Schnees & Crispi & Hanwag

[UWbadger1013]

I think I've narrowed down my boot selection to these companies. I am leaning towards schnee's being American made. This will be my first "good" boot so i have no experience with any of these companies other than from reading reviews. These three sound really good. Hanwag sounds like they are very waterproof which to me is important. Crispi sounds to have some issues with waterproof. Not sure about schnees. I am looking for a boot than i can both pheasant hunt with and go to eastern Wyoming hunting whitetails with. Any help and info is appreciated!

Cheers!


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[Franger]

I think I've narrowed down my boot selection to these companies. I am leaning towards schnee's being American made. This will be my first "good" boot so i have no experience with any of these companies other than from reading reviews. These three sound really good. Hanwag sounds like they are very waterproof which to me is important. Crispi sounds to have some issues with waterproof. Not sure about schnees. I am looking for a boot than i can both pheasant hunt with and go to eastern Wyoming hunting whitetails with. Any help and info is appreciated!

Cheers!


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Badger,

Since you‘re comparing these three brands, I assume you’re researching mountain boots. In which case, Schnee’s are made in Italy. That doesn’t change anything from a quality perspective and in fact, probably makes them better. Italians have been making brutally high quality mountain boots for generations.

Crispi is also Italian.

Hanwag comes from the same lineage as Lowa boots. HANs WAGner started Hanwag in his home town of Jetzendorf Germany, just north of Munich. Hanwag is now located in Vierkirchen.

His brother LOrenz WAgner started Lowa, which is still headquartered in Jetzendorf. Hanwag outsources a lot of their boot making to Croatia and Romania. Lowa retains most, but not all, of their bootmaking in their large factory in Jetzendorf.

 

[FlyingScot]

Hanwag comes from the same lineage as Lowa boots. HANs WAGner started Hanwag in his home town of Jetzendorf Germany, just north of Munich. Hanwag is now located in Vierkirchen.

His brother LOrenz WAgner started Lowa, which is still headquartered in Jetzendorf. Hanwag outsources a lot of their boot making to Croatia and Romania. Lowa retains most, but not all, of their bootmaking in their large factory in Jetzendorf.

Learn something new every day

 

[Rokwiia]

Never knew that. Thanks for sharing.

Talk about competition between brothers!

 

[505Wapiti]

Zamberlan are fine quality hunting boots as well. I’ve had Kentreks, Zamberlan, Danner, etc. lots of quality boots out there. Get what fits your unique foot and break them in well in advance of any mountain hunt. I will admit, I’ve been eyeballing some Crispi boots but I just don’t need another pair.

 

[sd375]

All the boots you mentioned (and all of the other top tier brands) make good boots. Ive got a pair of Schnees and love them, but I know guys that say the same about Crispi and the same about most other brands. The thing that matters it what fits your foot best. However you can make it work, I’d recommend trying on as many different kinds as possible. Might mean a road trip, might mean eating the return shipping cost on some, but that’s what I’d do. Good luck.

 

[UWbadger1013]

All the boots you mentioned (and all of the other top tier brands) make good boots. Ive got a pair of Schnees and love them, but I know guys that say the same about Crispi and the same about most other brands. The thing that matters it what fits your foot best. However you can make it work, I’d recommend trying on as many different kinds as possible. Might mean a road trip, might mean eating the return shipping cost on some, but that’s what I’d do. Good luck.

That's what sucks is i have no where near me that carries these brands and like to try on.

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[sd375]

One thought is to order a few sizes online and return some or all if they don’t work out Blackovis carries hanwag and Crispi and has a good discount for rokslide members.

 

[Franger]

Never knew that. Thanks for sharing.

Talk about competition between brothers!

Gets worse. The third brother, Adolf Wagner, started a shoe company too. Hochland.

 

[Franger]

That's what sucks is i have no where near me that carries these brands and like to try on.

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There’s somewhere near $4k worth of boots sitting on my dresser currently. Yes, all but one will be going back and yes, it sucks to pay the return freight. But getting it absolutely right is paramount to a good hunt.

 

[ceejay]

There’s somewhere near $4k worth of boots sitting on my dresser currently. Yes, all but one will be going back and yes, it sucks to pay the return freight. But getting it absolutely right is paramount to a good hunt.

