I have a pair of footwear questions

[Chris in TN]

I used to work outside and years ago started buying Lowa Zephyr boots for work wear. I didn't work in the rain but I'd wear them after rain. I started with the 6" version and moved to the 8" version and I honestly don't remember how many pairs I've worn out but they have, to me, sort of become the standard in intermediate weather (20 degrees or more, and dry-ish weather) all-purpose boots. I have a pair now with enough life left in them to trust them this fall.

But if it rains or we get a wet snow (this will be 1st rifle, southern CO, I realize there's a decent chance it will be dry and they'll be fine) I'll either suffer through wet feet, or have to bring different boots. Right now my 'cold/wet' boots are a pair of Rockys. Sure, they're fine for what I do with them here in TN where I almost never hunt more than a mile from the truck (a mile is actually difficult on the public land here and there's really only two places I go that I can get over a mile). But they're heavy, and heavy boots suck.

I'm wondering if there's a Lowa boot that is waterproof, or even waterproof for the bottom 4" or so and perhaps I could combine that with a set of quality gaiters. Or if there's another boot in the under-$300 range that would be waterproof at least along the bottoms, so that they could be combined with gaiters.

I recognize that I'll likely need to cross a creek or two this fall. I generally think I will be OK with the Lowas either crossing barefoot or picking rocks to hop. I've done both at home. I've also worn them wet for a mile with no ill effects during turkey season when I had to tote my daughter across a creek to get into a spot one morning. There's a chance I'll just wear them, and bring the Rockys as a backup - but that isn't ideal.

So I guess I need some boot suggestions, and I also want a gaiter suggestion. I haven't worn them in ages and at the time we just bought whatever walmart had and they worked well enough but I'm sure they've improved since I last used any.

Bonus question: I need a quality set of footwear for my daughter. She's 13 with big feet. I don't remember her exact size, I'm thinking she wears a 9.5 or 10 tennis shoe but her feet are a bit on the wide side IIRC. I think she's past the point of needing to buy cheap stuff because her size grows every year, so I don't mind buying quality here, within reason. I think I'd prefer some sort of 8" boot, something similar to my Lowa Zephyr's but possibly waterproof along the bottom, plus gaiters, might work well enough.

That also makes me wonder - could I silicone the Zephyrs and make the bottom part water-resistant enough to wear in snow under a set of gaiters? I think I siliconed a pair in the past but don't remember if it helped or not because we simply don't hunt in the rain/snow much here. Most of our deer killing happens in early November when it's bone dry out.

 

[V2Pnutrition]

I'm wondering if there's a Lowa boot that is waterproof, or even waterproof for the bottom 4" or so and perhaps I could combine that with a set of quality gaiters. Or if there's another boot in the under-$300 range that would be waterproof at least along the bottoms, so that they could be combined with gaiters.

I recognize that I'll likely need to cross a creek or two this fall. I generally think I will be OK with the Lowas either crossing barefoot or picking rocks to hop. I've done both at home. I've also worn them wet for a mile with no ill effects during turkey season when I had to tote my daughter across a creek to get into a spot one morning. There's a chance I'll just wear them, and bring the Rockys as a backup - but that isn't ideal.

So I guess I need some boot suggestions, and I also want a gaiter suggestion. I haven't worn them in ages and at the time we just bought whatever walmart had and they worked well enough but I'm sure they've improved since I last used any.

Bonus question: I need a quality set of footwear for my daughter. She's 13 with big feet. I don't remember her exact size, I'm thinking she wears a 9.5 or 10 tennis shoe but her feet are a bit on the wide side IIRC. I think she's past the point of needing to buy cheap stuff because her size grows every year, so I don't mind buying quality here, within reason. I think I'd prefer some sort of 8" boot, something similar to my Lowa Zephyr's but possibly waterproof along the bottom, plus gaiters, might work well enough.

That also makes me wonder - could I silicone the Zephyrs and make the bottom part water-resistant enough to wear in snow under a set of gaiters? I think I siliconed a pair in the past but don't remember if it helped or not because we simply don't hunt in the rain/snow much here. Most of our deer killing happens in early November when it's bone dry out.

There's alot of factors that will determine how much moisture gets into a pair of boots. Rather than get caught in the semantics of "waterproof" vs water-resistant, I would suggest looking for a boot that has:

1. Some kind of membrane (Gortex, Sympatex, etc.).
2. Take the insole out to see if that wraps into the footbed of the boot vs just the upper.
3. Take a look to see how high that membrane goes up inside of the boot. You could have a boot that runs halfway up your thigh let water in if the membrane stops at your toes.

It's my experience that boots like the Zephyr will wet out at some point if you're hunting in snow/wet conditions. It's just a question of how long it'll take. I spent 7 days in a soaking wet Salomon Quest during September elk season after we got punched with a big weather system early a few years ago.

The best chance I've had against moisture in really wet conditions is an all leather boot that I've treated with a good wax/oil prior to the hunt (I've run the Schnee Granite). I've had those in lots of snow, wet conditions in AK, and a number of other situations without any issue.

Gaiter suggestion: I buy the cheap OR Croc gaiters and they've been great. I wrecked one pair after about 5 years and and they (OR) were great about replacing them. There's options +/- those in price range depending on what you want out of a gaiter.

For your daughter (and without beating the already dead horse above): huge fan of the Salomon Quests for comfort and covering miles. Albeit, they WILL leak and are about shot for me after 1 season.

Silicone: I've repaired several pairs of Salomon with similar type of glues, but it's short-lived. Not only is it going to eventually crack from the flex/temp fluctuations, but at that stage the goal of weight savings and breathability is gone. I'd probably go towards adding something like Sno-Seal over the mesh parts of the boot if I were going to do something like this. Breathability is obviously less in that case, but you're not getting a ton of breathability with a membrane anyway. I've actually done this to stretch a pair of boots into a cold weather hunt and it helped.

Hope that helps!

 

[Lathrop and Sons Boots]

V2Pnutrition has several points that he made mention under 1.2.3.... I might have some other suggestions but a phone conversation is better way to get things done... Call me at 618 544 8782 if you would like to visit...​

Thanks

James

 

[Chris in TN]

V2Pnutrition has several points that he made mention under 1.2.3.... I might have some other suggestions but a phone conversation is better way to get things done... Call me at 618 544 8782 if you would like to visit...​

Thanks

James

Thank you! You have some gorgeous stuff on your site but we are probably going to go with something off the shelf. I'm sort of stretching the budget already to make this trip happen.

 

[Lathrop and Sons Boots]

Thank you! You have some gorgeous stuff on your site but we are probably going to go with something off the shelf. I'm sort of stretching the budget already to make this trip happen.

We do custom fitted as well as retail in our line of boots but also with some other certified brands... A phone conversation doesn't cost you a penny and might save you some pain...

Offer still stands!

Thanks