Recommend some Rubber Knee Boots to me

Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
32
Location
NW WA
I have always been a leather boot guy. Recently I got a new pup and we are out tromping the swampy and slushy fields and woods everyday exercising and training. I was thinking about the elk guides I went with in Alberta a few years ago and they wore nothing but rubber knee boots everyday and hiked everywhere in them. I’d like to try some.
Any particular ones you’ve actually owned and worn and can recommend? Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I wear XtraTufs just about every day in the winter (6 months o_O), and moose hunting....they're no hikers but you get used to em.
 
Lacrosse Alphaburly are the best I have used. No problem putting miles on while carrying a 30-40 lb pack.

Cheaper ones provide little to no support.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've been really impressed with the Muck arctic sport boots. So much so that I find myself wearing them instead of my "bunny boots" for winter activities here in AK, even at our cabin in the interior. Never been cold in them, despite temps down to -30. Walking in snow and slush or ice fishing. I had some lacross boots for years, but disliked them bc they had a seam on the front that put pressure on my shins and made a sore spot.
 
Thanks, Which model Lacrosse do you wear?

Alpha Burly. I typically will get 5-7 years out of a pair and mine get worn a lot. The insulated ones are not as good for covering distance but I typically only wear those if I am going to be in a tree with temps at or below freezing.
 
+1 for xtra tuffs. Put some good insoles in them and you’ll get more hiking out of them than you expected.
 
I've used the Mucks and Bogs. Bogs last 3 times longer then Mucks for me. Comfort wise I didn't notice any difference. Also Bogs are $70 cheaper here. After 2 pairs of Mucks in 2 years I am on my second pair of Bogs and this is year 6 with them. These will last through next year also I bet.
 
I'm on year 5 with a pair of Muck Wetlands for dog training and winter chores. They're holding up darn well.

That said, if durability is a concern then the Xtra Tuffs are... extra tough. I used to work as a deckhand on tugboats and barges and that job eats gear. Xtra Tuffs stood up to hard use better than any boot out there.
 
I wear XtraTufs just about every day in the winter (6 months o_O), and moose hunting....they're no hikers but you get used to em.
Old thread, I know, but those of you who wear the Xtratuf boots I'm curious which model you wear. I'm considering them for AK moose hunting as well as mid-season sits on whitetail stands. I don't expect rubber boots to be great or even good hikers. For my uses I expect them to keep me dry and warm first and be nothing more than what they are for the limited amount of hiking they will be used for.
Thanks.
 
Kind of the standard knee high with the chevron sole. I do get the steel toe version because I smash my toes into things too often.

If you have wide calf's you might want to look at the one that has an expanding top.

I use deck boots to hunt blacktail and Roosevelt elk, quite often covering 20+ miles a day. It takes some training and getting used to, but no reason you can't cover ground with them.

I don't understand people that have rubber boots other than deck boots, they are amazing.
 
Old thread, I know, but those of you who wear the Xtratuf boots I'm curious which model you wear. I'm considering them for AK moose hunting as well as mid-season sits on whitetail stands. I don't expect rubber boots to be great or even good hikers. For my uses I expect them to keep me dry and warm first and be nothing more than what they are for the limited amount of hiking they will be used for.
Thanks.
I just use the regular 15" non insulated version, and double up my socks...a liner sock (usually Columbia), and a heavy oversock like 35 Below...not ideal for standing around in the snow, it's best to keep moving....but with elastic ankle bibs on, you can really blast through some drifts and stay bone dry.
 
Appreciate the replys and find it interesting neither of you use the insulated Xtratufs. Anyone reading this use the insulated Xtratufs?
 
I have a pair of insulated Viking deck boots (similar tread design as xtratuffs), they are ok. Some things I like, some things I really don't. Their insulation is a layer of neopreen that adds a little bit of warmth, but not a ton.

My father has a pair of insulated xtratuffs, he likes them, but he will wear them in pretty warm conditions so I am guessing they are not super warm either.
 
For non-insulated, best all day walking rubber boots I've had - Gumleaf Royal Zip are excellent so far. Have mine sized too small to be a cold weather / tree stand type boot.
 
I've switched to using rubber boots all hunting season for a number of years now and all other seasons when I would be in water or wet grass. Grouse/woodcock hunting in the alders. Quail hunting in crp. Deer hunting and predator calling. Past few years I've been using xtratuffs and lacrosse grange boots. Early to mid season I switched to the grange boots since they were a bit cheaper than the xtratuffs and neither was getting me more than 1 season before I would start getting cracks at flex points around the ankle and ball of my foot.

The grange boots are a few inches taller which is nice for crossing swamps and creeks. The xtratuffs have a footbed that is a bit more solid. The xtratuffs are harder to clean mud out of the tread. Neither give any real ankle support, but I haven't had any twisted ankles since I switched to them and have strengthened my ankles.

I generally switch from the un-insulated to insulated once snow is on the ground- I've had the same pair of insulated xtratuffs for over three years now without any flex cracks but they do have some barbed wire wounds. They don't see as many miles as the un-insulated boots. I use them all winter wearing them with a pair of wool socks.

Once temps get into the teens or lower I usually then switch to my bunny boots for ice fishing or snowmobiling but if I'm doing much walking I continue to use the insulated xtratuffs all winter.
 
Back
Top