School me on socks, liners, insoles, wax, etc..

[AZ RANGER]

Next week I will be making a trip to Cabelas to get new boots. I have decided on the Meindl Perfekt Hunter or the Denali, whichever fells best when I try them on. As I have been searching about info on boots I see a lot of references to sock liners and smartwool socks. I have never worn anything other than regular cotton socks so I know nothing about these.

My Questions:

 

What is the purpose of a sock liner? Do I need it? which ones

 

Wool Socks? Is the purpose of wools socks warmth or blisters or moisture or all of the above. The perfect hunters already have 400 grams of thinsulate and I am thinking they may be hot anyways. The wool socks may just make it worse, right?. 15$-20$ a pair seems like a lot for socks. especially when you figure you will need about 7 pairs or more.

My current boots have 200 grams of thinsulate and I have never really been too cold in them. I mostly hunt the desert. Blisters were only a problem when I decided to do a several mile overnight hike for the break-in period (my own stupid fault).

 

Insoles? Do I need them? Which ones? The Meindls seem to have good insoles already, especially the Hunters.

 

What kind of wax or waterproofing stuff should I get. I have never done anything to my current boots and I am thinking that is why the waterproofing did not last. Also heard that the wax helps with noise made by some Meindl boots.

 

I want to try on the boots with the socks I will be wearing in the field so I need to figure this out before I get there.

 

Thanks

 

 

[Red Rabbit]

The thin liner socks add a layer of slippage that can help prevent blisters and may be of a material that helps wick moisture.

Merino wool socks like the Smartwool brand wick better than cotton and are warmer when wet (might be nice when you sit at your morning glassing spot). I think wool provides more cushion than cotton. Wool does not tend to stink as bad after wearing and sweating like cotton or polypropylene do.

In the warm deserts, you may like a synthetic sock like some Thorlos as it will wick better and be a little cooler than wool. For the desert, I would not get an insulated boot.

[AZ RANGER]

Thanks Doug.

 

Do most of you on here wear wool socks and liners?

 

 

 

[WHT_MTNMAN]

I wear the smart wool and thorlos and I do not wear liners. I bought a couple pairs and didn't find much benefit from them. That being said, with a stiffer boot you may want to wear them for awhile until they break in.

[DesertBull]

I just bought some Under Armour boot socks. Never really thought socks could make that much of a difference but I logged some serious miles on my Kaibab hunt last month and never even had the hint of a blister. They are thick on the bottom, but vented on top and they come way over the calf.

[CouesWhitetail]

I love the smart wool socks. Never worn liners, but doesn't mean they aren't a good idea. I haven't tried the socks DesertBull mentioned. On my last coues hunt I got some blisters on the top of my foot where it meets the leg. I guess friction from the laces caused it. It's funny, I never felt them when hiking, but when I got home and got cleaned up I noticed them. Maybe a liner would have prevented that??

[pilgrim]

I'm a big fan of Smartwool socks. I use the 'treking' socks that they make. Lots of thick cushioning for these poor ole tired dogs of mine. I'm breaking in a pair of Asolo boots & these socks are great.

 

pilgrim

[DesertBull]

Just bought me some Asolo FSN95's too. Best fitting boot I've ever worn. They were a little stiff when I 1st got them and was not sure if I could wear them or not. Wore them to work for a couple of days and they loosened up and now feel great.

 

Sierra Trading Post had a great deal on them.

 

http://hardcoreoutdoor.com/2008/06/16/ariz...n-95-boots.aspx

[firstcoueswas80]

I normally wear liners and 2 pairs of wool/smart wool socks.

[Coach]

Hey Scott, How have things been down in your neck of the woods?

 

I bought the Perfekt Hunters about 2 years ago, and they are by far the best boots I've ever worn, and that's saying a lot. I had a pair of Cabela's Mountain Hunters that lasted nearly 10 years - and that was during my late teens to 20's. The tread was all worn off, but the uppers and waterproofing were still good. I finally had to stop wearing them because in my late 20's my arches dropped (I'm told) and I went from an 11.5 to a 12. I went through quite a few boots after those, and never found any I could really get excited about until the Meindl Perfekt Hunters.

 

I've put quite a few miles on them, but now I make sure to put some good leather treatment on them to keep the leather in good condition. I've been using Obenauf's leather preservative. From what I've been told it does a good job of keeping the leather from drying out without clogging it up. Seems to be working as promised.

