Zero Drop Hunting Boot

[Hill Difficulty]

Last year I bow hunted 30+ days wearing the Vivo shoes in the pics. Not sure the style name, but have a wool liner.

Some takeaways:

• Unless steep or bird hunting in cover, wouldn't want to wear anything else.
• They are (very) surprisingly warm down to 20F. Hunted a few all-dayers around 10F with a small disposable warmer on the top of my toes w/zero thoughts of my feet getting cold.
• Mine are wide for size.
• My feet are wide, high instep, high arch. My fit is ideal w/no support necessary.
• Great ground feel.
• Easy to slide a pair of heavy acrylic socks over when stalking.
  
  
  
  

 

[BBob]

Not sure the style name

Looks like one of the Magna models with the FG sole. I have a similar (Magna Forest ESC) with the merino liner but with the more aggressive ESC sole.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Anyone running zero drops and putting in a different insole to get more arch support. Seems that most of these have no real arch support. My arch shave been falling over the last few years and I feel better with insoles in. Also with minimal footwear, does heel pain eventually go away? I have found the few time I have worn minimalist wear my heal is in pain. This could be because my gate has not changed from a heal strike to landing on the ball of my foot yet.

I did not look all the way through the thread. Anyone used Oboz?

I think as another person said, the key is time to adapt. Once your body has adapted to them however, you’ll find you likely don’t want any sort of “support”. The idea with most minimalist Footwear is to allow your body to work naturally, unaided.


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[Titan_Bow]

Resurrecting this one to say I just got a pair of VivoBarefoot Tracker ESC’s. The new ones with the thicker lug sole from Michelin. They were a little heavier than I expected, but I’ve been wearing around the house and just out for some walks with the pup, and I got a feeling these are going to be my go to’s. As comfortable as my Lems or Minimils, but actually have traction unlike the Lems, and offer more protection from water than the minimils. I’m impressed initially with the quality, I love the fact the sole is sewn on, and everything feels really quality. That is one thing about my Lems that I didn’t like, they felt kind of cheap. They’ve held up ok, but they just felt cheap brand new. These VivoBarefoots don’t feel cheap. Looking forward to putting some mountain miles on them in the coming weeks


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[Bratch]

Resurrecting this one to say I just got a pair of VivoBarefoot Tracker ESC’s. The new ones with the thicker lug sole from Michelin. They were a little heavier than I expected, but I’ve been wearing around the house and just out for some walks with the pup, and I got a feeling these are going to be my go to’s. As comfortable as my Lems or Minimils, but actually have traction unlike the Lems, and offer more protection from water than the minimils. I’m impressed initially with the quality, I love the fact the sole is sewn on, and everything feels really quality. That is one thing about my Lems that I didn’t like, they felt kind of cheap. They’ve held up ok, but they just felt cheap brand new. These VivoBarefoots don’t feel cheap. Looking forward to putting some mountain miles on them in the coming weeks


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How’s the fit and sizing? I’ve never tried Vivo but have multiple pairs of the original Merrel Trail Gloves and New Balance Minimus and have been wearing Altra Escalantes recently for reference.

I’m struggling to find a good boot that doesn’t rub my pinky toe raw. I have Asolo, Salomon, Salewa and others about the best I have found so far are Red Wing Iron Rangers.

 

[BBob]

I just got a pair of VivoBarefoot Tracker ESC’s.

I have a very similar pair to those the Magna Forest ESC. So far so good for me as well. I’ve been wearing the simple Gobi’s for quite awhile and picked up the ESC version specifically for added traction where the Gobi’s didn’t cut it.

How’s the fit and sizing?

I find sizing pretty normal. I’m an 11 in most shoes and I wear 11’s in Vivo. Magna Forests are a little longer than the Gobi but with a slightly thicker sock that I wanted for winter use fits about the same. Vivo’s tend to fit a little loose up front anyway but I think that’s the concept and what they are supposed to be.

