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Hey bowsiters. I've got kinda a strange question. Let me tell you about my situation and dilemma. First off, work has me now living in Florida, so the biggest hill near my house to train and mess with gear is about 8ft tall. Due to med school and residency I haven't got much time in the backcountry in 6 years so little questions like this don't seem as obvious as they used to when I played in SW Colorado 150 days a year. I'll be going on an intense backpack hunt at the end of September. We've got ponies on call to fetch our meat if we're lucky, so we're going deep into my buddy's old honey hole for 8-12 days (depending on how work tries to screw me over last minute). I'll be packing about 55lbs initially. The first 7-8 miles will be trail, after that we'll be making loops looking for the elk off trail. The terrain will be steep and rocky at times 10k-12.5k elevation, but honestly it's his honey hole and I've not been to these exact locations as I generally hunt several ridges over, but the terrain looks pretty similar on topo and Google.
Any how, I've got a broke-in pair of kenetrek mountain extremes and broke-in Salomon 4d GTX, both pairs in good condition. I can't decide which boot to wear. If I knew I was gonna be packing meat off a nasty ridge or the weather was gonna suck, then the choice seems obvious to wear the kenetrek. But I have to say, the Salomon are far more comfortable and lighter on the foot. What would be your choice when planning to log 50-75 miles (I'm guessing about half the mileage with camp on my back) plus deal with anything this hunt could throw at us? Thanks in advance.
It's a simple answer for me. I use the lightest, most comfortable boot, often times much less of a boot than anyone else on the mountain, UNLESS I'm going to be side-hilling. When I sheep hunt, I use a stiff mountaineering boot. Most elk/deer hunts, I use a flimsy synthetic boot nowadays.
People who do the PCT through, from Mexico to Canada in the mountains, use sneakers or hiking shoes because weight >*. But they're on a maintained trail the entire time (despite having many days of 6K+ feet of elevation gain/loss).
Really, the only thing you need a stiffer boot for, is walking on even ground.
You'll have to take a look at where you're going to be and make your decision based on that.
Lastly, I'm from the mountains, but now spend about 3/5 of my time in an area that is flat. I've found that running stairs works as well for training as what I used to do in the mountains - it just doesn't help you adjust to the elevation change.
Hey bowsiters. I've got kinda a strange question. Let me tell you about my situation and dilemma. First off, work has me now living in Florida, so the biggest hill near my house to train and mess with gear is about 8ft tall. Due to med school and residency I haven't got much time in the backcountry in 6 years so little questions like this don't seem as obvious as they used to when I played in SW Colorado 150 days a year. I'll be going on an intense backpack hunt at the end of September. We've got ponies on call to fetch our meat if we're lucky, so we're going deep into my buddy's old honey hole for 8-12 days (depending on how work tries to screw me over last minute). I'll be packing about 55lbs initially. The first 7-8 miles will be trail, after that we'll be making loops looking for the elk off trail. The terrain will be steep and rocky at times 10k-12.5k elevation, but honestly it's his honey hole and I've not been to these exact locations as I generally hunt several ridges over, but the terrain looks pretty similar on topo and Google.
Any how, I've got a broke-in pair of kenetrek mountain extremes and broke-in Salomon 4d GTX, both pairs in good condition. I can't decide which boot to wear. If I knew I was gonna be packing meat off a nasty ridge or the weather was gonna suck, then the choice seems obvious to wear the kenetrek. But I have to say, the Salomon are far more comfortable and lighter on the foot. What would be your choice when planning to log 50-75 miles (I'm guessing about half the mileage with camp on my back) plus deal with anything this hunt could throw at us? Thanks in advance.
Waterproof, comfortable, then weight, in that order. If your feet get wet it wont matter how light they are and you can be damn sure they won't be comfortable.
It's really hard for another person to answer this question for you. We are all different. I would probably go with the lighter boots but I run year round and my feet are very well conditioned. Waterproof is important but not vital. You can have wet feet in the morning and walk them dry by mid day, sometimes. Since it's a long hunt, go with the ones that you know will stay dry, as long as they are comfortable. I would take at least 3 pairs of good socks.
Thats a long haul. I would not want to end up with a failure or foot fatigue. In that situation I'm going with the stiffer/heavier boot. Kennetrek. Good luck on your hunt.
I hate a heavy boot! Then again if you end up walking in 2' of snow your going to hate life with sneakers! I made the mistake a couple years ago of not having a waterproof boot. We had to dry them by the camp fire every night so they wouldn't be frozen in the am. Finally ended up ZIP tie a trash bag around them during the day. Yea, I'm sure the local bum would be impressed!
Thanks for the feedback fellas. Sounds like my thoughts are aligned with everyone's and that I need a new pair of boots somewhere in between the two I own. My wife will be thrilled to know that experts on my "hunting Facebook" have provided another answer to another troubling problem.
The ones that fit the best and feel most comfortable from the git-go. Forget what _brand_ other folks like, these are your very own feet. If there's a hiking/backpacking store near you, go there.
As far as the workouts. I'm scheduled at work 80hrs/wk and Covid obviously shut the gym down for a while, plus I'm in Florida where the Rona is running rampant so I've been avoiding the gym. It's been prison workouts at the house; pushups, pull-ups, lunges, step ups (onto the 110 cooler), and elliptical. I generally get my heart rate up to 130-150 for about 20 out of 30 minutes while I go through my routine. I'm 6'0" 205lb and lean, feeling quite well for 31yo, but I know I'm gonna be sucking wind to a terrible degree come September. I did some driving around and found a hill by an overpass yesterday. I suppose I can park somewhere near by and make a bunch of laps up and down that 20 foot bank. Anything to mitigate the wind-sucking this fall.
You're lean & 31, you'll be fine in no time. In your case it's what's between the ears that will count most!
Choose your Kenetreks in your case description & don't look back! I wouldn't even dream of taking tennis shoes on an elk hunt, yes those are exonerated tennis shoes! -- If you were elk hunting not far from roads & terrain was easily negotiable then yes the tennis shoes would/could work OK. ( I'd still choose the Kenetreks - Grin)
ElkNut
Kennetrek MTN extremes or Crispi Colorado's. Have both and they fit great. Pick the one you like best
