Gun Dog Forum

What kind do you own and how are they?

I am looking for boots for my big ND hunt coming in 2 weeks. I need some that are very comfortable right out of the box, waterproof, not too high on ankle, etc. Just looking for opinions...

Thanks.

I have a pair of Irish setters that I bought about a month ago, love them, very comfy although they are a higher boot. insulated and goretex very lightweight I think they were 2.2 lbs. each. 1000 grams of thinsulate and I have been wearing them in warm weather with no problems at all. And bought them for 109.00 on sale. woooo hooo


Lvrgsp

Rockys with lug soles.

You can get them in a waterproof version and the soles on most of the models are just right, flexible but not too flexible.

I used to really like the high grade Danners, but the went to a very stiff sole and it is like walking on a board. Generally a very nice boot except for that.

The prairies are easy walking. You will do alot of walking. Unless you are planning on sloggin through swamps for waterfowl, or hunting in winter weather, get boots that are light.

I like my Eccos, expensive, but you can wear them all day right out of the box. I hunted in tennis shoes last year up there.

I use tennies up in ND also, but he is talking about going up in a couple of weeks, which will be mid-Oct., and it can be hot and dry tennie weather, or cold, wet, need boots. You never know. I bring em both and decide up there, but if you only can bring one pair, then choose the boots. My tennies, and all my boots, are gore-tex. Even in warm weather you can have wet grass in the a.m., get your feet wet, and then you are stuck with that all day.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true

This is my latest, I have been wearing LaCrosse boots for some time now. I love there durability.

:roll: Hi, my choice would have to be Danner Sharptail 8". I just got a pair this year and they didn't need any real break-in time. I just put them on and started grouse hunting. Walked all day and at the end my feet didn't hurt a bit!! Very easy on the feet. I highly recommend them!!

By the way where and what are you going to hunt in NoDak? Reason why I ask I live here. If you have any questions about the hunting here just let me know. I hope you enjoy your stay here in ND, I know you'll love it!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Greg

I like Danner boots the best because I have narrow feet and Danner has some narrow sizes. Danners are well made.

I would be concerned about getting a new pair of boots just 2 weeks before a major hunting trip. I probably would not recommend. If you need to break in a new pair, you may need to wear them as many hours as possible and get in as much walking as possible. Ask about manufacturer's recommendations for breaking in. Get good socks and stock up on bandaids.

Good luck.

John

I knew about breaking in a new pair of boots would be an issue but, fortunately, I have tough feet and I walk about 2-3 miles a day after work, and not to mention the full day of work wearing them to plants and service centers. I think I can break these in by this time.

Does uninsulated matter if I am in the cold? I just don't want my feet sweating in the warmer months if I get insulated...

I have the Danner Sierra and Hood Winter Light boots. Cabela's stocks the Sierra style.

I have the insulated style. I wear these boots 12 months a year. I'm in Nebraska and it gets pretty hot in the summer. I haven't had any problems with the insulation.

There was a comment about Danner having a stiffer construction. I think this is correct, but won't buy any other boot because I have narrow feet.

Have a great hunting trip!

John

My normal gear for early season sharptails is a pair of Gore-Tex tennis shoes. This year the forecase was for variable weather, so I took the tennies, a pair of lightweight, nylon waterproof hiking boots, and a pair of insulated Danners of the type we normally use in November.

Day one was 84, wore the tennies.

Day two was 55 and rainy, wore the hiking boots.

Day three was 44, day four was 41, and it was windy and rainy with a little mixed snow. Wore the November boots.

All this was early Sept., so you figure it out.

Bought a pair of LaCrosse boots. I feel like I am walking on air. These things are very warm and comfortable. 8 inches high, waterproof, has the shark skin protective heel and toe cover etc. The boot is very light too. I put in an insole because I have very long and flat feet so it feels more snug and its amazing. I wore them all day yesterday to break em in a bit but they didnt need it. I highly recommend these boots! Very very nice!

I've posted about this subject on a different thread.
If you want one pair of boots, go to: www.filson.com and buy their uplander model. Expensive? Yes, but if you're over 40, the last pair of boots you'll buy.

I have been wearing Danner Pronghorns for the past year. Hunting boots rarely last me a whole season, but the Pronghorns have held up well for such a lightweight boot.

My favorite are Vasque's. I have used them hiking, working, hunting, etc and love them.

Ditto on Vasque. Most comfortable boot I've ever worn.

