Danner Boots still a good brand?

[505Wapiti]

I have don’t wear Danner boots anymore just because there are others that fit me better, but I do have their hiking shoes that I love. I bought Danner’s for my 15 year old to hunt in and he has covered lots of rough miles with zero issues for whatever that’s worth.

 

[Bearwhisky]

Ive been wearing the mountain 600 boots to work in for about 5 years. Im on my 5th pair…they last me about one year. They are kind of a hybrid of a trail runner sole with an all leather upper. Im on my feet basically all day and they are very comfortable. After about 9 months the soles start getting compressed and loosing their support. Could probably get a longer life out of a boot with a more dense sole but i like the cushioning they provide. They remain waterproof through the life of the boot (literally standing in stagnant water) but are not the most breathable. I would not choose them for rigorous mountain use but they are great for me at work and daily chores.


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[ptpalpha]

I've worn them for around 25 years. Acadia and Super Rainforest at work, and the original all leather hunters (with the air-bob soles!) for hunting long ago.
I only have experience with their made in America models, but here's my $.02:
1. They're heavy. The Rainforest feel like lead.
2. They're not inexpensive, by any metric.
3. Their soles seem to wear out much faster than they used to.
Side note: I had a pair where one boot squeaked with every step. I contacted Danner and got the same response: it'll wear in.
It never stopped.
4. I've had 3 pair re-soled over the years, and I just can't recommend it anymore. They've sadly become boots that simply aren't worth the trouble and expense of re-soling.
Takeaway: there are better boots in this price range. I recently switched to Lowa R6's to replace the Acadias and so far I'm happy with the change.

 

[Middleofnowhere]

I had great luck with Danner Thorofares, they are a true Mountain Boot. I’m going to buy another pair when there is a sale. I wrote a reveiw a few years ago.

Danner Thorofare Review

I just ordered a pair of Thorofare boots directly from Danner. With tax, the price shipped to California, is $545. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll post a review of the boots during break in and use. I’m hopeful these turn out to be a great “Made in USA” alternative to other high end boots...

rokslide.com

The only downside I have with the Thorofare is that there is not a loop or a tab at the back of the boot. When my hands are cold, it was difficult gripping the boot to slide my foot in.

My current desert boot is a Danner Reckoning:

Danner - Danner Reckoning

Danner boots are a mark of superior craftsmanship, Our hiking, hunting, work, military, and law enforcement boots are built with GORE-TEX waterproof liners, durable Vibram outsoles, and full-grain leather.

www.danner.com

For desert or dry terrain I can’t recommend this boot enough. I will definitely buy more of these as they are not “re-craftable”.

I wear “re-craftable” leather boots for work (road construction) and buy Red Wing, Thorogood and Danner. I’ve re-soled some old boots a half dozen or more times. Finding a good shoe repair company is harder and harder to do these days.

 

[Elkslut]

Used to really like dinners, seems lately they don't want to hold up but price keeps going up.

 

[416safari]

I have two pair of Danner Grouse that are at least 18 years old. I wore them in Africa last year and they were way more boot than I needed. I originally bought them for Elk hunting in the Oregon mountains.

They are way more than I need in the Midwest so I am looking for boots that are lighter weight but comfortable and durable. Also need to be easier to put on. The tongue on my Danners restricts my ability to put them on. Of course I am 74 and can't bend over as well

 

[Hnthrdr]

What are good recommendations for insulated boots? Have a 3rd rifle CO hunt this year and am looking into an insulated pair of boots. I like my uninsulated Crispis and have looked at Hanwags as well

Leave insulated boots at home, invest in quality socks…

 

[Sunshine40]

I wear Danner work boots every day at work (I get a pretty good discount with my union card). I got a few of their hunting boots and haven't been very impressed. I got a pair of Vitals that were OK and wore them for a few seasons. Got a pair of Recurves and absolutely hated them. I wore them twice and now they are rotting in the back of my closet.

Look at high quality non hunting hiking boots. My brother is a green barret and got me turned onto Solomons and Salewas. For the types of hunting I do I'd never go back to "hunting boots" let alone Danners.

 

[MallardSX2]

Those danner elk hunters I had years ago were super comfortable but I wore them out easily in 2 months.

 

[BDWMT]

Was a big fan 20 years ago but they seem to have evolved into a lower end boot with the foreign made line. Had a horrible warranty experience last year. I had purchased a pair of the USA made upland boots several years ago when discontinued. I had a pair with many miles that had been rebuilt a couple times. I retired the old pair and did a hunt with the new pair. One hour in the heel fell off. I called Danner and they would only do a complete rebuild. After several minutes of arguing that a full rebuild wasn’t necessary I gave up. Took them to a local shop and had it repaired for $50. I’m done with Danner.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Couldn’t pay me to wear them.

 

[Shamwoah444]

I’m a land surveyor and spend most of my days walking up mountains and rough terrain. The elk hunters are by far my favorite but recently bought a pair of crater rims and I’m excited to try them out.

 

[fishslap]

Pronghorns were some of my first hunting boot. Loved them until they leaked. Not a boot I’d buy again. I have their east ridge for cold snowy hunts or hike in ice fishing. I believe these are US made and a good boot for the conditions just mentioned. I live in scrapa kinesis pro in all other conditions so the east ridge don’t get used much.

 

[solarshooter]

I used to only wear Danners, starting maybe 12 years ago, ending about 4 years ago. I experienced many quality issues with them towards the end, even the American made ones, and ended up switching to Crispi's which are lightyears higher quality in my experience.

 

[Pdzoller]

Years ago everyone at work was wearing Danners and would get 2-3 years out of them. Now nobody is wearing them except for new guys and they seem to be about a 6 month boot. Waterproofing is a crapshoot.

 

[oldskool67]

My USA made ones are still going strong. But it’s like any tool, you need one specific for the job

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have a fading love affair with danner.

30 years ago as a young army private, I bought my first pair of acadias. They were a fortune back then but great and light years ahead of the issue boots we had then. I owned a dozen pair through those years. Wore them out, resoled them, had them rebuilt once, and generally beat the hell out of them. I still have two pair of acadias and a set of full leather insulated boots that are +15 years old and hold up well to light use. I use them for upland hunts when the miles are low and occasionally for other things. Truth is I have other boots that are lighter, more comfortable and perform as well if not better - mainly Crispi and Merrell - but they do cost quite a bit more.

I tried some of the newer danner designs and couldn’t love them. Agree with the point made above about sticking with their USA made line. I trashed a couple of pairs of their tachyons in pretty short order using them as outdoor work boots. I have a set of old bull runs that are great for indoor work but slick soled so not right for outdoors. I also have pair of surplus mountain extremes that are the .mil versions of their crater rims. Durable as hell but heavy and not all that comfortable. I can’t see adding any more danners to the stable once these wear out.

Rambling a bit, but I guess I would say I am still something of a nostalgic fan but feel the quality issue is too variable to trust them and that there are better options for long mile trips.