 

[Muddygut]

Been wearing a pair of the Vivo Forest ESC since a little before turkey season. Been zero drop 90% of the time for a few years now, and these are my favorite so far for my western KY terrain. Probably will still take my Scarpa’s along to eastern KY for fall bear in case the Vivo’s crap the bed.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I ordered the same size I wear in Merrell trail gloves and they fit great. I was worried about getting the sizing wrong but they were right in line with my merrels.


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[Formidilosus]

Update on the Tracker Forest ESC’s:


Best minimal shoe/boot I, and the 6-7 people I’m around that have them, have worn. About 200 days or a bit more in the mountains for me alone.

 

[Yooper]

Update on the Tracker Forest ESC’s:


Best minimal shoe/boot I, and the 6-7 people I’m around that have them, have worn. About 200 days or a bit more in the mountains for me alone.

Any comments on their ability to shed water with just the leather treatment? Not talking stream crossings or anything like that, just run of the mill wet grass and such. Thanks!

 

[Formidilosus]

Any comments on their ability to shed water with just the leather treatment? Not talking stream crossings or anything like that, just run of the mill wet grass and such. Thanks!

They’re the only shoe/boot that I haven’t had wet feet in- stream crossing included. Wet grass is no issue.

 

[Ram94]

What kind of hunting are you guys using these for? Just based solely from pictures, I feel like these would get absolutely trashed on a high alpine hunt. Not being confrontational either, I am genuinely curious because I do see the benefits of barefoot/minimalist footwear.

 

[BBob]

How do you define high alpine? Why would they get trashed in an alpine environment? They’re full leather with a merino wool liner and a quality Michelin sole that sticks to most everything well. Other than doing away with mid soles, shanks, etc…not much difference in quality of materials used than other good boots, just far less of it.

 

[Titan_Bow]

What kind of hunting are you guys using these for? Just based solely from pictures, I feel like these would get absolutely trashed on a high alpine hunt. Not being confrontational either, I am genuinely curious because I do see the benefits of barefoot/minimalist footwear.

I'm hunting everything from elk and mule deer above treeline in Sept. to whitetails and turkeys in Nebraska and eastern CO river bottoms. For me, I found it most difficult finding a good cold weather, waterproof boot for cold weather and snow.
The Colorado high country does have a tendency to shred footwear, especially some of the places I hunt. But, I guess for me anyways, I always just took that as part of the sacrifice to having comfortable footwear. Caveat, I havent actually hunted in the Vivobarefoots yet, but they do seem way more durable than my Lems, Altra's, Minimils or Merrells. I love they are all leather, and the sole is stitched all the way around.
My Minimils are 4 or 5 years old and still going strong. I really like them, but your feet get soaking wet just walking through the alpine grass in the morning. They are basically the same as the old Army jungle boots. The Lems fair a little better, but the slick soles are downright dangerous in the high country. Altra's and Merrells, you are lucky to get a season out them before they are shredded.

 

[Ram94]

How do you define high alpine? Why would they get trashed in an alpine environment? They’re full leather with a merino wool liner and a quality Michelin sole that sticks to most everything well. Other than doing away with mid soles, shanks, etc…not much difference in quality of materials used than other good boots, just far less of it.

For me personally it’s Alberta Sheep. Boulder fields, scree slides, sharp rocks and shale. The outsole on these just looks like very soft rubber (judging by the photo of the boot rolled up like a fruit roll-up). I wear a stiff Scarpa Kinesis right now and they get the crap beat of them too and they are much tougher rubber than what these look to be. I don’t think I am off base in what I’m asking..

