Should my boot rands be pristine after 1 trip?

[Customweld]

Your Hoffmans look how my Kenetreks would after another week of hunting. I've been wanting to give those a shot - think I might. Kenetrek won't warranty anything, but said to aquaseal it. I'm not satisfied for the price I paid - oh well.

I've been super happy with the Hoffmans. I wore a pair of Kenetreks for a year and did not care too much for them. I'm getting ready to order another pair of the regular Explorers and a pair of the 400 gr insulated. I was a die hard Danner fan for long time, but they aren't even in the same realm for me.
It's too bad the customer service wouldn't take care of you. Bad news travels fast on forums like this. If you get a couple of guys with bad experiences, it doesn't take long for folks to notice.

 

[manitou1]

I have boots several years old that don't show that kind of wear. You must trip a lot, lol!

 

[jooleyen]

Haha, I don't trip much, but maybe my dad does. Miles thru beetle-kill probably didn't help. We switched boots a few times to see what size was best between 8.5 and 9. I liked the 8.5's snugness, but the heels killed me uphill, particularly on my left foot, whereas the 9s seemed bigger than needed, but never had any foot pain other than some soreness of the skin at the end of a day of sidehilling. Never had another pair of boots look this torn up after just a week.

 

[manitou1]

Yeah, they look pretty rough for a week's use. I would be disappointed too.

 

[grfox92]

That's not normal at all. I've beat the hell out-of my Kenetreks at work all year long. On my knees dragging my toes doing flooring ect. Did you treat the leather with something? If you used anything like mink oil that will eat the glue right off the rand and cause delamination.

Edit: I just saw where you said you haven't treated them. My Kenetreks are coming up on a year of being worn to work every day and I just didn't 55 miles in 4 days in heavily burned and dark timber mountains and my boots still look new minus some discoloration. The fact that it was both pairs is perplexing as Kenetreks are some tough boots.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[5MilesBack]

Yeah, they look pretty rough for a week's use.

Yep. My Zamberlan Dakota's are on year 10 of elk hunting this year and look better than those do, and I spend a lot of time every year in the beetle kill blowdown areas while elk hunting. And I've never treated the leather on them.

 

[Ross]

I seal each rand on new boots with this, i think it was Logant that recommended and it helps for sure..

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Your boots show an abnormally high level of wear for a single week of use.

The "1point5_YO" image is a pair that is 1.5 years old and has months of field time in AZ, NM, and Mexico in environments ranging from the desert floor to mountain tops. The "4_YO" image is a pair that had 4 years of use and has been used from the Sierra Madres in Mexico to Hawaii to Alaska to Kansas and everything in between.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Your boots show an abnormally high level of wear for a single week of use.

The "1point5_YO" image is a pair that is 1.5 years old and has months of field time in AZ, NM, and Mexico in environments ranging from the desert floor to mountain tops. The "4_YO" image is a pair that had 4 years of use and has been used from the Sierra Madres in Mexico to Hawaii to Alaska to Kansas and everything in between.

Just curious, why is the boot in "4-YO" image laced up so tight, so as to cause double creases in the toe box? Is that pair way too big for your foot.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Just curious, why is the boot in "4-YO" image laced so tight, so as to cause double creases in the toe box? Is that pair way too big for your foot.

For a long time they fit great (similar to the other photo - same boot size and spacing on the laces). Last year they were on their last legs (tread) and I used them on a multi-week black bear hunt in AZ. Each day brought multiple thunderstorms so the boots got soaked and stayed soaked; found out after the hunt they were no longer waterproof which led to grabbing a new pair. Long story short: several weeks of staying wet let the boots stretch which required tightening the laces as much as I could to finish the hunt. Those boots have not been worn, cleaned, etc since that hunt; procrastination on my side.

Unsure when they lost their waterproofness and i do not know how much that contributed to their stretching. With 4 years of hard use in a variety of environments, I'm pretty happy that they lasted that long.

On a related note, paying full price is a tough pill to swallow. But does help to look at discounts you get (ex: RMEF life member) as that can save some serious cash.

 

[Customweld]

I seal each rand on new boots with this, i think it was Logant that recommended and it helps for sure..

@Ross , Do you just run a bead along the meeting of the rubber and leather when they are brand new?

 

[Ross]

@Customweld yes in deed at the joining of the rand and leather and smooth it back tends to last 1-2 yrs if it takes well and then I reapply

 

[Customweld]

@Customweld yes in deed at the joining of the rand and leather and smooth it back tends to last 1-2 yrs if it takes well and then I reapply

Thank you much!!

 

[SpringM1A]

Can you share a picture? By your description, that sounds like something I'd address with the manufacturer under warranty.

I don't think people realize help pictures can be.

 

[TAArrowood]

That is a lot of wear for so little use, especially for what is usually a good quality boot.. I use Scarpas and have for years and never had a separation or cold/wet feet, but I do treat them multiple times each season to prevent getting the leather too wet or too dry.. I think (just me) that not treating them often enough excellerates the effects of normal wear/tear.. I can usually keep a good boot for 5-8 years (deer/elk/hiking, etc) without any issue.. I've found that boots that don't fit well and you're comfortable walking in tend to wear faster due to things you do to compensate while you're walking.. Again, just my two cents..

 

[Seeknelk]

kennetrek has had issues with rands peeling for years! Don't use anything other than their wax to treat em. They got ya by the balls on the wax thing. Buy ours and only use ours or your warranty is no good. I general they make good boots if your feet like em. They'll fix yours I bet but sucks to be shipping em around.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Both my dad and I, for our first western hunt, got Kenetrek Mountain Extremes without even breaking them in, they fit our feet so well. No regrets, other than that after only 5 miles with his, the rand separated in two small spots (1/4" max) and then proceeded to tear because they were loose in those spots - now even a pro-repair would look less than desirable.

Mine, after about 20 miles have a bit of tearing on one of the boot rands by the toe.

I'm just wondering if this is normal, or if I should have higher expectations. Neither of us have even "broken the boots in" (aka, hiked 50 miles in them) and they are already starting to look a little "broken down".

This is why my clients stay away from Kenetrek footwear. Enough said .....