Thoughts on boots for 2nd rifle

[280AIshooter]

Zamberlan and Alico have been great boots especially when hiking with a heavy pack. I've not only gone away from insulated but also Gore-Tex and fabric linings. Leather lined boots and Wigwam wool socks make for happier feet at least in my experience.

 

[Darktimber]

Mostly salomon quest 4d for early season and miendl alaskan guide when its colder. And the now ubiquitous outdoor research gaiters but i was wearing em before they were hipster gear lol

 

[Doug Herold]

Great advice and recommendations in this thread. My $.02 , I have a lot of metal in one foot. The Kennetreks have been fantastic for me. As stated, buy early, break em in, and tune em up to make your feet happy with liner socks, merino wool, and / or various thickness outer sock.
Secondly, sounds like you live in the East. Let me assure you that hunting in the West is a different game. A lot of stuff out there just ain't the same. If you are going into the back country, especially by yourself, I strongly suggest that you have an InReach communication device. It is now made by Garmin. I prefer the Explorer. It will not only help you hunt, but will give you confidence and perhaps even save your life. I have come close to death on more than one occasion and I can assure you it sucks.
Headed to Northern Alberta soon. You can bet I will have my Kennetreks as well as my InReach.

 

[Tree Farmer]

I agree with proper fit and break in. You won't know about break in until walking miles in rough terrain. Blisters will take all the joy out of the experience. Take some moleskin as cheap insurance and place on "hotspots" as soon as you feel a blister developing.

 

[Sbrinkley]

Lowa Cevedale non-insulated boots, Darn Tough Merino socks, Lathrop and Sons red insoles and gators. This has been a perfect set up for me. We typically hunt anywhere from 6,000 ft up to 10,000 ft and encounter snow every year. If you are sitting and glassing your toes get cold but warm up quickly while moving.

 

[COmtnman1]

I agree with proper fit and break in. You won't know about break in until walking miles in rough terrain. Blisters will take all the joy out of the experience. Take some moleskin as cheap insurance and place on "hotspots" as soon as you feel a blister developing.

i've tried moleskin & various kinds of tape to hold it on & none of it worked very well, maybe last a day-if you were lucky! I found something new this year, i don't even know who suggested it or where i got the advice but it was the best stuff i've ever used, Leuko Tape. Some of the reviews said to put it over some sort of padding & others just put it directly on your skin. I put it directly on my skin & for over a week, it never came off. The only thing i had to do was add some more to additional "hotspots" & never had any blister problems.

 

[FrogFire7]

I saw that leukotape thread on here somewhere... seems like a good trick. I'll definitely get the boots early, break them in, use merino socks and liner socks... but still plan to take some stuff for damage control.

 

[Tree Farmer]

I based my advice from over 20 years of wildfire assignments over most western states. Maybe elk hunting is more demanding.

 

[COmtnman1]

I based my advice from over 20 years of wildfire assignments over most western states. Maybe elk hunting is more demanding.

i wasn't knocking your advice, just giving options, the same as the many different boots mentioned. i've hunted elk since 1982 & i'm just stating from my experience & the people i've hunted with, we could never keep the moleskin in place even with all of the different athletic tapes we tried. but this year with the leuko tape, it stayed on my feet for over a week!

 

[Darktimber]

So while we're on the subject of high end leather boots, what are y'all treating them with to protect them. Im using obenoffs(sp?) currently, is there something better? I hate how its changed my miendls from a nice tan color to almost black, they were dry though i had to do something i didnt want to damage the leather. The "damage" is done now but id like to do somethimg different on my next pair

 

[COmtnman1]

So while we're on the subject of high end leather boots, what are y'all treating them with to protect them. Im using obenoffs(sp?) currently, is there something better? I hate how its changed my miendls from a nice tan color to almost black, they were dry though i had to do something i didnt want to damage the leather. The "damage" is done now but id like to do somethimg different on my next pair

personally i use either Huberd's Shoe Grease or Sno Seal, can't really tell if one works better than the other.

 

[280AIshooter]

Obenauf's heavy duty LP is in my experience the best product out there, same waterproofing as Sno-Seal but is all natural and better conditions the leather. Another good conditioner is Ashland Leather's Tanners blend, won't darken the leather as much as the other two but requires more frequent application.

leather-preservative-paste.htm

c-tblend-6oz

 

[Shane Lindsey]

As mentioned, boots, feet are like barrels and bullets...mine won't necessarily work with yours...
Definitly recommend getting ones with a shank in the sole. This will help with fatigue while walking sideways on hills. My feet sweat bad, so no goretex/insulation for me. Change of socks and possible Arctic Shield slip on outers if really cold.

My only pair of hiking styles boots outside of issued boots has been Asolo. I liked them until this happened..We'll see how well they back their product.

 

[Randy Markus]

Cabela's discontinued their long tern returns when Bass Pro bought them out. 30 days only now. They told me contact Meindl on my own. So I emailed Meindl ( In Germany), they told me to contact a dealer in Idaho. So I did. they told me , what are we supposed to do, that boot was made for Cabela's. At that point I destroyed my Cabela's Card.