What boot that's actually foot shaped now?

[swavescatter]

NM wilderness hunter here. Lems daily wearer. I like my Altra Lone peak 9's and for wetter/tougher conditions I like my Crispi Lapponias. You can try these both out in person at REI/Sportsmans.

 

[Roughneck]

FYI - I had Hanwag Alverstone II in a wide size and they were narrow for me. Their wide fit like a regular.

I agree with this 100%

 

[hand skills]

I do have very high arches/instep and have to use orthotics or I will be in heavy pain before too long, so I have to be able to fit a stiff orthotic.

How stiff a sole are you looking for?

The AKU Pilgrims are a unique combo of ultralight boot with good support and moderately stiff sole.

Break in took some time (50mi?!) but I'm really liking them - traditional sole, anatomical footbed and modern ultralight upper.

For me the soles are even a bit too hard for pavement/ashphalt, but they feel right at home in rough terrain.

Biggest weaknesses is the soles get hard and slippery in the cold (freezing temps). I see you are from NM though, so the strengths of this boot might fit your environment well.

I developed plantar fasciitis from crappy footwear on concrete at work.

Got mad, cause I'm not an old guy yet! Did the research, invested in high quality, anatomically correct footwear

Now it's Lowa Z-6N on concrete, Crispi Lapponia lites around town and Aku Pilgrim HLs for training hikes.

Sidehilling in the AKUs rebuilt strength in my ankles and 'cured' my plantar fasciitis.

For whatever it's worth

 

[icampbell87]

Hanwag makes quality boots but their lasts and lack of labeling which last is used for a particular boot is frustrating. They have a web page that explains each one but you really have to look at the description of a boot to know what it’s made on. They have a last for bunions, straight fit, straight fit extra, alpine wide, and extra narrow for no good reason also known as the Alverstone II. Some models are available in regular and wide so the box will say wide. Some are only made on the wide last so those won’t get labeled as wide. Currently I’m using the Makra Trek pro in a half size up. Best fit I’ve found for feet like ours. I’m curious if a full size up would be better or just too much.

I ended up finding a pair of Hanwag Makra Pro's in a half size up, apparently the alpine wide last, and buying them from Gohunt (on a good sale).

I appreciate yours and everyone else's feedback, I'll see how they do!

 

[youttriggered]

Topo athletic has that last, and they’ve come out height a boot, topo trailventure. I don’t have them and can’t speak to them other than the last.

I have several pairs of running shoes from topo and I do my UL backpacking trips in the Topo trail venture 2. I love the shape but they are not hunting boots. They will not stand up rough terrain under weight especially on higher angle elevation.

 

[Blockcaver]

For the original poster: Meindl "Perfekt" Hunter (10" with 400 grams insulation) and Hiker (7" uninsulated) boots as sold by Cabelas prior to the Bass Pro buyout were exactly the fit I need....wider fore foot and narrower heel....with a larger rear heel pocket for my bony heels that have bumps on them. They never give me heel blisters like every other boot I've tried when climbing and require no break-in for my foot.

I bought several pairs of each for closeout prices around the merger time and am still in good shape boot supply wise 7 years later.

If I was you, I'd contact Meindl USA and see what the closest boot to the old "Perfekt" models are and try them.

Note: I bought a pair of Meindl "Islanders" as sold by Meindl Canada that I've had over a decade that are a stiffer boot with a smaller heel pocket and narrower fore foot.....they give me heel blisters when climbing and don't fit good like the Perfekt models do. I'll never wear them out as they are only used for short duration on flatter terrain...even though they are a stiffer mountain boot.

 

[fatlander]

There’s two trains of thoughts with mountain hunting boots.

Stiff and heavy for rough terrain.

Light and flexible that requires more training on your end.

