Lathrop & Sons Experience - Ongoing

[bridgermgmt]

I also look forward to hearing about your results. Sadly, I am in a similar boat to you. Although I was very happy with the initial outcome of my "custom" boots and insoles, I am very disappointed now. My insoles lasted less than 1 season and my boots have not been as quality as I expected considering the 1100$ price tag I paid. I should point out that I am 250lbs and I hike almost daily in these with a 15lb pack.

But by comparison, my crisps Thor boots have had none of the same issues, are lighter, and less than 1/3 the price, will outlast my mountain hunters. Lathrop has great customer service and really did a great job of working with me on getting a good fitting boot. But looking back all things considered, I would be happy if I paid $399 for the total package. To me, the cost does not get outweighed by the performance I have had.

Maybe if the "custom" insoles were included in the price tag of the boots, I would have had a lower expectation. Maybe if the insoles lasted more than July - October, I would have had a better outcome.

 

[teesquare]

So...just curious...$1100...???? I am sure the boots are...nice but...DAY-UMMMM. When I see on their site the L&S boots - they are priced similar to the other "Big 3" brands.....and I can justify the extra $154 for the 3D fitting kit. But - WHY $1100? What other costs are there?
Frankly - let down tot see this.....I do have foot issues, but have been able to deal with them - to some degree- with my own lacing, footbeds, etc...and was looking for a better solution. But I cannot justify 2+ times the cost of Zamberlans, Kenetreks, or Crispi. What's a mother to do?

 

[bridgermgmt]

So...just curious...$1100...???? I am sure the boots are...nice but...DAY-UMMMM. When I see on their site the L&S boots - they are priced similar to the other "Big 3" brands.....and I can justify the extra $154 for the 3D fitting kit. But - WHY $1100? What other costs are there?
Frankly - let down tot see this.....I do have foot issues, but have been able to deal with them - to some degree- with my own lacing, footbeds, etc...and was looking for a better solution. But I cannot justify 2+ times the cost of Zamberlans, Kenetreks, or Crispi. What's a mother to do?

Fit Kit $$$ + Synergy Soles $$ + Boots $$$$ = $$$$$$$$$ All the money.

I was either mislead or I misunderstood how the custom system worked. I asked them two times to confirm the pricing because I had it down different, and twice it was a chore.

With the system your paying upfront for all the "custom" stuff. But then when you need to replace the boots your only paying normal costs. So it stings in the start, but it cools off over time. Or that is, if you get that time.

In my case, I did not. My boots lasted part of a season.

Being very frustrated at the end of a hard elk season, I took it on the chin and went back to square 1. I have since found a better system for myself. I wouldn't say the L&S system is worth the money, but if they didn't charge for the "custom" mapping, since its not really custom imo, and they included a set of their insoles rather than charging for them, then I could see a set of boots from them running max of $599. If that was what I paid, I would be much less let down.

 

[HoytHunter24]

I completely agree. Now that I have gone through the process, I do not think the price tag is worth it. I don't think they really custom fit boots to you. In my experience, all the custom print was used for was to get my foot sizing and to add the proper arch support to the footbed. The boots come from the factory all the same and then they add an arch support to match your foot.

The way I justified this was that I didn't want to keep going through boot brands spending $300-$500 a piece to test out boots. I figured if I just got a custom pair of boots made, I would be one and done even if it cost a little more. I just so happened to have the money laying around at the time so I jumped in. Don't get me wrong, I do like my boots and the customer services the Lathrops give is top notch. They always answered my calls and returned messages ASAP.

This path isn't for everyone and I understand that. I also agree that the custom foot mapping kit and footbed should be included in the custom boot price and that would be much more palatable.

 

[robby denning]

i read through some of the comments from last few weeks, very surprised to hear this about a sponsor and can say that working with them from our beginnings, I can’t remember this happening. Always been a good to great experience.

Hope you’re working with them to resolve this. I didn’t read every post so not sure if they’ve reached back out on this recent issue. They’ve been a great company to our members.


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[InDeep]

My experience was very bad with the product . I bought a pair of the mountain hunters with the event membrane and the synergy soles . I bought them in July of 2018 and by October 2019 they would leak to the point a completely saturated by 45 min of walking through tall grass in morning dew .I had conservatively close to 200 miles on them . I called steven and he was very good about replacing them . But told me I had to remove the laces and get all dirt off all surfaces to avoid micro tears in the membrane . To me this is ridiculous and not feasible, and not needed with any previous or current boot I own . That year I was only hunting over in eastern Oregon . And had I been hunting the coast range ; they would have shredded . Like I said before Steven is a great guy , but they will not take any criticisms of their boot and use a material that wont hold up to any abuse is just absolutely ridiculous. I got the return and sold the boots immediately. They will not get any of my business going forward .As for I don’t feel they test anything .

