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Hey guys,
I am going on a guided hunt from a camp this September in Colorado. Sounds like high elevation and a lot of hiking.
Any suggestion on what boots I should wear. I have been reading that many hunters use Backpacking shoes.
TIA
Will, Look into the Mendel Perfect hikers or hunters. What ever you buy, get them soon and break them in. I don't use insulated boots in Sept. The nature of elk hunting has you moving a lot and it often warms up into the 70's by mid day. Bring mole skin and tape with you and apply it to any "hot spots" on your feet before they become blisters. I often bring 2 pairs of boots and let one dry in camp if needed. If backpacking that is not an option. Drink early an often with plenty of electrolytes if possible. Watch the late morning thermals and plan to be on station when the wind gets right. Best of luck to ya!
September in the Rocky Mountains! You are going to love being there!
Socks are an important part of the equation too. Get some Smartwool, I've used them for 15 years and swear by them.
Also, you can rub your feet with vaseline to help prevent blisters.
Lowa Tibet boots are awesome.
+1 on merino wool socks (smartwool is one brand)
As far as boots, uninsulated to 200 gr of insulation is all you need. I have Mendle denalis, but perfekt hikers are great too.
If you get a Mendle, only get the ones made is Germany. If they say imported, they are made in asia and are not as good. (Perfekt "lite" hikers are NOT made in Germany)
I love my perfekt hikers Why do I like them so much. Because they fit "my" feet well. That does not mean they will fit ur feet well. Go try on as many pairs of high end boots as you can and go back and buy the pair that fit ur feet the best. Buy them soon. At least by mid June. And break them in well. Smart wool or Darn Tough socks and a 5 toe sock liners for me. Also make sure you go with the socks and liner socks if used that you will be wearing hunting when you try the boots on.
This is my story and I'm sticking to it.
Ed
Order several pairs and use what feels the best using each for a few days.
I ordered three pairs last year and ended up keeping two. I ordered Lowa Tibets, Saloman GTX's and a pair of Zamberlans.
I kept the Salomans and Zamberlans. Love the fit of the Salomans and the light weight. The mesh does hold water in wet conditions which made the boots really heavy. That was while I was hunting in heavy rains last September in CO. I really like the Zamberlans as well.
It's hard to beat a full leather boot in all hunting weather conditions.
I agree Ed. I really liked the meindl perfekt hikers. I gave them a couple of weeks wearing them almost daily. I wanted them to work but they hurt my feet since they did not fit properly. Salomon Quest fit me the best. I am very happy with them.
I have a pair of Mendel Perfect hunters, they're not worn and for sale after using Crispi Idaho's last season, and just started breaking in a pair of Lowa Tibets which have a lot of great features including comfort. Spend the $ its worth it, Merino socks are a must also, great advice
This is great information. Heading down to REI this weekend to check out the Salomans and some others.
Have not had a pair I liked since Cabelas quit making my favorite boot. Last year I used some Merrell hiking/trail shoes that worked okay, but my feet were sore often. Years ago I had a pair of Salomons and like them. My wife just bought a pair of Salomon running shoes and says they are the best shoes she has ever had. All that and the advice on this page made me just pull the trigger on a pair of Salomon Quest 4D (Cabelas). Can't wait to get them! They are on backorder....that's a good sign!
Just got the Lowa Tech lite Hunters. Best boot I've ever worn. I've got about 55 miles on em. Whatever boot you pick, get a nice custom footbed. All boots come with garbage footbeds, not sure why.
I used to wear boots and one year I switched to trail running shoes. I will never wear a boot again. Saying the weight is noticeable is a huge understatement. I wear midweight merino wool socks and Brooks Cascadias or Montrail Mountain Masocists. I keep a pair of seal skin socks with me in case I encounter swamps I can't easily walk around. You will move faster, longer with less fatigue than with just about any boot out there. If it snows, wear the seal skin socks all the time.
