Boots on the ground

[LarryB]

August caribou hunt on the haul road doing the 5 mile hike to the rifle zone and undoubtedly many more miles during the trip.
From those that have actually been there and done that… are $700 boots (Kennetrek, Crispi,..) necessary to stay dry and injury free on the tundra or will the more common and less expensive waterproof hunting boots (Redhead, Danner,..) work just fine?

 

[rickyw]

You will benefit from boots that really stabilize your ankles and have stiff soles. The danners I have had don’t do that very well (military issue and pronghorns) compared to the hanwags that I mountain hunt in

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Kenetrek is a solid choice. If you don't go with the calf-high model I'd encourage gators for boggy portions of the trek.

 

[DawnPatrol]

I like Danner boots for fit, durability and support (and price of course) but wouldn’t count on them to keep my feet dry in swampy tundra. Had two pairs, both leaked. My Crispi’s do not.

 

[mcseal2]

One of my friends boots failed on him, they got soaked and the glue on the soles gave out. He wore my spare Kennetreks most of our hunt. He likes gore-tex socks too with his old boots that weren’t real waterproof.

I’d invest in good boots myself.

 

[Geewhiz]

Last year many areas off the haul road were above a 10 inch boot anyway. Feet were soaked from the get go. Boot waterproofness didn't matter. In fact it might have been better if they weren't waterproof so the water inside the boot could drain out easier.