Hoffman vs schnee vs kennetrek

[Mosby]

I just bought a pair of Schnee's Elk Hunter II a few weeks ago and wore them in Colorado in heavy snow. I normally wear a 13W. They broke in quickly and were very comfortable. The leather upper is top quality. The air bob sole worked well on the trails, snow and ice. They were pretty warm as well when sitting and glassing. I had to cut my hunt short but they were a nice addition to my gear this year.

I would highly recommend them.

 

[Michael54]

So I decided to go with the hoffman hunters. They should be at my door sometime today actually. I'm anxious to see how they fit my feet and hold up to a few months of brush and briars. My reasoning was 1. I tried on a pair of kennetreks and they squeezed my foot way too much. 2. The schnees seem to have a few more seams in the foot area of the boot looking at the pictures? I figured less seams = less chance of a leak. 3. When I called Hoffmans the two different women I talked to were extremely nice,I don't think that I was communicating my needs clearly and I could still tell that they genuinely wanted to help me. Hopefully these hoffmans fit my foot width the way im hoping. Ordering from a new company with no chance of trying them on is always a coin flip for me having to send them back. Pretty sure if these work out my next purchase will be a pair of Schnees pac boots to see if they are more support than my muck boots.

 

[Michael54]

And the Hoffman hunters are not the boot for me my feet are constricted the whole way around in the toebox, top of toes, and not only my big toe but also the inside of the ball of my foot and against my pinky toe. I called Hoffmans and she said not much if any give in the toebox over time.

 

[Hoffman Boots]

And the Hoffman hunters are not the boot for me my feet are constricted the whole way around in the toebox, top of toes, and not only my big toe but also the inside of the ball of my foot and against my pinky toe. I called Hoffmans and she said not much if any give in the toebox over time.

Hi Michael,

Sounds like the boot may be a bit small on your foot - would a 1/2 size larger help? I would pull the insole out of the boot and stand on it with your heel in the cup of the insole. You should have a good 1/2 inch from the tip of the insole to where your first toe is. Do this and let me know.

Jim Hoffman

 

[Michael54]

Hi Michael,

Sounds like the boot may be a bit small on your foot - would a 1/2 size larger help? I would pull the insole out of the boot and stand on it with your heel in the cup of the insole. You should have a good 1/2 inch from the tip of the insole to where your first toe is. Do this and let me know.

Jim Hoffman

Thanks for the help Jim! Hopefully the next size up makes a difference. Customer service like yours is hard to find anymore. I really appreciate it

 

[jacknifejc]

I’m super picky with my boots. I wore Vasques for 15 years until they started making them in China. You couldn’t give me a pair of them now. I tried the Kenetreks after that. They did run a little small and narrow. They were also the noisiest boots I have ever seen. I decided to try the White’s Outdoorsman boots. I have ten other pairs of White’s boots and have been wearing them to work and ranching for 30 years. Their Outdoorsman boots are outstanding. I couldn’t be happier with them. However, I do like the looks of the Hoffman hunting boots and might have to give them a try. I usually like to rotate boots every second or third day.

 

[Michael54]

I’m super picky with my boots. I wore Vasques for 15 years until they started making them in China. You couldn’t give me a pair of them now. I tried the Kenetreks after that. They did run a little small and narrow. They were also the noisiest boots I have ever seen. I decided to try the White’s Outdoorsman boots. I have ten other pairs of White’s boots and have been wearing them to work and ranching for 30 years. Their Outdoorsman boots are outstanding. I couldn’t be happier with them. However, I do like the looks of the Hoffman hunting boots and might have to give them a try. I usually like to rotate boots every second or third day.

I went with the hoffman hunters uninsulated (I will mostly be walking in these boots while rabbit hunting) in a 10.5 wide which were borderline too short for my foot and pinched between my pinky to and big toe left to right and really pushed on the top of my foot where the bridge meets my toes. I talked to Jim and he sent me 11s that arrived today. Alot more room in the toebox left to right and only slightly snug on the top of my foot with my thickest pair of socks on. (So slight that i think after a break in they will be fine) he suggested i take them to a shoe repair shop and have them put a boot stretcher for a bit. I switched into a thinner sock to see how much of a difference it made and they fit well and are super comfortable. I'm completely impressed with the quality of the boot and their customer service.

