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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Catskill Longbow on December 20, 2011, 07:38:00 PM
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I am looking for a rubber boot to hunt rugged hills and soggy lowlands in the Adirondacks with all day comfort (if there is such a thing). They need to be supportive and comfortable with no slop or rubbing for covering 5-10 miles in a day. They would be used for up to 5 days in a row. They would also need to be at least moderately insulated.
Am I wishful thinking, or does such a boot exist? Money is not an object.
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LL Bean Hunting Shoe, sounds like you need at least the 12" model. Most comfortable rubber bottom boot I have used and the they last a long time and they can be resoled.
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I think you will need to go with something lace up (Schnees, Kenetrek, LLBean, to fit that bill. I would lean towards starting with the LLBean because of their gaurantee and ease of return.
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Lacrosse or Cabelas Duratrax. The Duratrax were WAY comfortable but the Lacrosses lasted one season longer.
If money were no object, I'd take the Duratrax for comfort.
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I have had the L.L. Beans, nice boots, but they don't have the support required to walk long distances on rough terrain. I am looking for something with more ankle protection.
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Lace up boots are the only ones good for distance. A lot of lace up boots out there with rubber bottoms fit the bill.
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I lived in LaCrosse Alpha Burly Sport knee-high rubber boots for a week-long moose hunt in Alberta. Best all rubber boot I've ever tried.
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FYI - the LL Bean foot bed is much improved over the ones offered 10-15 years ago. I add an arch support to mine because I have plantar fascitis trouble.
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If all rubber, make sure you dry them out if cold outside. Your sweat will collect in them quickly when walking that much and they can often still be wet by morning. If no boot dryers are available, stuff newspapers or paper towels in there to help collect the moisture..........
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(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n486/Shedrock1/P1020420.jpg)
I have been hunting late season bulls, and have been hiking up this mountain from the bottom. My Kamik Hunters, made in Canada for Cabelas have been great. Rated for 40 above thru 40 below zero. They have removable wool felt liners to dry them out. The real nice thing is they are only $50.
They are real comfy and I still can't believe the rough country I hike in and up wearing these things. My feet never have been sore.
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Gotta second the Alpha Burleys. Wore mine pheasant hunting this year. Wouldnt hesitate to do it again.
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I've been VERY happy with Muck's wetlands - light weight, warmer than felt lined Sorels, great tread for climbing and descending in snow, waterproof to the knee.
I used my only pair for almost all the six seasons, start to finish, including a total of 5 weeks in the 'Dacks, tracking the big bucks through the snow. 3 to 10 day hunts, each day 5 to 12 miles busting steep terrain, witch hobble, and the green sh!t. From negative temps up to the 40's. I had no problems with blisters or sore feet. No snow this year, or last, so we didn't go.
Finally the neoprene inside wore out at the heel and did start to rub me wrong...
Retired 'em this year and, sadly, have yet to replace them. Been gettin by with some Bean boot knock offs by Redhead since it has been so warm all season.
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If you have sweaty feet, any rubber boots, LL Bean included, translates into miserable foot. My. 02.
Find another boot.
To paraphrase Capt. Quint, "I'll never put a rubber boot on again". LOL
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LaCrosse , forget the muck boots I hve both and the mucks are warmer but not made for walking.
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I have been happy with My muck boots as well. although I have not walked more than 4 miles in the Adk's with them yet and I have never hunted more than 2 days consecutively so cannot account for moisture build up.
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57HOP, sounds like you have been-there done-that. This is exactly what I am talking about. Why have you not replaced them?
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I wore Lacrosse alpha burly boots for a week in the BWCA this spring and thought them a sucess for a rubber boot. Supportive and tough - we did a couple of nasty rocky portages....
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Glenn
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I'm with Knobby for the Lacrosse boots. But i recently purchased the Muck Woody Sports which i like also. Both are very comfortable and light weight.
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I like Lacrosse alpha burly boots.
I supinate and the boot allows my foot to roll which is more comfortable for me than a stiff boot.
