Kenetrek boot break in/Blisters
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Hessticles
21-Jul-17
I know I don't have enough miles on my boots for them to be broke in, but is there a sock or setup that helps with heel slip? I have the mountain extreme 400's so I don't want to go a heavy route where my feet just sweat the whole time. Hoping by September I have them broke in enough the blisters quit. I am just getting them on my heels. The boot seems to fit good and are very comfortable.
From: kota-man
21-Jul-17
Kene's are tough. I've used well over 25 different pair of mountain boots and they are they only ones that shredded my heels, even after the 50 mile break in. Both the Extremes and the Hard Scrabbles tore my heels up. There is no boot that has a more love/hate relationship than Kene's. For the guys that they fit, they LOVE them. For the rest of us...hate the Kene's. I really wanted to like them, but I can't get past heel blisters with them. Good luck...
From: Halibutman
21-Jul-17
My heels blister all to hell in kenetreks.
Small token advice: you're not just breaking in the boots, you're also breaking in your feet.
From: g5smoke21
21-Jul-17
Try a different lacing to lock your heal in if you are not already doing so...i would get hot spots from mine and laced different...problem solved for me
From: Hessticles
21-Jul-17
G5 how do you lace yours?
From: ohiohunter
21-Jul-17
If you've been wearing them on flat ground (as they instruct) for your break in and they are already chewing up your feet move on so that you will have some miles in your new boots before you hit the mtns. There is no hope, trust me and the above. I had them stretched, and then kenetrek replaced them... none of which helped at all. The final straw was when I was hunting some low land in some sand with the new pair kene sent (I wanted the taller boot for rattlers). Terrain flat ground in the sand I didn't even make it a mile before I was limping back to camp. The end FOR SALE.
From: Nogutsnostory
21-Jul-17
Try plastic heel cups you can get them on amazon for under $10.00 a pair.
From: LBshooter
21-Jul-17
Go to you tube and search lacing up boots. As mentioned above there are ways to lace the boot so it fits better, might help you.
From: Scar Finga
21-Jul-17
Buy some Leukotape, it's the best stuff on the planet for blister protection! Go on youtube and search for leukotape blister protection or how to tape your feet.
Good Luck, I put on a pair of Kenetreks and new in about 5 seconds they wouldn't work for me!
Scar.
From: g5smoke21
21-Jul-17
I use 2 surgeon knots to lock in...really tighten them...also replaced the insole with super feet green
From: Vids
21-Jul-17
Kenetreks are tough to break in, they are very stiff. This is very common. It took me closer to 100 miles before the heel blisters stopped. I put duct tape on my heels prior to hikes and that helped. A weird thing for me was I got worse blisters when I wore a sock liner and a sock together, once I ditched the liner and only wore a pair of Darn Tough socks it made a big difference. It just takes a lot of miles. I hated the break in period, but now they are by far the best boot I've ever owned. I can hike 10-15 miles and my feet feel good afterwards.
You might try thicker insoles. This will lift your foot up higher in the boot and help your heel lock in better. I use Sof Sole performance insoles in all my boots, I like the extra cushion they provide and they are thick enough to really lock my feet in.
Another trick I heard recently is putting Body Glide on the back of your sock. This will allow the sock to slide up and down against the boot, and reduce how much your heel is sliding against the sock. Body Glide can be found in regular sporting goods stores, runners use it to prevent chafing.
From: OFFHNTN
21-Jul-17
This was my Kenetrek experience. They are not for me.
From: stealthycat
21-Jul-17
boots don't break in so much as your feet toughen to the boots IMO tis also my opinion that if shoewear does that? no way in hell will I wear it
From: MathewsMan
21-Jul-17
The few pairs of Mountaineering/stiff shank hunting boots I've broken in or worn normally "feel" really comfortable within a week or so just wearing them to the office or around the house or yard. They are not ever going to be comfortable like a less structural boot or shoe because of the thicker leathers and construction- that is the point. And part of the reason wearing them in extreme terrain and long hunts, that your able to keep going- the stress is not on your arch and foot.
From: Kurt
21-Jul-17
They don't fit my bony heels at all. Tried them on and told the salesman from Kennetrek at a sport show they won't work. He tried to convince me otherwise but I didn't buy his BS. Meindl Perfekt Hunters for my feet! I don't want heels like the photos, they make me cringe just looking at them and would ruin a perfectly good hunt!
From: BOHNTR
21-Jul-17
I sold mine.......worst boots I've ever owned in terms of blisters.
From: kota-man
21-Jul-17
For me: Life is too short to mess with trying to make them work. My heels looked like Johns above in my Kene experiment. The 20 something other pairs of boots I tried did not do this to my feet. I can pretty much take any Lowa out of the box and hunt in them. It's all about what fits your foot and IMO you should not have to suffer trying to make a pair of boots work.
