danmayland
WKR
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2015
- Messages
- 489
Under Armour Bozeman 2.0 Review
So this last week I had a 10 day hunt planned in south west Montana.
The weather forecast called for cooler temps (it was currently in the upper 80's) with a possibility of snow in the 3-6" range.
I packed two pairs of my favorite early season hunting boots the Salomon Quest 4D for the trip. I've logged thousands of miles in these boots over the last few years and they're definitely nearing the end of their life!
The first night I got set up at camp and we received that 3 inches the weatherman had called for by the time I have gotten camp set up! By the next morning we had a good 8-10 inches of snow on the ground!
By the second morning we had 16-18" of snow and by the third day it was between 20-24!!!! Did I mention it was heavy wet snow and often it was raining between snow storms.
Needless to say I was wet and sore from falling and busting my a$$ in all the snow. The one major downside to the Salomon boots is the horrible soles. They are so dang slippery on wet surfaces, rocks and grass are just a nightmare. I easily fell on my rump over 30 times a day the first three days. By the end of the third day all of my clothing and boots were beyond drying out.
On the fourth day I headed out for a change of scenery even though I had seen well over 50 elk and 13 bulls with opportunities on smaller bulls and cows within bow range. I stopped in a small sporting good store hopping they had some boots that would get me by for the remainder of my hunt.
I've owned every boot brand from Kenetrek, Lowa's, Schnees, Danners, Asolo's, La Sportiva and Zamberlan to name a few. The problem with nearly all those boots is that they have ultra stiff and hard soles. My feet are whimpy and require really soft soles. Plus softer soles are usually better for quieter approaches and sneaking when bow hunting.
The trade of for softer soles usually means the boots aren't as durable and don't last as long. That's what I love so much about the Solomons. They are just about the perfect balance minus the horrible traction in wet conditions.
Introduce the Under Armour Bozeman 2.0 boot!
I've tried on Under Armour boots before but have never been really impressed with that initial fitting.
Well this particular store had the usual Danners, Kenetreks and Lowa boots and that was about it. I was about to leave when the Under Armour Bozeman 2.0 caught my attention. I picked it up and was pleasantly surprised with the feel of the boot. It didn't feel as light and flimsy as the Speed Freak boots I had seen and tried in the past. It wasn't overly heavy but felt just about perfect. Glancing at the only 4 pairs they had I became elated they had one pair in my size.
I quickly replaced the factory insoles with my favorite Sof Sole Air Sole inserts. These are totally amazing and a game changer btw!!
I was instantly in love with the feel of the boot. As stated above. My feet are picky and I can usually tell instantly if a boot is going to work or not. The Bozeman 2.0 was clearly a contender. I glanced at the price of $145 and a huge smile slipped out!! How could a boot like this be less than $200!!!!
I headed to my new hunting spot, set up camp and took off hiking in a nice steady drizzle of rain. My hike took me straight up a mountain side for 2 miles. Within minutes of leaving the trail head the rain switched from a drizzle to a down right down pour. By the time I reached the spot I wanted to start hunting there was still 8-10 inches of now soaking wet snow.
So far I was thrilled at the traction of the Bozeman 2.0 boots. I hadn't slipped once and they were still 100% dry on the inside. They were still extremely comfortable and my feet hadn't suffered any hot spots, pinches or heel rub. I was very concerned about heel rub given I had just bush-wack hiked up a very very steep mountain side.
I hunted the rest of the afternoon and evening for 4 hours until dark covering just over 7 miles in probably the most wet conditions I had ever hunted. I came down the mountain side and didn't slip or fall on my rump once!!!
That night the rain turned to snow and dumped another 10 inches of heavy wet snow. I hiked into a different spot crossing a medium creek a half dozen times for the day and ended up getting nearly the same conditions with 15-20 inches of wet heavy snow in the high country. I totaled 9 miles that day.
The following day was the same conditions with more rain than snow. I spent a good hour walking in a marshy area in the timber. The snow was just below my knees and there was anywhere from 2-6" of water underneath the snow covered grass. It was insane!! I finally gave up chasing the elk as the were just not active in those conditions. I was completely sold on the Under Armour Bozeman 2.0 boot.
Not once did my feet get wet or even sweaty.
I'll admit I'm not a big fan of cordura type boots. These boots truly are a hybrid type of boot with about 30% of the boot actually being cordura. They have a nice wrap-around rubber kick plate on the front and surprisingly they also have rubber kick plates on the heel as well. However unlike the wrap-around heel kick plate of the Kenetreks, the Bozeman's actually split on each side of the heel with the pull tab sewn between. Genius idea! Above the kickplate lies a layer of nubuck and then the cordura. The nubuck stretches up around the ankles and there is a nice breathable pad on each side of the ankle for added support. It's worth mentioning hear that I'm very prone to rolling my ankles! So ankle support is very much a priority of mine in quality boots. Now I will say that these boots don't have the most stable ankle support of any boot I've ever owned but I will say i'm very pleased with the amount of ankle support the boot does offer. Given the conditions of the wet slippery hills I was often finding myself side-hilling and covering very steep terrain. Not once did I roll my ankle or feel like the boot had failed to provide me with enough support. I was exceptionally pleased with the fact that the boots given the wet conditions remained just a supportive when they were wet as one they were dry!!
I guess the only test I really haven't put these boots through at this point is the test of time. I do question how durable they will be over the next couple of seasons. I typically hike between four and 500 miles a year in my hunting boots and so they will definitely get that test! However, for now I am more than happy and pleased with these boots! How can you beat a pair of boots for $145?!?! Heck, even if they only last two seasons it's well worth it!!
I hope this review has helped someone in their purchasing decision!!!
Specs from UA:
Waterproof nubuck & textile upper for lightweight support
UA Storm waterproof membrane repels water without sacrificing breathability
UA Scent Control lining with Cupron
anti-bacterial copper infused sockliner top coverAnti-odor technology applied to molded Ortholite
sockliner to prevent the growth of odor-causing microbesLightweight EVA midsole for optimal cushioning
TPU shank for dynamic motion control & underfoot stability
High-traction rubber lug outsole provides grip & stability on a variety of conditions
Height: 8.3"
Weight: 22.28 oz.
Cheers
-D
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