This is the reality of what it takes to find the best boot and I can 100% relate. Frankly, for what we spend in return shipping, it probably offsets the travel cost and time to go places and try on boots. Having the boot at home and being able to feel it out longer (wearing it around the house, trying different sock thickness, leaving it on your foot for a while) is not so undesirable compared to going to a store and feeling rushed to figure out if you like it or not.

 

[camping1601]

I have both Schnees and Crispi and the fit is totally different. You have to try them to know what fits you.

 

[Rokwiia]

How would you describe the difference in fit between Schnees and Crispi?

 

[jacknifejc]

The Crispi boots have a lot narrower toe box than the Schnee’s boots have.

 

[ceejay]

My $0.02:
I have found the fit of Crispi boots to vary quite a bit between different models. Some of the toe boxes being generous in the fit and some being constricting. If I had to rank the few I have personal experience with, I would rank the toe box/forefoot from narrow to roomy as: Colorado < Guide/Nevada < Idaho/Wyoming.

The Schnees Timberline, which the Beartooth should be identical to, I found to be maybe slightly above average in toe box roominess .... it was definitely not narrow.

 

[Page Master]

There’s somewhere near $4k worth of boots sitting on my dresser currently. Yes, all but one will be going back and yes, it sucks to pay the return freight. But getting it absolutely right is paramount to a good hunt.

Have you been able to try the Schnee's Kestrel or Mission V2?

 

[camping1601]

Comparing the Schnees BT II's to three pairs of Crispi IMO the Crispi's are overall roomier. The Schnees have a narrower and more tapered toe in comparison to Crispi's wider and more rounded. Crispi's heel is much wider with a deeper heel cup.

I'd love a boot with the heel width of Schnees and toes area of Crispi.

 

[Franger]

There‘s something to this Crispi ankle bone support system (ABSS, they call it). My forefoot and toes seem to be comfortable, even slightly roomie. But from the mid-foot rearward, backwards through my heel, and up to a few inches above my ankle bone protrusions, it’s locked in like a heat-molded ski boot liner. I’ve never really felt anything like it in a backpacking or hiking boot before. Even my beloved Scarpa Kinesis backpacking boots I’ve had for 6 years. Combine that with a board lasted construction that, when mated with the vibram sole, makes for a rockered chassis to the boot itself; well, the fit is very different and suits me very well.

The Schnee’s Granites I’ve been comparing the Crispi Guide with is, in comparison, pretty traditionally lasted. This is my issue with many European bootmakers. The lasts these Italian, and to a lesser degree German companies, use for their high end hunting boots don’t seem to be much different than the lasts used for their high end backpacking boots. And those lasts don’t seem to have evolved from old school mountaineering lasts all that much. All that to say, the Schnee’s is relatively narrow through the toebox, are low volume through the mid foot, and have a heel pocket that is narrow-ish without much contouring. This is a similar theme to almost every high end hunting boot made in Europe that I’ve tried on. The best fitting of these boots has been the Lowa Hunter GTX Evo Extreme. It fits really well, but not to the degree of the Crispi Guide.

There’s also something to Crispi’s overall presence in the North American hunting boot market. Look up a Schnee or Kenetrek on YouTube or Google. Or do the same search on a Lowa, Scarpa, Zamberlan, etc. You won’t see quite the same effort and presence of Crispi’s Kendall Card out there spreading the news about his company’s boots. That type of effort pays dividends. I know more about their boots because he’s out there trying hard to get the message across about “why” their boots do what they do. That helps when purchasing.

 

[wind gypsy]

Dont fall into the "XXX brand fits like this" generalization, they almost all vary quite a bit by model.

with crispis, the idaho/wyoming are downright sloppy fitting to me and the Briksdal are fairly low volume and about ideal, but i have lower volume feet.

 

[hami0528]

I bought schnee timberlines for hunts this past fall. I have wide feet, and the timberlines fit great. No crowding in the toe box, cups the heel well, stays secure all day. You can wear them around the house and return them for a full refund if they don’t fit well. Break-in was easy, never came close to developing blisters. Boots have been great for the Idaho desert and mountains.