 

[Lonald]

I've been browsing these forums for awhile now and searching for reviews and think I have it narrowed down to the hoffman hunters, kennetrek mtn extreme, schnee beartooth. I'm a big guy whose legs are in really good shape but love eating too much for the rest of me to be. 6'3 290 to 300lbs with feet that sweat alot. I do alot of rabbit hunting in western pa with my dogs and cover alot of ground daily. My go to boot was the cabelas ultralight hunter in 10.5 wide with a sock liner and alpaca wicking sock the past 4 years. Sadly they leak so bad now if i walk through heavy dew i can wring my sock and fill a water bottle. I need something light weight that can carry my big self for hours at a time and not soak my feet at the first sign of dew. I'm not cheap by any means but am a guy that likes to buy once and have it last. Any suggestions or recommendations? These would only be used for rabbit hunting and upland bird hunting and an occasional mule deer hunt in wyoming. I stick to my muck wetlands for pa deer season. Any insight would be greatly appreciated as I'm rather gunshy on dropping $400 plus on the wrong boot

I love my Kenetrek’s they felt much better than the Schnee’s to me, I was 300# when I bought them they have been to I’d, Co and Alaska I’m 260# now lol

 

[keepriding]

I have used both brands. I started with kennetreks mountain extremes and absolutely loved them. They fit me perfectly. After those were wore out I wanted to compare them to the schnees granites to see which was better. The granites are a great boot so far. I had to return them for a larger size shortly after I got them. The customer service was great and they had me a larger boot right away. Overall the kennetreks get my final vote based on fit.

 

[jacknifejc]

I went with the hoffman hunters uninsulated (I will mostly be walking in these boots while rabbit hunting) in a 10.5 wide which were borderline too short for my foot and pinched between my pinky to and big toe left to right and really pushed on the top of my foot where the bridge meets my toes. I talked to Jim and he sent me 11s that arrived today. Alot more room in the toebox left to right and only slightly snug on the top of my foot with my thickest pair of socks on. (So slight that i think after a break in they will be fine) he suggested i take them to a shoe repair shop and have them put a boot stretcher for a bit. I switched into a thinner sock to see how much of a difference it made and they fit well and are super comfortable. I'm completely impressed with the quality of the boot and their customer service.

Have you been wearing your Hoffman boots? If so, how do you like them? I’m seriously considering buying a pair of them.

 

[Michael54]

Have you been wearing your Hoffman boots? If so, how do you like them? I’m seriously considering buying a pair of them.

Yes. I really like them. Ill be putting them to an 8 hr test saturday rabbit hunting an old strip mine

 

[Michael54]

I love my Kenetrek’s they felt much better than the Schnee’s to me, I was 300# when I bought them they have been to I’d, Co and Alaska I’m 260# now lol

Im usually pushing 300 by the start of hunting season and then im in the mid to low 270's at the end. I played offensive line all through school and college and just accepted the fact that i will never be a swimwear model the good news is I wont ever have to worry about blowing money on high end hunting clothes because most wont fit me lol

 

[Michael54]

Update on the boots. I hunted two different locations here and covered approximately 4-5 miles. The first area is an old strip mine turned game lands. I went there just because its my closest to real thing for side hilling near my home. The boots worked well. I did fall one time due to the fact that for some uninteligent reason i decided to stand with only my boot arches making contact with a wet bark stripped branch on the hill side.. As i did it i was calling myself a dumbass on the way down. The boot tread design is nice. Even though extremely wet out i had no problem getting up or down or across the basin as needed with little to no foot slip. My feet stayed when they were placed. By the time i was done there i was feeling pretty confident that the traction aspect of the boots was not going to fail me. The second location i went to is in a narrow valley that is actually flood plain. Its one of my favorite spots to rabbit hunt. And usually the first place i realize my boots are no longer waterproof. This is where i think i found my favorite part of the tread design. No matter how much mud i walked through it took at most a simple kick to the bottom of a tree trunk and the mud was gone. At this point i almost lost one of my dogs and ended up calling it a day. All 3 of my dogs got on a rabbit and went on a really long circle. At the end of the circle only 2 dogs were behind the rabbit when i shot it and my 3rd dog was nowhere to be seen. I leashed and handed those 2 dogs off to my hunting partner and started looking. I basically did a reverse walk of what i thought the rabbit did. I found my dog stuck in a mud bog with mud almost to the middle of her back. The fact that i managed to get my dog out of it and back to the truck with dry feet was shocking. I headed home after that scare. Once home i hosed them off and they are now drying. The snug area at the tops of my toes is gone. The only thing i did notice was a slight ache of my arches that im not really used to having. But most boots i buy arent that stiff and most dont have a natural rocker to the boot. With that being said unlike my old boots i had no discomfort in my achilles and calves. If these boots hold up like i think they will they will be replaced with another pair when they wear out for sure.