The later is what I suggest. If you condition yourself to the lightest most flexible boot you find comfortable, you’re going to be more effective in the mountains. The EXO guys covered it well: what’s harder 100,000 leg lifts with 2.5 pounds or 100,000 leg lifts with 1 pound? You’re also going to be in better shape when you get to the mountains, because of the extra training to condition your feet to lighter boots in steep terrain with weight on your back, which makes you more effective.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NM13]

Check out the Jim Green Anatomx Barefoot African Ranger. I'm currently evaluating a pair.
I tried the regular BAR, but in my normal size, I found that there wasn't quite enough width in the toebox for my larger foot. I'd need a mixed size pair, which requires a cu$tom order, because going up a half size created way too much volume for my smaller foot
Fortunately, the extra width and last shape of the Anatomx boot split the difference between my different sized feet. There's plenty of width in the toebox and additional toebox height as well.
I'd probably recommend the heavier Bronco leather for toebox durability. The originals have a real leather toe cap that increases durability for the more supple nubuck leathers. That said, I'll likely keep the nubuck pair I'm evaluating for lighter use because they are so comfortable.

 

[dgfavor]

I have several pairs of running shoes from topo and I do my UL backpacking trips in the Topo trail venture 2. I love the shape but they are not hunting boots. They will not stand up rough terrain under weight especially on higher angle elevation.

Definitely a YMMV deal. I've had 4 pairs of Topos and in general they've lasted as long or longer than "real hunting boots". I ruck in them all the time, admittedly on more footwear friendly trails but they get lots of miles in Idaho chukar, sheep, elk country. The ones I'm wearing in my above avatar sheep photo were on their 3rd year and uppers looked brand new - some of the foam on the bottom started to crack going into winter so they got retired. I had one pair Terraventure WP shoes that wore holes in the flex region of the uppers in one season of chukar hunting - they had the WP fabric/membrane which IMO does not hold up to the duty/flex cycles very well. Currently I am rucking the shiz out of a pair of Mtn Racer 4s and they are great. Anyway, like all gear it seems, YMMV.
I can't remember why I recorded this, I think we were talking stiffness or something. This was my UVs after 3 years and in retirement (the 2nd boot is a Vasque that was good but stiffer than I like):

I have been using a pair of Xero Scrambler WP mids for snow/wet and so far the material seems to be holding up better than the Topo or Altra WPs.

 

[youttriggered]

Definitely a YMMV deal. I've had 4 pairs of Topos and in general they've lasted as long or longer than "real hunting boots". I ruck in them all the time, admittedly on more footwear friendly trails but they get lots of miles in Idaho chukar, sheep, elk country. The ones I'm wearing in my above avatar sheep photo were on their 3rd year and uppers looked brand new - some of the foam on the bottom started to crack going into winter so they got retired. I had one pair Terraventure WP shoes that wore holes in the flex region of the uppers in one season of chukar hunting - they had the WP fabric/membrane which IMO does not hold up to the duty/flex cycles very well. Currently I am rucking the shiz out of a pair of Mtn Racer 4s and they are great. Anyway, like all gear it seems, YMMV.
I can't remember why I recorded this, I think we were talking stiffness or something. This was my UVs after 3 years and in retirement (the 2nd boot is a Vasque that was good but stiffer than I like):

I have been using a pair of Xero Scrambler WP mids for snow/wet and so far the material seems to be holding up better than the Topo or Altra WPs.

That's great to hear! Personally mine trailventures 2 are starting to come apart at the seams at the 5th met head after about a year of backpacking. I can't imagine doing rocky chukar hunts on these much less trying to do heavy loads. I guess it is really dependent on the person.

The EVA foam used in the topos in my opinion, are just too soft for off-trail use especially if you care about splaying out your feet properly and walking with correct gait. When I am on the side of the mountain, I find it difficult to rely on these over a multi day trip. Although single day, I think it is totally fine. My main theory is that under load in adverse conditions, the foot doesn't always splay out like it does on flat terrain so it starts pressuring on one side of the shoe which is made worse by wide toe box. Not sure if this theory holds true but I don't have incredibly wide feet just an normal E on the scale. I find a regular hiking boots with a little less width to hold the mid foot more secure suits me better in higher incline terrain.

I have also tried some oboz sawtooth x that are a little stiffer and also some Lowa ranger evo gtx that are even stiffer. I think the ranger and camino from Lowa are one step down from their stiffest boots (Tibet). Using these shoes in different trails is pretty interesting from my perspective. I definitely recommend people experiment to see what fits you the best.

For my own use, topos trailventure 2 WP is for regular hiking trails and UL backpacking trips with friends. Sawtooth X for quail/chukar day hunts, backpacking, and small hunting trips. Planning to use the Lowa Rangers EVO gtx this year for hunting trips and quail/chukar day hunts. We will see how this all plans out.