Chiming in because I'm in a boot dilemma right now as well. Have some Crispi Nevada Legend, we'll call those my old school style stiff hunting boots. They fit me decently but limit my mobility and in some situations put my feet into agony with how tightly I have to lace them to work properly and how much they limit my toe movement and normal walking mechanics. I do appreciate a stiff boot/sole that laces up the ankle when side hilling. But everywhere else I dislike them.
I have pretty strong feet/ankles/knees/legs, and wear flat/wide shoes 100% of the time, or just go barefoot. I almost never worry about my legs, joints, stability or anything. I tried some Lone Peak Altra Mids for a few hunts and really liked them on trail and going straight up and down inclines off trail. But anything involving side hill they were absolute trash. If the sole wasn't losing traction sideways, they shoes were rolling up around my foot to the point I had to lace them stupid tight. Demoted those to trail use day hike use only.
Next I got a pair of Crispi Lapponia Lites in wide. Super lightweight and better flex profile and decent on side hills but really uncomfortable on my feet. Super thin lining and poor fit to my heel. Gave me a pair of blisters the size of half dollars after a half day on steep terrain. Needless to say those are now gone.
So now I'm debating what to do next. I have decided I must have the following characteristics:
- Wide toe box, and generally a size and last that fits my foot extremely well.
- Zero or low drop.
- LOW stack height, aka distance from the bottom of my foot to the ground. I HATE high stack height boots and shoes. Number one way to roll an ankle too.
- Extremely flexible in terms of up/down or fore/aft ankle flexion, like flexion your ankle does when you squat down or kneel.
- Moderately stiff in terms of ankle torsion/twisting, such that on side hills the boot does not want to roll around your foot (again, my feet are plenty strong to side hill without support, it's more a matter of keeping the boot in place on my foot).
- Excellent traction in all directions of loading, dry/wet/wood/rocks/etc. Crispi Vibram outsoles give great traction and are kind of my benchmark here.
I have had a pair of Vivo's before, not the hiking boots but some around town leather loafers. Fit fine, not much cushioning, but I am not exaggerating when I say those shoes were the biggest pieces of shit I ever owned in terms of traction and reliability. Disintegrated in under 3 months. Leather creased and looked like your grandma's mammary glands after 2 weeks. Slipped on any wet surface. Soaked through in light rain or water almost instantly. And they were expensive as hell. So even though I hear lots of good things about the Tracker ESCs, I am very very hesitant to spend the money on another pair of Vivos. Especially when I read about reliability issues with them.
So like I said, dilemma, and curious to hear what people recommend.
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