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Hiking Boots

I’m in need of a good pair of hiking boots, something with good cushion, I’ve got bad ankles and feet, anyone have any recommendations?

I have several pairs. My favorite heavy duty all leather hikers that I wear in rough terrain and when packing heavy loads are Hanwag Alaska's. They have good padding and support. My new favorite when I'm not packing heavy loads are the Crispi Thors. They're very lightweight and have great support. They're my go to boot for most hiking. I wore them almost everyday this year for about 35 days straight hunting mule deer and elk out west. They're on sale today on Camofire. Another good lightweight boot is the Lowa Renegade but they don't have the support the Thor has. Lowa Tibets are good too, I have a couple pairs of them. They're similar to the Hanwag Alaska's but don't fit me as well as the Hanwags.

I should add that I also have a bad ankle that was surgically repaired and I don't have much range of motion in that ankle so I need good ankle support too. Of the boots I listed the Renegades are softer in the ankles with not as much support.

Thanks Mike I was hoping you were going to chime in.

Meindl's have serious ankle support. Pretty sure it's impossible to sprain an ankle wearing them even if you had a heavy pack of meat on your back. I don't have any experience with other brands as I've been wearing Meindl's for 20 years. Get what feels right for you!

No problem Mike, I have a lot of experience with hiking boots. One that I forgot to include is the Lowa Camino. They're a very good mid weight/support boot somewhere between the Alaska/Tibet and Renegade. They were my go to boot for most hiking until I got the Thors. Also, the Hanwags and Lowas run narrow so I wear the wide width. The Crispi Thors run wider and I wear the regular D width in them.

Nothing wrong with Meindl's either. I have a pair of Meindl Perfekt Hunters, they're a taller boot with 200g of insulation. They're very comfortable and supportive and they're my go to boot when I want a little insulation and a little more height.

Boots choices are very personal and what fits one guy well may not fit the next guy worth a crap. You might need to try on a few styles/brands to find what you like and what fits you well. I've ordered multiple pairs and returned the ones I didn't like. The boots I've shown are boots that I've worn, put hundreds of miles on and they work for me. I should add that I had a pair of Crispi Colorado's that I didn't like so I sold them.

Cheese

Any reason you chose the Crispi Thor’s over the Wyoming hikers.

Will, the Thors were highly recommended by a friend and a couple guys on the main Bowsite gear forum so I thought I'd give them a try. I've never tried the Wyoming's so I don't have any input on them. I was told by others who are familiar with the Crispi line that the Thors fit differently than some of their other boots. I didn't like the fit of the Colorado's so I was hesitant to try other Crispi's but I love the Thors. They're possibly my favorite and best fitting boots I've ever worn. I put a lot of miles on them with zero complaints even at the end of a long hard day in the mountains.

Bought a pair of Hanwags this year for an elk hunt. The only pair of hiking/mountain boots I have ever owned where I did not get a blister or even a hotspot. I bought them because they are made for people with bunions.

I have owned 5 pair of kenetreks and have no reason to change the support is incredible, my feet roll back to front out of my steps with very little foot fatigue. Crazy good waterproofing as well. I used the 1000 gram mountain hikers in Alaska caribou hunting in the hummocks this year, put on 66 miles in 6 days. Packed my Nebraska whitetail out with gear pack was #120 over a mile of rough crap and ridges with the uninsulated mountain hunters. I never worry at all about rolling ankles or blister problems. Essential gear.

They offer a resolving service as well if your uppers are still good and the tread is wore. Have done that twice- however after the second dole thier trash!!!

I hunt Iowa, SD, and now since retired Texas. Still love my Danner Pronghorns 60p

I wanted to give myself a little wear & tear time before I responded and what kind of hiking boot I purchased this past Fall. I thank you for all the recommendations, although I probably should have driven to Scheels that day, they did have a very nice sale going on some of the boots that were mentioned above. I immediately drove to Cabela's and after trying on many hikers decided to go with a Hiking boot called KEEN, I really like this boot, at a $169 it's better than what I had, its lite and comfy and does help with the feet situation somewhat, but I have come to the conclusion that no matter how expensive and great quality a hiking boot I would have bought, it would not matter, at some point whether 5 minutes or 2 hours into my walk my feet (diabetes) just can't take it. I do much better on snow or soft ground and will just continue to take my time resting often if needed.

I don’t know if it will help your feet or not but I wear keen work shoes and I pull out the insoles and replace them with Dr. shoals gel for work boots. I work in cement for 10+ hours a day without issue doing this. The gel soaks really cushion the feet.

DT I’ve done that too, it does help, I've tried most everything, I’ve even left the original insoles in then put the gel inserts in. One day my feet were hurting so bad I turned around and went back to the truck to put on a different pair of boots only to find out with the boots I had on I forgot to put in insoles lol

Best thing you can do is try on all you think you may like. everyone's feet are different. look at the return policy,, get them and walk around the house this winter return if they bother you. I like Meindls, and Kenetreks

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