Boots: light and fast or heavy and bomb proof?

[Ucsdryder]

After 10 years of soft soled hiking boot, I’ll be testing and comparing the Schnee Beartooth V3 to my Solomon 4d gtx.

There are things I really liked about my “hippie hikers”: weight, comfort, price, and a couple of aspects that have really ground my gears: durability and lack of waterproofness.

I spent 7 days in the Colorado Rockies, muzzle loader elk hunting, wearing the beartooth, and while I have a couple more months of hunts to test and compare, my gears are already turning about my future boot choice.

For anyone who has transitioned from stiff to flexible or flexible to stiff, I’d like to hear your thought process. Does anyone use both, depending on the hunt, weather forecast, and terrain?

Here’s a thread I started out of frustration a few months ago.

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/i-think-im-finally-done-with-salomon.356417/

A couple of pictures from my elk hunt. The weather was great but area was WET! I found one of the coolest wallows I’ve ever seen. It was formed when a huge fir tree uprooted and fell over The elk were hitting it daily.

 

[SDHNTR]

Stiff and heavy when carrying a heavy pack and/or expecting a lot of sidehilling. Light and fast when not.

 

[Hnthrdr]

That actually is a really cool wallow

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Dang, cool wallow!

Light and fast for me.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Stiff and heavy when carrying a heavy pack and/or expecting a lot of sidehilling. Light and fast when not.

Which is always my dilemma here in Alaska. You have needs for both things on the same hunt, especially walking in and solo. So difficult to get it right.

 

[TheM1DoesMyTalking]

I used those Solomons for years. I've switched to Crispi Lapponia and Lapponia Lites and won't be going back. Or going to a heavy boot. The only stiff boots I own are for climbing with crampons.