Need a Good Hunting Boot

[PhxHunt]

Looking for a good pair of Hunting Boots for hunting AZ. Any suggestions or advice welcome.

 

Also I am selling a barely used pair of Irish Setter boots Aero Trackers for 50.00 in size 9.5.

[kkay]

What's their width, why are you selling them and what part of town are you in?

[ready2hunt]

I have never been one to spend BIG $$$ on my boots. The most I have paid for a pair was $130. My suggestion would be find a pair that will fit the terrain you'll be in, the weather which you plan to be in AND that feels comfortable to your feet.

 

I have 2 pairs right now. One is a decent pair from bass pro shops (their brand) that I use for the majority of the year. I have a completely different pair for wet/snowy & cold weather. I love both and didn't have to break the bank. My cold/wet weather pair of boot have much less miles on them.

 

For me comfort is the key. If I am going to be on them ALL day then I want a pair that wont make me swear. IMO

[PhxHunt]

What's their width, why are you selling them and what part of town are you in?

Regular Width. I am in North Phoenix and Work in Tempe a couple of times a week.

 

I am selling them because they are a bit tight on me.

 

Here is a picture of them.

[uofahughes2]

I've always liked Vasque's by Redwing.

[kkay]

PM sent

[Umpqua]

I think Lowa may be the best boots on the market right now. They have numerous options to choose from depending on your budget.

[Antmo23]

I always used Danners but last year I bought some Kennetreks and I absolutely love them! They are pricey, but well worth it, my hunting partners thought I was part fly the way I stuck to the rocks. As with all gear, you get what you pay for. Try on as many different boots as you can and go with the most comfortable, regardless of price.

[jarheadhunter]

If you don't want to spend a lot I have always liked every pair of Wolverine's I have bought. If you want to spend a little more and get a really good pair of boots I recommend Crispi boots. By far the most comfortable I have ever worn. I tried the Kennetrek and felt like I was walking on stilts. For me the sole is to high. I picked up the Crispi Nevada GTX and they are comparable the Kennetrek just down have the high heel on them. I have also heard lots of good things about the Lowa boots.

[Shedhunteraz]

Kennetrek mountain guides are the way to go. Just like atnmo23 said. Little pricey but you will buy 3 pairs before even wearing these out. Wife and I love ours.

[oz31p]

I got another set of danners a few weeks ago this time the pronghorn classics. I have wide feet so I alsway need e widths.so far I like them alot

[rcdinaz]

Figure out what features you want then find what fits the best. I have had Rock, Danner, Under Armour, Irish Setter, Asolo, Zamberlan, Cabaleas and some other cheap ones. For my foot (slightly narrow) the Asolo are still the best feeling boots regardless of price and the Zamberlan make a big difference if I am going to lug a heavy pack. A boot for heavy packing is a different creature from a regular hiking and hunting boot and your feet will thank you if you have a good pair. Insoles can help a great deal as well.

 

Things to think of, Terrain, water-proofing, packing, shape of your foot such as arch & width, and insulation needed.

 

A good place to start is to talk to the people at REI and try on a bunch of boots there, and at Sportsmans, and Bass Pro.

 

Good luck!

[rclouse79]

I have struggled with the boot question for years. I have narrow heels and most boots give me blisters. I even tried on a pair of Kenetreks and could tell in the store they would give me blisters on my heel. I picked up a pair of Salomon Quest boots 1/2 off at the REI garage sale and I love them. If they ever stop making them I think I will buy 5 or 6 of them to have a lifetime supply.

[Umpqua]

Find boots that fit YOUR feet.

 

My last pair was Kennetreks. They make very nice boots, but I am one of them that has had them shred my heels. My feet NEVER blister, but they were a mess in those boots. This time around I knew the biggest issue was not only finding a QUALITY boot, but also finding boots that FIT my feet properly. The criteria I picked up was

 

1) 3/8" to 1/2" of free space ahead of my toes.

 

2) Minimal heal slip

 

3) Proper width

 

With proper fit being a big deal, this time around, I ordered boots from Zappos since they have free shipping both ways. I spent a month sorting through boots. I would order two pairs at a time and compare the fit between them, then I would return the worse fitting pair. As long as you wear them indoors and don't scuff them there is no problem doing that. Doing this at home gave me the hours needed to see if the boot fit properly.

 

I would wear a pair of boots and walk around the house. I would walk a 1/3 mile on an inclined treadmill (max incline). Boots that my heels slipped in got sent back. I had boots on the treadmill that caused me to pronate when I walked to make them feel "right", those boots got sent back.

 

I'd sit on a chair on a carpeted floor and try as hard as I could to get my feet to slip forward in the boot. If my foot would slide forward and my toes would crunch up on the end of the boot (and lacing did not fix this), I would return the boots.

 

I'd also just leave the boots on for hours just watching TV or just hanging around inside the house. I had some boots that restricted the blood flow after a couple hours and my feet would be terribly "tingly" and I couldn't wait to get them off. Those boots got sent back. After all that I think I may have the best fitting pair of boots I have ever owned at the cost of one pair of boots. They were one size larger and one size wider than I have ever ordered.

 

All that is to say, find boots that properly fit your feet.

[creed_az_88]

What kind of boots did you end up with umpqua? I recommend cabelas meindls. I wore the ibex hunters for three seasons and still wear them on occasion but there's not much left for tread. I typically put big miles on mY boots with lots of those miles being at an incline or decline. I couldnt find any ibex's when I went to buy a new pair last year so my wife bought me the air revolutions by meindl. I wore them in January and they are incredibly comfortable. They are slightly more flexible than all of meindl's other hunting boots. More of an athletic feel but completely sturdy enough for the sheep country. I agree with picking what fits best. Try as many on as you can but make sure to give meindl boots a try.

 

 

 

-creed