 

As for socks. I like Merino Wool with some spandex/nylon/poly mix to keep 'em snug or Smart Wool. The Cabela's outfitter wool socks are good too. For me, it has to be wool, and I don't like the old itchy kind of wool. Cotton is flat out - cotton will get wet, stretch out up and ball up and cause blisters. I also don't use liners - tried 'em a couple times and didn't like them. To me it felt like my feet were sliding around too much, like the liner was sliding around in the outer sock. I felt I had less traction, and more chance of getting a blister, or on downhill slopes my feet were jamming into the ends of my boot.

 

Let us know what you find out.

[AZ RANGER]

Thanks for all he input, I am headed to cabelas on Monday to spend a bunch of money.

[azslim]

I have to turn the liners inside out or the seam for the toes wears a blister. I have to pull the top of the outside sock down over the neck of my boot or they slide down and wrinkle on the bottom because the liners are so slick. If you feel a hot spot starting sit down and fix it now, 30 mins from now it could be a blister. I pop my blisters at night and let them dry out, use fingernail clippers and make a big hole. I hit my feet with hand sanitizer every night, takes the stink out and helps dry out a fresh popped blister. Put moleskin on in the morning not at night when the walking is done. 2nd Skin is wonderful stuff for blisters, cut your piece, pull the blue backing off and stick over the blister, cover with the thin moleskin they provide - sometimes the regular stuff is too thick. When you break for lunch pull your boots and hang your socks in a tree to dry, your feet are a lot happier when you put them back on - the liners dry in a couple minutes.

 

I will forward a thing on blister care to Amanda, maybe she can post it here - I'm too stupid.

[PRDATR]

I discovered Smart Wool socks last year and will never go back to regular socks. My feel sweat a lot but I have found that using Right Guard spray stops that and for foot odor I have settled on Gold Bond foot powder after trying everything I could get my hands on over the last 20 years.

Before I put my socks on I spray my feet and then wait half a minute and then put on the socks. I just sprinkle soem foot powder inside the boot and shake it around a bit. After over two decades and a resole my Rocky Boots had the heel blow out this spring so I was forced to get another pair of boots. Cabelas had the Chinese Danner Pronghorns on sale for a good price and I bought a pair. The extra wide is still a bit tight for me but they broke in within an hour of wearing them.

I have found some of the Smart Wool socks for $12.99 at Sportsmans Warehouse which IIRC were the mid calf hiking socks. I also have some others but they were $16.99. I recently wore some elcheapo Red Head hiking boots on a hunt and my feet were soaked from the wet grass after the first half mile, including the socks.

My feet never got cold and the socks never matted and remained comfortable until the grass dried out a few hours later and I then took off the wet socks and rang them out and put them back on, just damp and they felt fine.

I now prefer not to have any leather on boots because any waterproofing will prevent them from being breathable and not let moisture like sweat escape, at least in my experience. The only reason I got the Danners was because I was in need of a pair of boots that fit and they were as close to what I was looking for that I could find after looking for close to a year.

I would love to have a pair of boot custom made to my specs but that is never going to happen.

[COOSEFAN]

Thanks for all he input, I am headed to cabelas on Monday to spend a bunch of money.

 

I purchased the Meindl's from Cabelas and after walking around a bit more at home in them I took them back. I'm very hard on boots and would typically go thru 1-2 pairs of Danners every year and hoped the Meindl's would last longer for me. They were very comfortable and seemed like they would be perfect but what I noticed later was that the metal lace loops would bind and dig into the top of my foot. This would only happen if I were hiking up a steep incline or when kneeling down. It may have been just the way my foot is shaped or the placement of those loops, i dont know for sure. Lots of folks love those boots tho!

 

When you try them on, bend your foot to similate walking up a steep hill on your toes, make sure those lace loops don't bend downward onto the top of your foot. Best of luck! JIM>

 

P.S. I ended up going with the Kenetrek's and although they are now ready to be retired, they lasted me just over a year which is really good for me!

[AZ RANGER]

Thanks for all he input, I am headed to cabelas on Monday to spend a bunch of money.

 

I purchased the Meindl's from Cabelas and after walking around a bit more at home in them I took them back. I'm very hard on boots and would typically go thru 1-2 pairs of Danners every year and hoped the Meindl's would last longer for me. They were very comfortable and seemed like they would be perfect but what I noticed later was that the metal lace loops would bind and dig into the top of my foot. This would only happen if I were hiking up a steep incline or when kneeling down. It may have been just the way my foot is shaped or the placement of those loops, i dont know for sure. Lots of folks love those boots tho!

 

When you try them on, bend your foot to similate walking up a steep hill on your toes, make sure those lace loops don't bend downward onto the top of your foot. Best of luck! JIM>

 

P.S. I ended up going with the Kenetrek's and although they are now ready to be retired, they lasted me just over a year which is really good for me!

 

Thanks Jim Ill make sure I check that out.