I'm hunting everything from elk and mule deer above treeline in Sept. to whitetails and turkeys in Nebraska and eastern CO river bottoms. For me, I found it most difficult finding a good cold weather, waterproof boot for cold weather and snow.
The Colorado high country does have a tendency to shred footwear, especially some of the places I hunt. But, I guess for me anyways, I always just took that as part of the sacrifice to having comfortable footwear. Caveat, I havent actually hunted in the Vivobarefoots yet, but they do seem way more durable than my Lems, Altra's, Minimils or Merrells. I love they are all leather, and the sole is stitched all the way around.
My Minimils are 4 or 5 years old and still going strong. I really like them, but your feet get soaking wet just walking through the alpine grass in the morning. They are basically the same as the old Army jungle boots. The Lems fair a little better, but the slick soles are downright dangerous in the high country. Altra's and Merrells, you are lucky to get a season out them before they are shredded.

Thank you! How do you like them compared to a stiff shank for packing heavy?

 

[Titan_Bow]

For me personally it’s Alberta Sheep. Boulder fields, scree slides, sharp rocks and shale. The outsole on these just looks like very soft rubber (judging by the photo of the boot rolled up like a fruit roll-up). I wear a stiff Scarpa Kinesis right now and they get the crap beat of them too and they are much tougher rubber than what these look to be. I don’t think I am off base in what I’m asking..

Thank you! How do you like them compared to a stiff shank for packing heavy?

For me, I like them so much better than a heavy stiff boot. For packing heavy loads, it really comes down to conditioning and what you are used to. I do a lot of hiking in the high country, and alot of stair workouts throughout the year with a heavy pack in just my Merrell trail gloves, so I've built up my ankles and feet to be ok with it.

 

[Hooknbullet2]

Tagging this…..

BTW, Altra just released a Goretex hiker.

Men's Olympus 5 Hike Mid GTX Hiking Shoes For All Trails | Altra Running

Hike all day with the ankle support, traction, and water-resistant technology you need in the Olympus 5 Mid GTX hiking shoes. Take on any weather, any terrain.

www.altrarunning.com

 

[Voyageur]

@Hooknbullet2 Thanks for posting about the Altra Olympus 5. I've been waiting for several years for Altra to come out with a GTX model. Glad they finally did, but I'm going to wait a few months before ordering to see what the reviews say about the shoe. Just looking at the pictures I can say I don't like the way they've built up the heel area with all that plastic/rubber. Definitely not a minimalist shoe. For now, I'm waiting for the reviews to start coming in.

 

[Anglo-American]

Just curious if anyone else out there is dying to find a zero drop hunting boot option. I really wish I could find a good hunting boot (vibram or similar outsole, rubber rand and leather upper) without a 2" heel to toe drop (I'm exaggerating). My joints and muscles feel so much better ever since I switched to zero drop shoes (lifestyle, running, packing). Has anyone found any zero or close to zero drop options, or am I the only one who wishes this existed? Trail running shoes work great in dry, mild terrain, but in the nasty stuff with heavy loads, I really need a boot.

You're not the only one.
I've used vibram five fingers in the outdoors throughout the year including autumn and winter in all terrain.

Always worked well if I was moving, but if not moving I'd feel the cold as my feet were almost always soaked though.
Model: trek ascent with injinji wool toe socks.
Other weakness is blowing out the show if carried weight and/or or very steep terrain and going down hill.
That's an issue with alot of minimal shoes and boots though.

my favourite are vivobarefoot boots, and Merrell trail gloves.

THe company, Freets are a good option to get started.
Altras are ok, but get thrashed quick. Big difference being that they have a thick sole, where as all the others don't.

 

[Hooknbullet2]

@Hooknbullet2 Thanks for posting about the Altra Olympus 5. I've been waiting for several years for Altra to come out with a GTX model. Glad they finally did, but I'm going to wait a few months before ordering to see what the reviews say about the shoe. Just looking at the pictures I can say I don't like the way they've built up the heel area with all that plastic/rubber. Definitely not a minimalist shoe. For now, I'm waiting for the reviews to start coming in.

I ordered a pair yesterday. Hopefully they are as good as my other Altras.