If you have ankle issues, try this while not on a hunt first. Some folks can not take the lack of support but a surprising number of people I have met had fewer ankle issues in trail running shoes.
For pack outs leave a pair of boots in the car. If you feel like you need the extra support, switch out on your next trip.
For early season elk I would highly recommend Lowa Renegade GTX. They are super light, waterproof, and a quiet sole. I use Lowa Tibets for late season or hunting on 45 degree slopes (sheep and mtn goat). You will be covering lots of miles so I would advise light weight hikers over boots with higher tops and thicker soles. It's pretty tough stalking quietly with thick, heavy boots!
Ditto jims on the Lowa Renegade GTX for early season elk.
AndyJ ~ what do the Brooks weigh per pair?
The Salomons I just bought only weight 2.6 per pair which I thought was great.
I too am a fan of trail running shoes. Have done that for the last 2 years, but haven't found a pair that could handle the rugged country I go into so I am going "up" a notch to the Salomon Quest.
On paper the Salomons look like my choice. Gotta get over to REI and try them on.
I can recommend Inov8; they make the Roclite 400GTX which is one of the lightest leather walking boots
Their trail running shoes are good as well
Don't look past the Crispi Idaho's. Best boot I have ever spent money on. I'm confident you will thank me if you try these boots.
This is what works and did not for me..
Ok I had high end boots that that were not all leather.. My feet always got wet in them.. Walking in grass, the grass seems to just push the water through..
I have now a pair of Lowa Tibets great boot but my left big toe or really just behind it and on the bottom gets a little sore. When I wear them in steep places. It not a killer, but just not my go to boots..
My Mendel Perfect hikers fit my feet well I'm on my third pair. I get about 3 seasons (hunting only) out of them. Then I turn them into a daily boot. I just don't want to be in the back country and have a problem with the most important piece of equipment I have.. And I also like that there is almost no seams or thread stitches in front. That helps I my mind to keep water out and it seams to work..
I always waterproofed my boots with Olbenauf's heavy duty. But after hiking and hunting with a guy that proofed his boots with Nikwax. And his boot seamed to stay dryer, I switched I honestly believe they are more water proof with the Nikwax and just look better (newer) after just one season. After this year if they stay as water proof and look as good I'll use Nikwax only. Theses boot with the Nikwax has only had Nikwax used on them. All the other boot that have had Olbenauf's use, I'll stay with (Olbenauf's) on them. I don't think mixing Olbenauf and Nikwas is a good thing.
ED
How about lite-weight upland boots?
Anyone use these with any success? They usually don't have very aggressive soles and limited support. I have high insteps and WIDE feet and often have fit issues with many hiking boots. Any ideas for us wide footed guys? Anyone have luck with the Russel's custom boots? I know they are expensive.
Griz, upland hikers might be fine until you get a load of meat on your back or a heavy pack on your back. Then I'll take a backpacking boot or shoe suited for the task.
Russells are good boots. Heavy though compared to some of them mentioned here. But you can pick from dozens of soles, heel counters, etc.and have the boot built the way you want. Mine fit like a glove and did so right out of the box. They called me back twice to confirm a couple measurements that were a little outside the norm, tiny ankles and large calves. Mine are equal size but if your feet are not both the same size, custom is the way to go as well.
I used to tear up a pair of boots in a year. We hunt year round, lots of it in lava rock. The Russells I've had for 6 or 8 years now, on my third sole (stitched, not glued, so are replaceable and repairable.) The sole I use now is a soft brown rubber vibram air bob. They are heavy, but super quiet. Love em.
Griz, in my experience upland boots offer little in the way of traction as well, they are made for walking flat ground and not to load up mud in the tread. The first step on pine straw or wet/frosty grass on a 45 degree slope you are going to be on your back looking at the sky and wondering what happened.
In the mountains, downhill can be worse than going uphill. A small point but I like boots with a bit of a heel on them as I feel it makes a difference in traction going downhill. A theory, without a theory it's just an opinion.... =D So many now are flat bottomed with no heel.
