Schnees, Lowa, Crispi, back to Kenetrek?
Equipment
All made in Italy. I ran a similar thread before but not with all of these brands. I got an email this morning from Schnees about a 40% off sale. That’s hard to pass up! Most of the 400-600 gram boots weigh in at 4.5 lbs.
The Crispi Guide 200 gram is only 2.5. That’s hard to pass up too.
I recall the comments and appreciated the PMs about Crispis not holding up. But if I remember correctly (a challenge these days) they were referring to the lighter models. I’d be going with the Wild Rock Plus GTX. They seem more suited to the abuse of mountain elk hunting. They are only 2 lbs! Hard to pass up.
I have zero experience with Lowa but I know they get nothing but good reviews. The Hunters go 4.5 lbs also. They look identical to the Crispi boots.
I got 10 years of serious abuse out of a pair of Kenetrek Mountain Extremes which makes them hard to pass up. But friends in Montana tell me they aren’t what they used to be.
So as is often the case I come to Bowsite for expert opinions based on actual use. If you have used the models I mentioned here let’s hear it. That 40% off from Schnees is tempting but boots are NOT an item chosen based on price.
I’ve been wearing the Crispi Guides as my go to hunting boot for about a year. I wore them 14 days straight for elk last September. No blisters, no hot spots. My feet feel locked in while wearing them. I also added Sheep Feet to them, and those REALLY make a difference. I’d highly recommend them, but then again everyone’s foot is different. I also have the Crispi Idaho, Laponia, and Attiva Mid… the Guide is my favorite by far.
Got 10 yrs out of kenetrek mountains. Sent um in for rebuild. Too rough. No rebuild. But! They gave me choice of any boot for $250. That was deal. Have pair of crispis. Holdin up pretty good. Order size larger. Run small. May try schnees. Take care of ur feet. They get ya up the mountains.
I have worn the original wild rocks for about four hunting seasons. This was hunting the rolling hills and mountains in Virginia. They held up fantastic. This past season I bought the wild rock plus in a wide size. Fit like a glove a plenty warm. Crispi boots seem to always run a little narrow for me.
10 years from Kenetrek also. I replaced the Keneteks with Hanwag, for my feet they were an upgrade
i am surprised anyone can get that long of use out of kenetrek. i like the fit but i wear-out their original sole in a one season and the newer K73 sole is entirely too slippery in snow and on rocks. they are poorly designed and over-priced imo.
the best boots for me are meindl. i buy the ones made in germany. many years ago cabela's used to sell them. now, the last pair i purchased were from hoffman boots in kellogg, idaho. there is also meindl usa and you can find them at meindlusa.com.
Hard to beat the kenetreks for up on the mountain.
I wear Lowa Camino GTX, Kennetrek Hardscrabbles and just got a pair of Crispi’s. My feet like all 3 when worn around here in the small hills in the Midwest. The Kennetrek Hardscrabbles are most comfortable for my feet on an elk hunt though.
I've worn the Lowa hunters for many years, all pairs were super comfortable but some were very weak in the waterproofing department and the rand always seemed to deteriorate pretty fast. I recently bought a pair of the Schnees Granite's and so far they seem to be as comfortable as the Lowa hunters except for one thing, the tongue! Lowa has a section of the leather replaced with a soft section so that it bends and does not bind up right where your ankle bends. The Schnees tongue is all one piece of leather which has been a PIA compared to the Lowas, part of the issue is the Schnees tongue is a little offset or not centered properly so when lacing them up I am constantly trying to tweak the tongue to lay right which causes a slight twist in the leather and has tended to feel bunched up. I am not sure if this tongue issue is a result of the tongue not being sewn in properly or what but it is a big issue to me, lowas tongue design is pretty darn good. I do like the way Schnees lacing system cinches down, you can strangle your foot if you wanted to. I would have bought another pair of Lowa Hunters if I could have found them on sale but last year Schnees had a sale like right now and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try them because to pay full price to try a different brand of boots is hard to do.
I’ve had boots from everyone of these makers. First off you gotta get what works for you. I currently have all of the Crispis (yes, all of them) and Lowa Bighorns and Hunters. Schnees don’t work for me, nor do Kene’s.
IMO most of the Crispis aren’t tough enough for the tough stuff but as comfortable as a boot can be.
