Can one boot do it all?

[NEPkaspot]

I'm a one bow guy, one arrow, one bino harness, etc. Is there such a thing as one boot that does it all? I'm not as hardcore as some of you I'm sure, mostly a weekend warrior who gets to go on one trip a year, maybe two. When you look at 10" vs. 8", insulated or not, stiff or flexible sole, is there a type of boot out there that does a lot of things well? Which style, height, flex is the most versatile?

 

[Speaks]

Not for me, if nothing else just due to insulation needs. Many years I hunt in temps ranging from 60s or even 70s down to zero or occasionally below.

Personally I keep going further and further into barefoot boots only. This year I will be hunting in the Tracker Forest, Tracker winter, and vivo tundras.

Many past years I used a combo of uninsulated crispi guides, and one of the more heavily insulated ones (dont recall the name) and finaly sorel pack boots if it got real cold.

 

[dgfavor]

For me it's simply one pair of waterproof and one pair of non-waterproof. Sort of translates into early season pair and late season pair. Other than that, lightweight, minimal drop, trail shoe/low boot - currently a pair of Topos and a pair of Xeros for rucking, big game, chukar hunting, taking my wife out to dinner, etc.

 

[Poser]

I have a stiffer, burlier pair of boots for sustained hunts in more difficult terrain. I found them a little too hot and stiff for summer backpacking and warm September hunting so I have a pair of softer flex, more breathable boots as well.

 

[Danny Hoey]

I have a pair of uninsulated and a pair of insulated.

 

[dlee56]

I figure no matter what boot I have my feet sweat in the summer and no matter how much insulation I have my feet are cold in the winter so I just wear a uninsulated full leather crispi year round.

 

[RockAndSage]

This is like asking if you can use a 30-06 as do-all rifle. I mean, yes, you can, but you'll be wishing you had something smaller on rabbits and squirrels.

A lot of guys above list waterproof/not-waterproof, which makes sense for a large part of the country.

Where I live, there's a bit more utility in breaking it down between lightweight vs rugged. Salomon Quest 4s for lightweight and fast for long sandy/rolling stretches, and hot days. Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400g insulated for rugged, and cold-weather. The Salomon's, though, are as close to a do-all, all-around boot as I have found, and they get worn about 90% of the time.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I have one pair of warm weather boots, one pair of cold weather boots, and one pair of mud boots. I don’t know how I could cut down below that in my climate.

 

[The Guide]

I would say no, but that depends on where and when you hunt. The rubber boots I wear hunting the river bottoms for whitetail, turkey, and pheasant won't work on the steep rocky mountains when I'm elk hunting. The boots I wear when it is 75⁰ and dry are way different than the boots I wear when it is -10⁰ and a foot of snow.

If I only hunted one spot for one species then I could probably make things work but I'm all over the state for 6 months out of the year hunting whatever is legal and open.

Jay