It's a rubber boot, so if your walking a long way, your feet are going to sweat.
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Decide on how much traction you need some rubber boots are hopeless. I have a pair of LL Beans somewhere in the cellar-if I hunted on flat ground and did not walk very far they would be great! :bigsmyl:
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I have Kenetrek. Very comfortable and excellent customer service. Had them for about three years now, great boot!
Jason
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Another vote for Alpha Burly. For the money you can't beat them
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I hunted the badlands in NW South Dakota for 9 days in Muck boots. It was very rough country and they were fine.
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imo i would NOT get the mucks i have a pair and my feet sweat like crazy in them. they do keep you dry but not a good boot for all day walking. good luck in your search
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Take a good look at the Schnees. I have a pair of 10" in Schnees and LL Bean. If its going to be real cold the Schnees are my go-to shoes. I'm thinking of ordering the 16" next.
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I bought a pair of Schnees 4 or 5 years ago and they quickly earned a place on my short list of really, really great outdoor products. I wear them in my stand when it is relatively warm (above 20 or so) and for pheasant hunting down to 20 below. Good all-day walking boot!
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Just got a pair of kenetrek pac boots. I went with the 13" northerns. I love them. I've been hiking in them with 40 lbs on my back 1-2 miles in and out of public land the last week or so and they're great. You might want to go with the warmer weather boots but as far as comfort goes for long hikes, I would recommend Kenetrek. I'll be taking mine to CO and MT next year and intend to put 5-10 miles per day on em.
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I agree with the been boots!! They are great!
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I have walked miles in the alpha burley sport. They are great if you have a way to dry them out at night. Good quality broke in gortex hiking boots are hard to beat for walking.
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Mucks are comfortable but I always seem to have a traction issue with mine. i.e. I slip a lot in them. They are def. comfortable though.
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Like bows, everyone will have "their" opinion. Just gonna have to take some suggestions and give it a try. With that said......
For hunting boots I've got a pair of,
Meindl canadas
Schness 16 inch insulated
Lacross 18" Burleys
They all have good fit and each one has a more specific use. But if I was to be unknowly dropped off in some remote area and had one boot to pick from it'd be the lacrosse 18" burleys.
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FYI- agree on rubber staying wet. Even after stand hunting, walking in and out, I need to dry my Burly's out nightly. Another way to dry out boots on a remote trip is to use the chemical stick hand warmers- light those up and put them in your boots at night!
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I hunt in Lacross Alpha, and I walk a lot. I get about 3 seasons out of mine.
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I own and hunt all season in muck boots for whitetails but they still fit like a rubber boot. I will put a couple of miles on them a day but my foot definitely moves around in them. I cannot imagine really covering a lot of broken ground in them on a multi day hunt. I stuff them with newspaper to dry them out and that is mandatory if it is cold out because they do get wet from sweat.
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I like the Lacrosse burly's over the Alpha burleys. They are less sloppy, though not as good as the first set I bought years ago. They have loosened the ankle, which makes taking them off easier, but less stable. Anyone try the Irish Setter brand with the heel slip action to make on off easier, but stay tighter on the ankle?
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I have a pair of Meindl that I got from Cabelas. they are great boots for most of what I do.
What I want right now is the ability to hunt all day in the mountains with some very wet crossings mixed in. This means tall (16") boots with absolute waterproofness.
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I forgot to mention traction is a necessity, so the traditional Bean Boot tread is out.
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Muck Boots!!!!Perfect!!!
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When I lived in Alaska I had a pair of Uniroyal rubber cannery boots I picked up in Kodiak and I wore them everywhere!! Moose hunting, fishing, hiking for miles, you name it, I loved those boots!! Sure wish I could find a pair now :(
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I have a pair of kenetrek grizzlies. I love them hiked about 10 miles one day and they felt good. Rubber bottoms and leather uppers. Also packed an elk quarter while wearin them and felt good also.
Brandon
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I have a pair of kenetrek grizzlies. I love them hiked about 10 miles one day and they felt good. Rubber bottoms and leather uppers. Also packed an elk quarter while wearin them and felt good also.
