Hello everyone, I am a new member here and this is my first post. I have been elk hunting for many years now but just decided to finally join the forum. I am a long time lurker here and have learned a lot from this site.
Anyways, I am gearing up for an elk hunt and realize that I really should get a new set of boots for the hunt in 3 weeks and start breaking them in...
I looked up historical weather for the area we'll be hunting and this was the data I gathered for the last four years from the closest USGS weather station:
average highs of 32.75 +/- 10 degrees F
average lows of 16.4 +/- 10.5 degrees F
average daily temperature 24.5 +/- 9.6 degrees F
average snow on the ground 8.5 +/- 3.75 inches
So it will likely be below freezing with 5-10" of snow for the entire hunt.
Last year I used a pair of Merrill Moab 3 goretex. I am pretty fond of these boots and wear them pretty much all year. They're cheap and work pretty well for me in early-mid season. I have noticed that my feet get pretty sweaty in them and then that causes my feet to freeze when stopping or at a stand. I suspect the gortex liner may be the problem. I usually wear wool or synthetic wool socks (smartwool, fox river, etc) but this hasn't seemed to help. In fact, I've noticed drier feet just wearing cheap military cotton socks.
Now I'm looking for a better boot for the snowy and cold conditions that are likely. There are three boots I am considering:
-Zamberlan 972 Guide Max GTX - Looks like a great boot but I am concerned that the goretex liner may cause the same issues with too much foot sweating.
-Zamberlan Latemar - Non gortex boot which will probably reduce the sweating concern but maybe this is a bad idea with all of the snow that is likely? Will the Norwegian welt and no rubber rand be too heavy and not resist water intrusion?
-HanWang Yukon - Similar to the Latemar in being non Goretex but does not have a Norwegian welt.
I am leaning towards the Zamberlan Guides GTX because it seems like a safer option. Sweaty feet sucks but wet feet from water getting in sucks more. I am nervous that the non-goretex boots are maybe too risky (although I know products can be used to increase water resistance on leather boots). I will likely get some gaiters regardless of what boot I choose.
Anyways, I am gearing up for an elk hunt and realize that I really should get a new set of boots for the hunt in 3 weeks and start breaking them in...
I looked up historical weather for the area we'll be hunting and this was the data I gathered for the last four years from the closest USGS weather station:
average highs of 32.75 +/- 10 degrees F
average lows of 16.4 +/- 10.5 degrees F
average daily temperature 24.5 +/- 9.6 degrees F
average snow on the ground 8.5 +/- 3.75 inches
So it will likely be below freezing with 5-10" of snow for the entire hunt.
Last year I used a pair of Merrill Moab 3 goretex. I am pretty fond of these boots and wear them pretty much all year. They're cheap and work pretty well for me in early-mid season. I have noticed that my feet get pretty sweaty in them and then that causes my feet to freeze when stopping or at a stand. I suspect the gortex liner may be the problem. I usually wear wool or synthetic wool socks (smartwool, fox river, etc) but this hasn't seemed to help. In fact, I've noticed drier feet just wearing cheap military cotton socks.
Now I'm looking for a better boot for the snowy and cold conditions that are likely. There are three boots I am considering:
-Zamberlan 972 Guide Max GTX - Looks like a great boot but I am concerned that the goretex liner may cause the same issues with too much foot sweating.
-Zamberlan Latemar - Non gortex boot which will probably reduce the sweating concern but maybe this is a bad idea with all of the snow that is likely? Will the Norwegian welt and no rubber rand be too heavy and not resist water intrusion?
-HanWang Yukon - Similar to the Latemar in being non Goretex but does not have a Norwegian welt.
I am leaning towards the Zamberlan Guides GTX because it seems like a safer option. Sweaty feet sucks but wet feet from water getting in sucks more. I am nervous that the non-goretex boots are maybe too risky (although I know products can be used to increase water resistance on leather boots). I will likely get some gaiters regardless of what boot I choose.