I wear Lacrosse 16 inch noninsulated rubber boots for quail hunting in Tennessee. I went to South Dakota after Christmas. 4 to 5 inches of snow and lows about 12 degrees in the morning. I bought a pair of Rocky anti-arctic 12 inch boots and wore them new out of the box. Leather at top and rubber on bottom. 400 gram thinsulate. Feet were toasty in the am waiting on grouse and no problems at all walking 3 or 4 miles a day for 4 days in the sloughs. Cabelas has them for $59 on their website. A good deal. These boots were completely waterproof. They come a little large and I had to wear 2 pairs of socks. They are a little heavier than my Lacrosse boots, but are a lot warmer.

What size boots do you all get? I'm thinking the 8" is too high, but the 6" seems just right. I am going to look at boots this weekend so I guess I'll get a better idea of what's comfortable. I am thinking of going with some hiking boots since I want comfort. The Danners look nice, so do the Irish Setters, but Vasque's look very nice. Waterproof too.

I am on my 2nd pair of Caballas L/W Kangaroo and like them a lot. I ware a size 12 B and it is hard for me to get a good boot in that size.

I love my Rocky Cornstalkers, with Gore-tex and 600 grams of Thinsulate. They are super comfortable right out of the box, and absolutely waterproof.

A lot of guys don't like insulated boots for bird work, but I've been wearing them for field training all summer - and my feet actually feel cooler than they do with my uninsulated boots. They are relatively light weight too.

Wow, looking back over this post I see I posted 2 years ago about the Irish setters I had bought, I still have those boots, they have held up good, I will say they do not seem to have the best support for my feet, but I do have a problem where I have no cartilage left in the joint on my big toe, so every step that my toe flexes it is bone on bone ( ouch ), anyway I found that in my Irish Setters they flexed to much for me and found that a better stiffer insert helped tremendously, so my review for them is good boot, holds up well, with just some new inserts and laces over 2 years and still going strong, and I wear them a ton. I did buy a second pair of Red Wings 400 grams with a thicker lug sole for the whole toe support thing, and they are really nice, kinda pricey ($180 I think )but well worth it in my opinion, they have been through a year of heck with me. I wear boots every day of the year for work and my activities, so I really put them through the mill. So for me it's Irish Setters and Red Wing boots. Hope this helps.

Chip

I HAVE HAD JUST ABOUT EVERY BRAND THERE IS TRYING TO REPLACE A PAIR OF ROCKYS I HAD FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS.........I JUST WENT BACK TO ROCKY(BRUINS) THIS WEEK. I TRIED BEAN, CABELAS, IRISH SETTERS, LACROSSE, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT ELSE, AND I COULDN'T FIND A PAIR THAT DIDN'T LEAK-ESPECIALLY IN THE WET GRASS EITHER BIRD OR TURKEY HUNTING. I QUIT ROCKYS WHEN THEY LEFT OHIO, BUT I HOPE THESE WORK OUT. BEEN WALKING IN WET GRASS HUNTING DOVE, BUT THE REAL TEST WILL COME IN NOV. OUT IN KANSAS.

I agree Bird, I kinda gave up on the whole Goretex boots, now if I want goretex, i'll buy the individual socks, and a good coat of oil.

Chip

love my danner peonghorns. lightweight. i wear custom built inserts for my foot problems. had this pair for 3 years. i walk a lot

Here's what I can tell you about Gore-Tex, and it works the same with waders as it does with boots: I don't care that it's supposed to be breathable or not - nothing "breathable" will let moisture out when it's underwater. Just like my feet and legs will sweat in my Simms waders when fishing in the summer, my feet get wet from sweat when hunting in the rain or in wet areas where the boots are wet all the time - even in the winter. That's what rubber boots are for.

Can't go wrong with Danner's. I used to wear Danner's when we wore BDU's and had black boots, trust me, I put hundreds of miles on those boots with no problems. I bought the Danner Pronghorn's a few weeks ago and while these are much higher than you are looking for, I humped several miles the next day on the last day of my elk hunt with maybe one hot spot. I hunted pheasant this past saturday with them also; they have 600 gm or whatever goretex so they got a little warm during the day but I didn't have to empty my boots of dirt, stickers etc. Raichle also make an excellent boot, it is a lower cut/high top boot, insulated etc. warm in the cold and cool in the heat.........magic. They're what the Bergfuhrer's. (German mountain troops), use, or maybe it was the Austrians, whatever, same difference. Definitely agree, Rockies are comfy out of the box but you'll likely buy another pair before next season and while Columbia's and Timberlands look good they are not for walking miles of CRP. Good luck in SD, I envy you, about 40k birds killed in CO. last year compared to 2.2 million in SD.