Brandon
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My last pair of Lacrosse alpha burly boots didn't last a year. There being made over sea now.
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I took a look at the Kenetrek and the Schnees, both look like they could be quite nice. I am beginning to lean toward the Schnees because they are made here. It sounds to me like the Kenetreks are imported.
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Muck Wetlands work well for me also.
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Lacrosse alpha burly.warm ,ankle fit
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For those of us who hunt the Rocky Mountains often for weeks at a time, this is the design that works best. Whether they are Whites or Shees doesn't matter. I put two layers of wool in the bottom, and they are honestly more comfortable than any moccasins or running shoes that I own. If you are hunting in cold, steep country, give your feet a treat.
P.S. The airbob soles give the best, quietest traction available on planet earth.
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt252/Rikhinton/SCC-509_13-inch--Brown.jpg)
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Name the months you want them for. The Adirondacks can throw alot of things at you. And without snow, wet spots are a given in a 5 mile trek. I live in my Muck Edgewaters with various layers of wool up until significant snow pack, then into the Lacrosse or Sorel felt liner type for the cold. I like the lightness, comfort, support, of the waterproof Mucks for most of the year. The closest thing to my well loved Keenes I wear every day.
Just my opinion..... Boots are a personal thing.
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I'm a diehard "Muckboot" fan but would not recommend them for serious hunts were your going to be doing alot of walking up & down hills...mine fit me snug but after awhile of long walking my feet start sliding around in them & rub blisters...
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WHITES
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I am going to say Muck Wetlands, they have preformed well on most all my morning turkey hunts when wet ground or rain is an issue.
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We have rubber boots that are real common in Alaska called "Xtra Tuf" and are made by Sarvis. They are far superior to Lacrosse and Muck.
I never see them outside Alaska except Mike Rowe from "Dirtiest Jobs" can be seen wearing them on his show.
They are very comfy and quiet. I even wear them under my snowshoes!
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I had a pair of Rocky rubber boots(Ducks Unlimited edition)and they were the best rubber boots I ever owned.would walk all day and never a problem with comfort.
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This thread has opened my eyes to the Bean style boots again. It does look to be the more comfortable walking boot over rubber. Bean has a great customer service policy, but the boots don't have the features of some of the other brands out there.
Has anyone had any experience with the Hoffman Outback? This one is looking real good to me right now.
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I have Burlys which I tend to wear on stand when swamps are involved, but probably 80 percent of the time I am wearing my Schnee Hunters. I like them so much for everything, I am actually afraid to send them in for a resole for fear of them being somehow different when they come back!
Whichever you decide, do yourself a favor and order a couple sets of wool insoles from Chuck at Two Tracks. They really suck in the moisture and make ANY rubber boot a lot more comfortable. Any boot really...I have taken to wearing an old pair of Crocs with Chuck's insoles in them as house slippers!
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If Bean would put a more agressive tread on a model of their boots a lot of people would buy them.
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Boots are a personal thing for sure, I had to go through them all-Lacrose alpha, burly non insulated & insulated, Irish setters & Bean boots. I ended up w/ 3 pr. of Muck Woodys because I like them that much, like Steve O said wool inserts are a must even when it's 50 out. I spend the entire season in the "Dacks" tracking when theres snow or still hunting bare ground, walking all day they have never let me down even filling up w/ ice cold water when I fell in a river crossing. My feet allways got cold until I started wearing Mucks.
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I agree with the Bean tread thought. I used to have a pair that they made that had a Gore Tex liner and an air-bob sole. I don't know what became of them, but the leather upper was not form fit to the calf, so they tended to slop around a bit. They were on the right track though.
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I have my best so far. They are from Irish Setter. I work in ditches and steep banks for 8 hour days and sometimes more. They have deep wide cleats helps in slideing . They are extremely warm with 1000 grams of thinsolelate. I also hunt in them as well. I've had Lacross and only lasted about a month. I'm rough on shoes.