Lowas rand is weak. I glue them when they are brand new and have pretty good luck. My favorites: For light duty I love Crispi Colorados and Nevadas, for the mountains I love the Lowa Bighorns, for late season I own both styles of Wild Rocks and love them both. Try as many on as you can or spend a bunch of money and buy them all.
I have run Lowa and Kenetrek. Of those my kenetrek were definitely superior, more comfortable for sure
This will be year 3 in my Schnees divide mids. Love them so far. A bit of breaking in up front but they have been a pleasure to wear and seem to be very sturdy and well made. No quality issues to report.
I use crispi Colorado and Nevada here in Colorado for elk. Im wearing my Colorados every day right now
I just picked up a pair of Crispi Altitudes. Only have about 20 miles on them but so far so good. Seem to fit my feet well. I ordered true to size and they seem ok in that regard. Did some climbing in some rocky nasty stuff yesterday and they felt pretty stable for a lightweight boot. Will see what I think after a SD TAC archery trip in July and a high altitude Muley hunt this fall.
I tried Crispi Thor 2 (too stiff, heel rubbed up/down), Crispi Attiva Mid (too soft, heel rubbed up/down) and now Crispi Altitude (feel just about right). I've hiked probably 100-miles+ in multiple trips and so far so good. They don't fit me quite like a glove like Salomon Qwest 4d, but seem to be higher quality, more durable, breathe better, yet more water resistant (I've yet to find any breathable membrane boot to actually be waterproof). Anyone considering Crispi, I'd recommend the Altitude.
I decided to give the Schnees a try. Couldn’t pass up the sale price of $370.
The Granite is similar to the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme. The 200 gram and 600 weighed almost the same so I went with 600. I hate cold feet.
I normally wear a size 10. Despite advice to order a size larger I bought a 10. The boots look to be very well built. The tongue on the Granite is nice. Made of 3 pieces the two side panels are soft and everything cinched down into place very nicely. The size feels right but they are narrow. Mountain hunting boots have to be snug to eliminate movement which causes blisters. But they feel a bit too narrow. My question is break them in or exchange for a 10 in EE width? The width will s borderline.
I wear a size 10 and the Lowa Tibet GTX size 10 medium fits like a glove with a pair of Smart Wool socks. Never a blister. I hunt and live in some very rough, steep terrain and the Lowa has been the best boot for this country I’ve ever owned. Just bought another pair.
Mule Power,
In my experience it’s better to have a boot be a little too wide or long than too narrow or short. It’s easier to take up space with a thicker sock and/or insole than it is to make a boot roomier. That being said the insoles on the Schnee’s boots are fairly thick so a thinner insole like a thin model Super Feet or other thin insole might just give you enough room but you’ll loose some padding.
Tilzbow I’m thinking the same thing. I tried them on with regular cotton socks. Like I said the length seems fine. So I’m hesitant to order a 10 1/2. Going wider can’t hurt.
Update: Definitely too narrow. I am going to bump up a 1/2 size too. Boots are a big deal! So I’m going to try a size 10 1/2 in EE width. I hope Schnees sends me a shipping label so I don’t have to pay return shipping costs.
Got a reply from Schnees today. It included a return shipping label so an exchange costs nothing. Nice! I really do like the boots. They fit great. Just need a little more space.
I bought a pair of schnee's timberline 4 years ago for a co elk hunt. 2nd rifle season. Temps were mid teens to mid 20s most of the time. Loved them.
I use them all of the time around home too. They look brand new. Never had a blister or even a sign of a hot spot. My next pair of mountain boots will be schne's 100%.
I wear Kenetrek for sheep hunting and Meindl Perfekt hunters for elk. Both are great for me. I was on a guided sheep hunt and few years ago and both guides wore Kenetrek. I talked to two different outfitters for a late season mule deer hunt this year. To get an idea what the terrain is like I asked them what type of boots they wear. Both said Kenetrek. For what it is worth.
I've bought many of the top brands over the years. The thing to keep in mind you can order whatever boot you think you wany and try it on and wear it around the house a little to see how it feels and fits. All the major brands will accept returns for refund or different size or different model as long as you didn't wear them outside. So I never fear ordering a boot to try. As said here many times need to try a boot on to know if it's for you.
