Kenetrek's leak?

No. They're the 420 Mountain Extreme non-insulated.
Mine too! I think something about the non insulated leaks. I don't want insulated though. I agree that having a great boot should not mean settling for wet feet. I just want to wear mine out. Every time I get a new pair means I had a miserable time. Shouldn't be too much to ask for a nearly $500 boot.

Steve
 
My recent experience with my Kennetreks was that they did stay dry over constant wet snow conditions however they always give me heel blisters, even after 3 years of use. I keep forgetting to put mole skin on my heels as a preventative. With a full pack on and a lot of fast downhill, I was jamming my toes and got a black toenail. Oddly, it wasn't my big toe but the next one in line.

I recently picked up a pair of Solomon 4D 3 GTX boots (REI). They're a slightly lighter, shorter boot with Gore Tex. The heel fit is great and zero break in was required beyond the ankle cuff being a bit hard, which I get on every new pair of boots. One thing I noticed right off is that they have a very good shoelace lock down for the instep. This prevents slipping forward and jamming the toes, and it seems to work. I generally don't use that feature for normal flat ground walking but for trail/hunting, it's important to not jam your toes. This boot is going to be my every day boot so I wanted something a bit lighter but by many reviews, it serves very well as a back packing boot. We'll see. I can see where I'll need gaiters attached full time for later season hunting, but I knew that going in. They're uninsulated, but even in snowy conditions, I find an insulated boot is unnecessary, unless your sub-20 degree temperatures. What's important is that when you get back to camp, you can put on something warm and dry. Even a good boot that doesn't allow water to get in, can't prevent sweat from giving you a damp foot, which, once you stop, gets cold.

My Kennetrek's are probably still one of the better mountain hunting boots I've had but I still get sore feet with them. So far, so good with the Solomon's. We'll see how they fare under grunt conditions.
 
Earlier this summer I was trying to decide between Crispi's and Kennetrek's. Saw some of these types of reviews with Kennetrek's. Glad I went with Crispi. Best boot I've ever owned...

My recent experience with my Kennetreks was that they did stay dry over constant wet snow conditions however they always give me heel blisters, even after 3 years of use. I keep forgetting to put mole skin on my heels as a preventative. With a full pack on and a lot of fast downhill, I was jamming my toes and got a black toenail. Oddly, it wasn't my big toe but the next one in line.

I recently picked up a pair of Solomon 4D 3 GTX boots (REI). They're a slightly lighter, shorter boot with Gore Tex. The heel fit is great and zero break in was required beyond the ankle cuff being a bit hard, which I get on every new pair of boots. One thing I noticed right off is that they have a very good shoelace lock down for the instep. This prevents slipping forward and jamming the toes, and it seems to work. I generally don't use that feature for normal flat ground walking but for trail/hunting, it's important to not jam your toes. This boot is going to be my every day boot so I wanted something a bit lighter but by many reviews, it serves very well as a back packing boot. We'll see. I can see where I'll need gaiters attached full time for later season hunting, but I knew that going in. They're uninsulated, but even in snowy conditions, I find an insulated boot is unnecessary, unless your sub-20 degree temperatures. What's important is that when you get back to camp, you can put on something warm and dry. Even a good boot that doesn't allow water to get in, can't prevent sweat from giving you a damp foot, which, once you stop, gets cold.

My Kennetrek's are probably still one of the better mountain hunting boots I've had but I still get sore feet with them. So far, so good with the Solomon's. We'll see how they fare under grunt conditions.
Good to hear what other guys are wearing. I put a lot of miles on my boots. More than just about anyone I know. These boot companies should hire me for research and development. Ha Ha
 
I tried the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme, but they didn't fit my foot right. I tried the Crispi Hunter GTX, and they fit perfectly. I hunted in snow for second rifle season in Colorado (Oct 20), and my feet stayed warm and dry. Glad I tried the Crispi, they are perfect for me.
 
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I tried the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme, but they didn't fit my foot right. I tried the Crispi Hunter GTX, and they fit perfectly. I hunted in snow for second rifle season in Colorado (Oct 20), and my feet stayed warm and dry. Glad I tried the Crispi, they are perfect for me.

Been hearing some good things about the Crispis. Friend of mine really likes his. Good to hear what other folks are using, I know some of you on here really get after it. Always interested to read others experiences with their gear.
 