From: BullBuster
22-Jul-17
After 2 years of blister torture i threw mine in the river. they make good fish habitat.
From: Hessticles
22-Jul-17
Wish I would've known about all these experiences before I bought them! Haha well hopefully a few adjustments and more break in and they hopefully won't tear up my feet!
From: PREZ
22-Jul-17
I have my Hard Scrabbles a few years now and they fit like slippers. Never had a blister, but they took some time to break in. I'm looking to get a second pair. I'm in construction and have boots on my whole life so my feet aren't on the soft side.
From: Trial153
22-Jul-17
Ditch them and get something that works for you.
From: Stekewood
22-Jul-17
This thread is a great example of why it's impossible to pick a boot based on other's experiences. I had steered clear of Kennetreks when choosing a sheep boot years ago after reading stories like those above, but just stumbled across a pair of Hardscrabbles at dealer cost and figured it was a worth a try. I now have about 30 miles of training time on them and haven't had so much as a single hot spot. They fit my foot far better than the half dozen or so other big name brands that I've tried in search of the perfect mountain hunting boot. Kota gives solid advice. If boots don't feel right when you first try them out, regardless of how great they're "supposed" to be, move on.
From: Elkhuntr
22-Jul-17
"If boots don't feel right when you first try them out, regardless of how great they're "supposed" to be, move on."
good advice and what I do. certain models of meindl fit me best. no break-in required. I immediately know when I slip them on for the first time if they are going to be keepers.
I never tried kenetrek, but as much as I like the looks and quality of lowa's, I have yet to find one that fits. the same can be said for hanwag from a recent experience.
From: caribou77
22-Jul-17
Elkhuntr, I had the same experience with my meindl denali's . I have a wide foot and happened to be at cabelas during a sale. Saw the perfekts came in wide and thought I'd give it a try. Fit great. Then I asked about the denali's, just curious what they were because they has a slot on the shelf for them but no demo on the floor. The sales gal smiled and said I'll go get you a pair. I tried talking her out of it as I thought the perfekts were great... She brought them back and said just put them on. The rest is history. My feet instantly said this is the one. At that point the price was mute. Coulda been $100 more, I woulda bought them. Your feet know what is right.
And I apologize as I know this experience has nothing to do with how to fix getting blisters on your feet and boot break in.
From: Hessticles
22-Jul-17
These boots feel great and are comfortable but I only have about 15 miles on them so far and the other day I did about 2 miles of hills and I got 2 small blisters just on the heals. Im trying a new way of tying to hopefully lock my heel in better and different socks, and also probably more flat ground break in until they loosen up more.
From: WapitiBob
22-Jul-17
Kenetreks are a heavy leather boot. I doubt you can break them down enough, to enable you to tighten them up enough, to stop heel slip. My Hanwags are a stiff boot also and I get a very small amount of slip so I use about 2" of 3/4" wide Gorilla tape down each heel. The purpose is to create a surface other than your skin for the rubbing friction/heat. Leuko tape works too but Gorilla is available at any hardware store. Duct tape does not stick worth a darn.
From: BOWUNTR
22-Jul-17
I'm on my 3rd pair. It's all about how you lace them up and paying attention to what your feet are telling you. Ed F
From: DakHunter
22-Jul-17
It's unfortunate...but it doesn't make me feel as bad reading these. I dropped $400 on a pair and have about 25 miles on them....hiked 3 miles w the wife today and had to turn around. Blisters here too. I have a NM elk hunt I was planning to use these on and now I need to find another option quickly. I know it doesn't compare, but has anyone tried Salomon hiking boots? I wouldn't want to carry a heavy load, but it might be a light weight option.
From: willliamtell
23-Jul-17
This isn't rocket science. If your heels lift inside your boots when you are walking (particularly uphill, and especially uphill carrying weight), the boots don't fit your feet properly. The heel cup area of your boots have got to lock your heels down or you will get hotspots and eventually blisters. As noted above, proper fit is completely personal. An example of great heel lock is almost any snowboarding boot. Feel inside one for what they do at the heel. If the boots you own or are considering buying don't have something that approximates that, you are much more likely to get heel lift and blisters.
Yes you can reduce the problem by pre taping wherever you tend to get hot spots, wearing liner socks, and breaking them in so they flex according to your feet, but the bottom line is if the boots don't fit great don't buy them. And for those that have hard-to-fit feet (like mine are because they're narrow) when you find a pair that fits great, buy another and store them.
From: WapitiBob
23-Jul-17
The Salomon Quest is a hiker and they'll work just fine for most Elk hunting areas in NM.
From: Scooter
23-Jul-17
Take a good look at Russell Moccasin...... ain't cheap, but from day one I loved mine....
From: Scooter
23-Jul-17
Take a good look at Russell Moccasin...... ain't cheap, but from day one I loved mine....
