Looking for my first mountain boots

[PhillyB]

Mine are German made as well.

Sreekers- just curious why you won't buy them from Cabelas? Do you have some insight?

 

[wapitibob]

You really need boots that fit YOUR foot and will work where YOU intend to hunt.
I'm not a Kenetrek fan. Way too much boot for the places I hunt and way too many stories on MM about failures.
My Pronghorns were comfortable but only waterproof for about 1/4 mile, again, where I hunt. You asked about Moabs and I have them on my feet right now. Not much of a "boot" for high alpine rocky ground but plenty for where I hunt in NM.
I like the looks of the Crispi stuff but to be honest, now days I don't buy boots from anyplace but REI. My favorites are the Lowa Renegades. Again, not a Sheep or mountaineering boot but plenty for where I hunt.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Mine are German made as well.

Sreekers- just curious why you won't buy them from Cabelas? Do you have some insight?

It's nothing personal against Cabelas, its just that when I do some digging there are many other options for Meindl boots if they don't have the Cabela's label.

 

[Lawnboi]

My meindl alaskas are made in germany, id assume some of thier cheaper boots are made overseas.

Everyone can reccomend brand x boot, but if you see the one similarity in just about all the posts, all the good brands are made in europe.

 

[dirtytough]

I used Meindl's in Ak while guiding for sheep and after. The first year I had over 500 miles on them and they were great. I finally wore them out after a couple years. I wanted a slightly lighter weight boot so I tried some Lowa Banffs. I wore two pairs out in one season. (thanks REI for your return policy) Currently I'm using Zambelans.

 

[sneek-ee]

Hey marshrat, if you want a good deal on some pretty good boots camofire.com has kenetreks on there right now at a pretty good price.
the crispi's and kenetrek's come up quite a bit if you watch the site...

 

[miller1]

i just got some Meindl perfekt hikers and they are made in Germany also, i think there cheaper boots might be made in Vietnam but there high end boots are all made in Germany

 

[ridgefire]

i have been using the meindl denalis for 5 years now and they still in great shape. the rubber rand really seems to help protect the leather from rocks and what not.

 

[lorneparker1]

LOts of options. DO NOT CHEAP OUT. I tried kentreks first, and they didnt fit the way i like, sent them back, got lowa pro tibets, loved them but to narrow, sent them back and got the wide, and I am in love. Too each there own, but lowa makes a boot that will last forever and more support then you could ever use

 

[Easton]

I suggest to buy the best boots you can afford and definitely try them on before buying (if possible). Each brand will fit different and depending on your feet, a certain boot may not work. I can tell you from experience that if you buy a boot that doesn't have good support for your ankles and a stiff shank, your feet and ankles are going to give you big problems. My first sheep hunt I wore Meindle perfect hikers (mids,6- 8'') and my ankles were crazy swollen from the lack of support under a heavy load (camp and sheep on a 11 mile hike). I learned my lesson the hard way. All the above mentioned brands are great boots especially (Meindle Alaskan Hunters, Lowa Sheep Hunter GTX, Kenetreks, etc.).

 

[Ozz08]

I usually agree with the " buy the best you can afford" on all hunting gear except when it comes to boots. I say buy the best you can find (that fit you of course) whether you can afford them or not. Don't mess with your feet. Your boots are the most important pieces of equipment on a hunt IMO. Good boots are one of the few things that I will bust out the credit card for. I'm not saying you should skip the mortgage payment for boots but if you are working 40hrs a week and aren't already in a ton of cc debt then most of us should be able to charge a few hundred bucks and pay it off in a month. And if anything is worth it for a hunt your feet are.