I hunted Late Rifle, Elk ( walked 2-3 miles, Minimum, per Day ) for FOUR Days, in 6-12 inches of Snow, near Flagstaff, Arizona last week, wearing, a $200 pair ( 3 years old) of, Meindal's ! My 6 year old, $130.00 set of Danner's, DON'T leak, either ! Both sets of Boots,.. very COMFY,..
Spending MORE,.. doesn't mean,.."better" !
I keep em' clean, polished, waxed up and have $20.00 Gel arch supports, in them, tho !
 
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Well I have 2 pairs of 400g mountain extremes. Both brand new and only one pair has been worn. My 4yr old pair of Meindles started to leak this year. I was ok with that. They are hands down the best pair of boots I've ever owned. There is well over 1,000 Mike's on them. In every condition possible. The leather just fatigued enough I believe that I can't get them to seal up, I just use boot wax or oil on my boots. Sprays seal good but my boots eventually start to really smell inside. A few guys I hunt with had kenetrek boots for many years. They've had great success with them and rave about them. I've heard great things about their service too. I decided to try a pair for my next hunting boot. After 3 days and 20 some miles of wet snowy pheasant hunting. These are not my best investment. The heel pockets are too large for my feet. Even with heavy socks and tightening the laces very tight I get movement in the heel area. The rest of the boot seems to fit decent. I did not put their wax on immediately. I assumed there would have been some sort of treating from the factory and planned to wax them when the leather softened up a bit. Needless to say my feet were soaked everyday. Beeing i have 2 pairs I was thinking of trying a pair of their molded insoles in the boots. The arched sole is almost too much for a lit of flat land walking. Has anybody tried their molded insoles? Any ideas on how to tighten up the heel pocket also? I paid the money for the boots so I will keep them until I wear them out or can't stand them anymore. Something might have changed in their production process. Seems the older boots had better quality than the newer ones. I'm not satisfied with them for the money spent.
 
I used to love Danner but when they went to China for production I started having problems with overall quality, started looking around. Tried a number of brands had the best luck with Kennetrek. I just bought my fifth pair.
I typically get two good seasons out of them and then rotate in a new pair.
By comparison Danners gave one good season and rotate in a new pair.
I have had a leaky boot, twice. Disappointed but they replaced them.
For me, out of all the boots I've tried they give me the best fit.
You couldn't give me a pair of Meindals. Terrible on my feet.
I know some guys love them.
 
Maybe I need to change, my user Name,.. to LUCKY Lefty from, Idaho !
I LOVE BOTH pairs of,.. my Insulated, Vietnamese, Meindal's and Chinese, Danner's ! Mine ARE, comfortable with, Gel "foot beds", Merino Wool socks and,..very DRY ! I Paid less than, $300.00 for BOTH, Pairs! Remember that, I clean and Polish them, AND,.. give them, a coat of, Water PROOFING,.. EVERY summer,.. BEFORE, the season starts ! I tell my son that, I'll Quit Hunting when,.. these Boots are, worn out !
Signed,.. Lucky Lefty
 
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I used to love Danner but when they went to China for production I started having problems with overall quality, started looking around. Tried a number of brands had the best luck with Kennetrek. I just bought my fifth pair.
I typically get two good seasons out of them and then rotate in a new pair.
By comparison Danners gave one good season and rotate in a new pair.
I have had a leaky boot, twice. Disappointed but they replaced them.
For me, out of all the boots I've tried they give me the best fit.
You couldn't give me a pair of Meindals. Terrible on my feet.
I know some guys love them.
Ditto on the Danners. The Chinese version sucks. I've been wearing my same pair of Kenetreks that I've been wearing since I began this thread. I put a ton of the grease on them every couple of weeks and put them on the boot dryer when my feet finally get wet. The extra grease seems to help delay the inevitable. Dave
 
I wear other options--not to bash the brand either...2 pair of hard scrabbles..they fell apart on me. Sent them back and yes they replaced them...the interesting thing is that my friends from The state stopped wearing them for the same reason. Mine were worn in a desert environment so leaking was not a concern.

I have 2 pair of russell moccasin grand slam sheep hunters...they have preformed perfectly.have a set of Barksdal SF, Raichel, and La Sportiva and they are top notch.
 
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