You should buy senso boots for hunting as these boots are best while you go for hunting.See more
mens boots online Can't decide between muck boots and lacross Alfa burly max.
Suggest you talk with these folks before making a purchase.
Placed an order for a pair of boots for a fall trip. (Lowa Tibet GTX HI)
Discussed with the owner what, where, and how I'll be using the boots and they provided a recommendation. Adding a pair of Synergy footbeds too.
Just a short word or 2 about the Cabelas Meindls.After too many years of running,climbing etc I developed foot issues with resultant 'inserts' and Doc prescribed gimmicks required. Then I found the Meindl 'cork' Perfeckts.All good for years and as someone eklse mentioned,you can get 3 tough years plus out of them.However,careful now.Cabelas has had 'issues' with these the last few years and some have gone bad quickly with quality issues.After a year Cabelas would not take them back and said I had to deal with Meindl.Great.Threw them away after that rather than ship etc. Floored me on Cabelas and they lost a lifetime customer.
Just a short word or 2 about the Cabelas Meindls.After too many years of running,climbing etc I developed foot issues with resultant 'inserts' and Doc prescribed gimmicks required. Then I found the Meindl 'cork' Perfeckts.All good for years and as someone eklse mentioned,you can get 3 tough years plus out of them.However,careful now.Cabelas has had 'issues' with these the last few years and some have gone bad quickly with quality issues.After a year Cabelas would not take them back and said I had to deal with Meindl.Great.Threw them away after that rather than ship etc. Floored me on Cabelas and they lost a lifetime customer.
Just bought the LOWA Renegade boots for the September Elk hunt in CO and did my first 8 mile hike on an easy trail with some steep elevation. Boots felt fantastic and you can tell they won't require much break in and will be great for hiking around CO.
Really felt better than the other 4 that I tried that were listed above here. The Wide width made a huge difference. I usually wear an 11 1/2 and ended up getting the 13 with the LOWA's. Just felt perfect.
Hike went great and would have been perfect if I hadn't been attacked by biting horseflys for over 5 miles of the hike.
Thanks for your help!
Bought them at REI and that went well. Extremely crowded store in Conshohocken PA.
I put some miles on my new Lowa Camino's this past weekend. They'll be great for hiking with a full load (bringing camp in or meat out).
However, I will not wear conventional boots for hunting ever again. My Innov8 Roclite 286's are done (worn out too soon) so I just ordered a pair of La Sportiva Explorer Mid GTX shoes. They seem to be a sturdier version of the Innov8's but will still fall into the lightweight catageory.
Merino wool socks Keen Glarus hikers(light and waterproof) Brother wears Solomons...loves them Too rocky where we are for trail runners and I need a little ankle support or I would do that too.
You will get more miles out of the Roclite 400 GTX as they are made of leather; my fiancee has the womens version and gets on very well with them
Danner Elk Trackers for me with Basspro Lifetime socks. Never once had a problem and the soles on those boots are VERY quiet. I have 3 years of scouting and hunting on them, countless miles and they are still AWESOME. They broke in like tennis shoes but have a lot of ankle support.
I could not find the Roclite 400 GTX ANYWHERE in my size. I've been looking for a while and finally gave up.
Russel that link you posted was great. I wish that place was close by here. After 30 years of working on concrete my feet are messed up. The podiatrist said that feet tent to loose there natural padding and flatten out width wise. I measure a 10 but there's no way I can wear that size. Even at 10 1/2 by the end of hiking downhill for very log my toes jam into the end of the boots and its like getting electricity running through my feet.
Got a pair of Russells and they are my dry weather hunting boots. Loved the options, ended up with a hybrid just the way I like it. NO WAY I could hunt where I often do in trail runners. The debris getting in alone disqualifies them, let alone steep sidehilling offtrail. Russell doesn't offer Goretex though, and for hikes/hunts where wet may be an issue Goretex really helps keep your feet dry and in shape.
I like Schnees Granite and Bearclaw depending on the terrain.
