Boot Question

[Cbulla]

I am new to mountain hunting boots. I purchased the Kenetrek Hardscrabble, I will say they are the only boots I have tried. My mistake. I have put about 40 miles or so on these boots mountain hiking, I am from the east so Appalachian mtns, fairly rugged terrain. My question is: They feel pretty good, however I do get hot spots on my heels. No blisters, but I do use moleskin and smart wool socks with liners. I have only done day trips, and my concern is multiple days hiking in sheep country if the hot spots would turn into trouble. Or would they just be hot spots. I do have the L&S insoles and they are awesome, but I have considered trying the Scarpa Kinesis Pro GTX boot. I would appreciate any wisdom and guidance. Feel free to be brutally honest. The Rokslide web site and forum is the best and I have learned so much. Thanks to Rokslide and to you all!

 

[1hoda]

Hotspots are an underlying symptom of poor fit that likely won't change when they break in. If you are getting them after one day, that's only going to get exponentially worse on consecutive days. Sometimes trying a different insole and / or lacing pattern can help. If that didn't work for me, I'd be boot shopping again.

 

[wncbrewer]

The tough thing with boots is that it's such a personal thing. What's great for me may not be good for you and horrible for the next guy and so on. I wouldn't take boots that give me hot spots into sheep country. I would call up the lathrop and sons gents and see if they have suggestions. I found them super helpful when I bought my lowa cevedales from them and I absolutely freaking love those boots. I also have a pair of crispi monacos that I use for lighter hiking in easy country, but they don't have a stiff enough shank for rough country in my opinion.

Where do you live? I grew up about an hour west of Asheville, NC and have stomped all over the southern Appalachians. Hope you get the boot issues figured out. Cheers. Mike.

 

[1hoda]

I've got a heel lift problem on one foot with one pair of boots, so here's a pic of how I lace them. Note how the lace is wrapped around itself to lock the heel down tight. Still leaves enough give over the arch so it's not too tight, and lacing up past the ankle is snug but not too tight.

View attachment 34460

 

[yhudson]

I had a similar experience with my hardscrabbles a few of years ago. Luckily I had friends who swore by these boots or I would have thrown them in the trash. Two things I learned; 1) for me the lathrop & sons red footbed inserts eliminated the heel lift issue. 2) when the manufacturer says it takes 50 miles to break the boots in... they are not kidding... and they mean 50 miles in the type of country you're going to hunt. I thought I could break these boots in my wearing them during the summer while taking my daughter on college campus tours. I was wrong. Once I started taking hard hikes with them on the break in process went fairly quickly.

It's very possible Kenetrek boots are not a good fit for you. I HATED these boots for the first couple of months having owned them. Now they are my favorite all time boots.

Good luck!

 

[Cbulla]

Thanks for all the feedback. Going to do a 10 mile loop tomorrow and try darn tough socks with leukotape. I'm going to give these Kenetreks a good test before I move on to a different boot. My wife is from Cullowhee NC. We plan on several weekend trips to areas up there later this spring and summer to hike and camp. Thanks again for the info!

 

[couesbitten]

My son wears Kenetrek boots, and had problems with blisters on his heels, which seems to be a recurring, common problem. The solution was putting a quality aftermarket insole in the boots, something like a Superfeet Green, made all the difference in the world, hasn't had a blister since.

 

[wncbrewer]

No way! I'm from Sylva, which is practically the same thing as Cullowhee. If she's around 30 years old I'll almost bet we know each other.

Small world: sorry to derail your thread with this:/

 

[Cbulla]

wncbrewer no worries! We live in Piedmont NC. She may have babysitted you! Lol! A little older than 30. Did 8 miles today in Kenetreks and felt ok. I do think since I have not tried any other boot I am going to contact L&S to discuss a different boot. Had some heel hotspots but no blister today. That seems to be the norm. Thanks fellas !

 

[quent]

Hotspots are an underlying symptom of poor fit that likely won't change when they break in. If you are getting them after one day, that's only going to get exponentially worse on consecutive days. Sometimes trying a different insole and / or lacing pattern can help. If that didn't work for me, I'd be boot shopping again.

absolutely. most likely a 1/2 size to big.

 

[Cbulla]

Thank you for the guidance. My boots are a half size bigger. I was told to get a half size bigger so to not have problems down hilling.