 

[HoytHunter24]

i read through some of the comments from last few weeks, very surprised to hear this about a sponsor and can say that working with them from our beginnings, I can’t remember this happening. Always been a good to great experience.

Hope you’re working with them to resolve this. I didn’t read every post so not sure if they’ve reached back out on this recent issue. They’ve been a great company to our members.


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I wouldn't say I have any particular issue with the product. I still love my boots. They recommended up front that I replace the synergy foot beds every year, so the fact that mine are wore out after 2 years is not an issue in my mind either. I simply wanted to try a different insole and went with sheep feet.
My comments about not being a custom fit are from my personal experience. I may also have a pretty normal foot that didn't require custom work done to the boot. I can't speak to other peoples experiences. I still say that the Lathrops are fantastic guys to work with or just chat with and I truly like the boots I purchased from them.
In my particular case, I just don't think the overall price tag was worth what I have. I could have bought their standard boot and then gotten a custom orthotic from someone and been where I am at now for far cheaper.

 

[robby denning]

I wouldn't say I have any particular issue with the product. I still love my boots. They recommended up front that I replace the synergy foot beds every year, so the fact that mine are wore out after 2 years is not an issue in my mind either. I simply wanted to try a different insole and went with sheep feet.
My comments about not being a custom fit are from my personal experience. I may also have a pretty normal foot that didn't require custom work done to the boot. I can't speak to other peoples experiences. I still say that the Lathrops are fantastic guys to work with or just chat with and I truly like the boots I purchased from them.
In my particular case, I just don't think the overall price tag was worth what I have. I could have bought their standard boot and then gotten a custom orthotic from someone and been where I am at now for far cheaper.

Hey thanks for chiming back in and clarifying.


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[BRTreedogs]

I left my review on here about it. Can't remember exactly where. Guess no one wanted to listen.
Its not custom.
Like you said all the imprint is for is is length and arch support.
For my custom heal mods all they did was glue in a piece of neoprene to keep my heals from rubbing on the seam. Which made the boots to short.
Not exactly what I expected for $1140 and not what I would call custom.
Ohhhh and they were 6 months late.

 

[ckrhtr]

Going through the exact same thing right now not exactly thrilled with the service. Up front I was very honest that I was not willing to go through the process with an out of stock boot. First pair of boots showed up 3 months after I initially sent in the tracings ,the boots did not fit my feet so I sent them back in. There was no call or communication that the size that I needed was on backorder, I did not find that out until a week after my return boots were received by them after I initiated a call. I reiterated that I was not going to wait on a backorder pair of boots. They indicated that they would find a suitable replacement and give me a call to discuss. I was traveling yesterday when they called, no message was left and I have not received a call back. The boots looked like good quality but the custom fit service is not what I would call custom fit. I understand that COVID has messed with supply chains but I would expect that they would at least communicate what was going on.

 

[TX_Diver]

Interesting. I was getting some rubbing on a toe and they had me mark the location, send them the boots (they sent prepaid label) and they either ground or molded the inside to make it fit better (rubbing is gone now). The boots before I was getting heel rub and they added material into the back of the boot deepen the heel pocket a bit and eliminate that. We've gone back and forth a bit but they've covered shipping both ways every time.


I had good service from L&S but I agree that the price is expensive. I thought their L&S boots were extremely high quality but ultimately the tibets fit better so I went that way. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to someone who was willing to drop the money but there are definitely cheaper options out there.

 

[landoncooley]

These bad boys showed up last night! I can’t begin to describe my initial impression. These are by far the best quality feeling boots I have held. The leather and laces feel great in the hand. I think my favorite feature so far (without walking around in them yet) is the ball bearing lace loops. This makes tightening the laces a breeze and is just a great feature. I have to now call the guys at L&S to go over fit and finish.

I will report back after that call and getting some miles on these new boots.


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Hey just curious, what was your total spend on these? I’ve been battling with different boots that don’t fit my feet well and I’m really considering these, but the cost is no joke!


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[HoytHunter24]

Hey just curious, what was your total spend on these? I’ve been battling with different boots that don’t fit my feet well and I’m really considering these, but the cost is no joke!


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If i remember correctly it was around $1100 total.

 

[landoncooley]

If i remember correctly it was around $1100 total.

Got it, thanks!


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