Danner Pronghorns, uninsulated. That is all I wear bird hunting is uninsulated, yesterday hunted in 20 degree temps and never got cold.

Have to say, My danner pronghorns were comfy from day one, kept my feet dry (as long as I wasn't wearing them inside so my feet sweat) and warm. Most comfortable boot I've owned. No blisters and no holes in the heels of my socks....

I bought them about a month and a half ago, However I'm sending them back as some of the zipper teeth are missing now which makes zipping them up, difficult. We'll see what they say...they sent me a free shipping label already.

(also, didn't know that Danner and Lacrosse are the same company)

Danner Grouse are hard to beat

I am on my third pair of boots this year I have had:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true
ANd
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true
The first ones lasted only a month, I finally bought the Meindeli

djswizz, What is the model of the LaCrosse boots you have?

Thanks

Vom Britt wrote:djswizz, What is the model of the LaCrosse boots you have?

Thanks

Not sure. I got them at Gander Mtn.

Just bought a pair of Danner Pronhorns 400's. See here: http://www.amazon.com/s/field-keywords= ... hoes.01-20

Unreal the comofort. I'm hoping Danner does not not let me down like Browning did last year (boots leaked).

djswizz wrote:Just bought a pair of Danner Pronhorns 400's. See here: http://www.amazon.com/s/field-keywords= ... hoes.01-20

Unreal the comofort. I'm hoping Danner does not not let me down like Browning did last year (boots leaked).

UPDATE: Danners DID NOT HOLD UP! Rained/very wet one day up in ND and they leaked. Unbelievable. They also look like crap, even after 4 full days of hunting. The leather wore out. I must wear my boots hard or something because this is pathetic. My Lacrosse boots, which were like $65 at Gander on sale, have held up for 4 years and are still waterproof. I'm questioning the quality on high priced boots. Pissed off, but at least Danner is giving me a full refund.

I bought a pair of Browning. Most comfortable shou I have ever put on my foot right out the box. I have hunted w/ them for 7 years now. Still the best.

Ok so after I posted that I bought Danner's, they failed me on my 2009 ND hunt. Feet were wet everyday. Ridiculous. So I returned them and Danner gave me a new pair from their warehouse. Great I thought. I went out last weekend in them for the first time and THE EXACT SAME THING! My foot was in a puddle of water. Returned them yesterday for a full refund. I've wasted so much time and money on shipping these defective boots. I'll never buy Danner again.

So, I'm looking at LL Bean Maine boots:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/33172?pa ... at4=506763

I'm going to Cabela's this weekend to try on boots though so if none work there, I'm getting the LL Bean boots. At least they have a 100% guarantee.

Quit fighting it,,, as long as your at Cabelas get the Miendl uninsulated boots.

djswizz wrote:Ok so after I posted that I bought Danner's, they failed me on my 2009 ND hunt. Feet were wet everyday. Ridiculous. So I returned them and Danner gave me a new pair from their warehouse. Great I thought. I went out last weekend in them for the first time and THE EXACT SAME THING! My foot was in a puddle of water. Returned them yesterday for a full refund. I've wasted so much time and money on shipping these defective boots. I'll never buy Danner again.

So, I'm looking at LL Bean Maine boots:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/33172?pa ... at4=506763

I'm going to Cabela's this weekend to try on boots though so if none work there, I'm getting the LL Bean boots. At least they have a 100% guarantee.

There is a good reason that boot has been on the market for almost 100 years.

Hey Sal, since your the resident "Beaner Guru" just coined that phrase for you, gotta be some money in that somewhere...Ha ha.

Have you heard anything on these boots, a little funky looking but from what I was told they are holding up very well in the field for guys..

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65685?from=SR&feat=sr

I haven't seen them but they look cool, especially if you need that type of boot for the terrain. Since that company backs everything for any reason I am sure they have done their homework on them. 21 reviews and almost all 5 stars.

When you buy something from Bean's it has no risk. I like that. Orvis too.

The northeast is wet and soft so the old gumshoe works for me.

If you can send them back after a few years, why not take the plunge?

Some people are afraid to return stuff. I am not at all.