Schnee Kestrel

[Drewdog10]

Looking for new hiking boots and wondering if the schnee kestrels would be a good investment or if I should go with something else. Thanks

 

[xcutter]

I like mine. They have held up well. My only complaint is it took a while to break them in. Being a 1 flex stiffness they were harder to break in than my Timberline's. Great boot though. Sole holding up well. Still waterproof. Ankle support is not comparable to the Timberline's though.

 

[Hawkeye29]

I have a pair in size 9.5ee. I wanted to get a shorter height pair to go with my Beartooth’s but the Kestrels are quite a different feel from them. I don’t mind them but I would have gone with the Beartooth mid’s next time.

 

[cumminsbassguy]

They run true to width. So if you need a wide. Be sure to get a wide

 

[Drewdog10]

I have a pair in size 9.5ee. I wanted to get a shorter height pair to go with my Beartooth’s but the Kestrels are quite a different feel from them. I don’t mind them but I would have gone with the Beartooth mid’s next time.

Would you think it would be smarter to do beartooths?


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[skeptic]

Boots are weird. I love my Kennetrek Mountain Extremes, couldn't even wear the Hardscrabbles. Instant blisters.

I have worn almost every kind of Schnees boot there is. The Kestrel is the only one that works for me. All the other ones I have had some type of issue with. Heel slippage, leaky, etc. So far the Kestrels have been my go to, especially in warmer weather.

 

[Hawkeye29]

Would you think it would be smarter to do beartooths?


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Its totally up to what you are looking for, It's a preference thing for sure. Just depends on what you want. Neither boot is bad for me. The top lace hooks could be a 1/4" back in my opinion though.

 

[gostovp]

I have a pair in 11.5W. I measure right on the edge of a D and E width and the wides fit well, but I do have flat feet and have toes that splay out. I initially got heel blisters with them, but that was likely due to break in and the fact they don't have heel lock lace hooks (which is my main complaint with the boot). However, I do a heel lock lacing technique on the last two eyelets before lacing up the speed hooks and that seems to help. Build quality and durabilty of the boots is very high.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Looking for new hiking boots and wondering if the schnee kestrels would be a good investment or if I should go with something else. Thanks

I’m mid way through the season on the bear tooth. They’ve been on 3 elk hunts and a moose hunt with more hunts planned. So far, so good!

Boots: light and fast or heavy and bomb proof?

After 10 years of soft soled hiking boot, I’ll be testing and comparing the Schnee Beartooth V3 to my Solomon 4d gtx. There are things I really liked about my “hippie hikers”: weight, comfort, price, and a couple of aspects that have really ground my gears: durability and lack of...

rokslide.com

 

[Coues hunter]

I rotated between the Beartooths, Kestrals, and Mission 2.0 boots (yes, I like Schnees boots). The Kestrels have about 3 fulls seasons on them. Still look and feel great. The boots probably have 2 or 3 more seasons worth of use in them, if not more. They are real nice for dry desert hunts and dry archery elk. Good support. They have stayed waterproof but due to their low height water can seep in. Overall great light and fast boots.

 

[gostovp]

I rotated between the Beartooths, Kestrals, and Mission 2.0 boots (yes, I like Schnees boots). The Kestrels have about 3 fulls seasons on them. Still look and feel great. The boots probably have 2 or 3 more seasons worth of use in them, if not more. They are real nice for dry desert hunts and dry archery elk. Good support. They have stayed waterproof but due to their low height water can seep in. Overall great light and fast boots.

How does the Mission fit compared to the Kestrel?

 

[Poser]

I have the Divide Mid and the Kestrals. I use the Kestrals for my warm-hot weather, summer backpacking through Sept hunting boot. Love them. When I switch to the Divides in October, they feel a little heavy and clunky my comparison, but won't wet out near as quickly as The Kestrals and are a bit warmer due to being full leathers.

Only change I would make is a locking anchor point where you cinch at the ankles like the burlier schnees boots have.

 

[gostovp]

I have the Divide Mid and the Kestrals. I use the Kestrals for my warm-hot weather, summer backpacking through Sept hunting boot. Love them. When I switch to the Divides in October, they feel a little heavy and clunky my comparison, but won't wet out near as quickly as The Kestrals and are a bit warmer due to being full leathers.

Only change I would make is a locking anchor point where you cinch at the ankles like the burlier schnees boots have.

Yeah the rough out leather of the Kestrels does wet out faster I think. Do you use any waterproofing on them? Schnees says to use NixWax but I don’t like that on the rough out as it lays it down and makes the boot leather look weird. The NikWax wore off fast during the hunt so I just put some Crispi spray on waterproofing that they make for their synthetic and rough out leather boots… we will see how that works

 

[Poser]

Yeah the rough out leather of the Kestrels does wet out faster I think. Do you use any waterproofing on them? Schnees says to use NixWax but I don’t like that on the rough out as it lays it down and makes the boot leather look weird. The NikWax wore off fast during the hunt so I just put some Crispi spray on waterproofing that they make for their synthetic and rough out leather boots… we will see how that works

Yeah, I clean them after each use and condition and retreat them regularly (pretty much any time they are wet). I do use all Nikwax products: Cleaning gel, Conditioner, Waterproofing and I use the Leather & Fabric conditioner for the synthetic portions.

I've had the same thoughts on the rough out leather. Water doesn't seem to roll off of it quite as easy as smooth leather.

 

[gostovp]

So do you use this Nikwax on the Kestrels?

This stuff I don’t like on rough out at it lays the nap down to much ( I used it once on my Kestrels and was not happy with it)

 

[Poser]

So do you use this Nikwax on the Kestrels?

This stuff I don’t like on rough out at it lays the nap down to much ( I used it once on my Kestrels and was not happy with it)

Yeah, I use that wax. I noticed that it lays down the leather a bit as well, but that doesn't bother me. In fact, that may help water to bead up and roll off more efficiently.

 

[Coues hunter]

How does the Mission fit compared to the Kestrel?

The Missions are much stiffer. Much more "boot" than the Kestrels. I really like them both but very different. The Kestrels feel like hightop trail running shoes with great grip. The Missions feel stiffer than the Beartooths (for me).

 

[Kakin]

I rotated between the Beartooths, Kestrals, and Mission 2.0 boots (yes, I like Schnees boots). The Kestrels have about 3 fulls seasons on them. Still look and feel great. The boots probably have 2 or 3 more seasons worth of use in them, if not more. They are real nice for dry desert hunts and dry archery elk. Good support. They have stayed waterproof but due to their low height water can seep in. Overall great light and fast boots.

Do the all fit the same, do you wear the same size in all 3 boots?

 

[Coues hunter]

Same size for all three boots. The Beartooth feel a little wider than the other two.

 

[Chris Cooper]

Anyone else having a hard time receiving Kestrel Boots from Schnee's? I ordered mine almost five months ago and still haven't received them. Customer service has told me I would have them three different times and then the order was pushed out again. The site allowed me to purchase them in my size, only to find out Schnee's had a problem with their inventory software. Currently Schnee's CS advised they have no idea when they will be back in stock. Just curious if this is a "one off" or others have experienced the same issues. Thanks!