Santana Outdoors Report post Posted June 27, 2015 Are you refusing to pay $400 to $500 for a pair of boots like me? I am no different than you. There is no way a $400 boot can be that different. Well, I finally gave in after a nightmare hiking trip. We packed 15 miles into an Az wilderness looking for Monster Coues. I came out the other end with a twisted ankle, 8 black toenails and they all fell off. Took almost a year for them to all grow back. That was with a boot that was supposed to be the best. No, the boot wasn’t too small, the mountains were that nasty. I decided to try the Kenetrek Hardscrabble Hiker because I’ve heard of their top quality, comfort and I needed a boot that can withstand the rugged Arizona mountains to high desert. I needed a boot that can protected my feet with all the comfort I could get. The Hiker was named after the rugged mountain peak that is in Montana, and it fits. After 5 seasons, this boot “Stomps”, it is still going strong without any problems. The 7 inch Hardscrabble Hiker is not heavy like some. It has a thick 2.8 mm full grain leather uppers with heavily padded collars provide solid support with exceptional comfort. The traction of the K-Talon outsoles has stiff nylon midsoles that keep you from slipping in rough terrain, at first I thought was a joke, but its not! A hill I climb to scout elk is very steep and full of cinders, two steps up and one back. I felt a major difference on the first trip. My hunting buddy said bull, “Hey, that’s what I said”. You have to try it and he too was sold. Also, the waterproof, breathable Windtex membrane assures your feet stay dry. I like wearing with a light liner and then a good wool sock. If it is going to be cold out, I will just wear a heavy wool sock. In today’s boot availability I would place this boot at a number 9 out of 10. Only reason it didn’t get a 10 is because I have weak ankles and I needed the extra support with a higher boot, thus the reason for the next boot. We saw Crispi a few years ago at a show. Before committing to adding another line of boots, I decided to try out the Crispi Hunter HTG GTX. My first trip was on an elk hunt 2 years ago with my daughter. OMG! I know I said it, Oh my gun, Oh my goodness, Oh my gosh, whatever it means, my daughter would be proud of me! The comfort was so amazing. At the end of the day of hiking steep hills, traversing rugged river beds, and Arizona’s nasty desert country I was blown away at how much better my feet felt and never “Once” worried about twisting one of my bad ankles. I never thought the comfort level could ever go past the Kenetrek but this boot did. A little more weight but I will give that up for the strength it gave me in my WANKLES (wussy ankles) and the comfort. The Crispi Hunter Gore-Tex® Hunting Boot brings the best in class features. With a 400 grm to 600 grm equivalency insulated boot. Their exclusive ABSS (Ankle Bone Support System) which I love, CCF (Crispi Crossbow frame in the mid-sole), Gore-tex® Insulated Comfort Footwear Lining and a Vibram® Super-Grip outsole developed exclusively for Crispi. Just put them on and you can go for miles and miles of hard Hunting with no break-in time, I thought this too was a joke but its true. The weight of these boots are 2.03 lbs each, lighter, more stable and durable than some other boots on the market today, so why wear a heavy weight pair of boots? 100% waterproof, comfortable, designed and made in Italy (not China). You don’t have to hike 15 miles into a wilderness to get the full benefit of this boot. I wear it hiking, hunting and just working around the ranch. It is that comfortable. I will rate this boot as a 10 out of 10 until a better boot comes along! Don’t get me wrong Meindl, Hanwag, Lowa’s and a few other kinds of boot lover’s. They are all also all GREAT boots too. But if you are looking for the best of the best, we just choose to focus on what we feel is Premium Hunting Gear. Please feel free to share with us your thoughts as we enjoy hearing from you and because of you we found Crispi. If you feel there is a product we really need to check out please let me know. We do not just sell Premium Hunting Gear, we use them. See you in the field, Eric Santana The post Best Hunting Boots- Crispi and Kenetrek Stomp! appeared first on Santana Outdoors Blog. View the full article Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
