat/edges rounded by that time too. Upper eyelets pull out sometimes. Often holes in the liner at ankle/heal. Wearing them a lot throughout the year though, with lots of abrasive rock.

I guess I'm not satisfied, but for my feet and what I use them for I'd rather buy a new pair of this type of boot every year than wear leather or any of the hunting specific tall boots even if they would last longer.

Light is right.