Boots: light and fast or heavy and bomb proof?

[gostovp]

Even though I'm over 50, a flatlander, and have a total Dad Bod, I'm moving away from really stiff boots too...when I starting this journey for finding footwear for western hunting I thought I needed the stiff boots...got a pair of Hanwag Alaskans ... they are really nice boots for sure, but after several days of hiking (even in the Midwest here), I find my big toes goes numb...I don't get this at all in more flexible boots (I think it's a function of my personal foot anatomy and my gait)...
Plus, the weight of those heavy boots really adds up over the course of 7 days of hiking...that's 10's of thousands of steps with 6 to 8 oz more on each foot...
This past year I used Schnees Kestrels and had good luck with them (after they were broke in...took 40 miles to stop getting heel blisters), and I picked up a pair of Lowa Renegades on a recent clearance sale and really like them (knowing full well they will likely be trashed after a season or two)....
But in one of the most recent Exo Mtn Gear podcasts where they talked about footwear, they basically state that these lighter weight boots are likely a yearly consumable item, and you need to accept the fact that they will likely need to be replaced every year or every other year and that's just part of the cost of hunting.

 

[Bwalker]

Even though I'm over 50, a flatlander, and have a total Dad Bod, I'm moving away from really stiff boots too...when I starting this journey for finding footwear for western hunting I thought I needed the stiff boots...got a pair of Hanwag Alaskans ... they are really nice boots for sure, but after several days of hiking (even in the Midwest here), I find my big toes goes numb...I don't get this at all in more flexible boots (I think it's a function of my personal foot anatomy and my gait)...
Plus, the weight of those heavy boots really adds up over the course of 7 days of hiking...that's 10's of thousands of steps with 6 to 8 oz more on each foot...
This past year I used Schnees Kestrels and had good luck with them (after they were broke in...took 40 miles to stop getting heel blisters), and I picked up a pair of Lowa Renegades on a recent clearance sale and really like them (knowing full well they will likely be trashed after a season or two)....
But in one of the most recent Exo Mtn Gear podcasts where they talked about footwear, they basically state that these lighter weight boots are likely a yearly consumable item, and you need to accept the fact that they will likely need to be replaced every year or every other year and that's just part of the cost of hunting.

Stiff boots and heavy boots really wear you out much quicker and for most hunting you just don't need mountaineering boot level support.