Curious, with so many good trail running shoes available these days, why are more hunters not going that route? Boots tend to be stiff, heavy, hot, more prone to making blisters (although they do provide ankle support). Trail shoes are light, durable, dry quickly when wet, more comfortable and less prone to causing serious blister issues. When we see what PHs wear it seems like more often these days they are wearing Teva sandals, Batas, or other more causal shoes (God forbid, some even wear Crocs). Hard for me to think of the last time I saw a PH wearing boots. I wonder if this is an anachronism that we hunters are hanging on to.

Who wears boots?

I use Merril ankle high trail shoes. Love them. I even use them when I hike the Grand Canyon. Even used them in the Himilayas, although I had to switch to a stiff boot when it came time to put on ice crampons. But hey, the only glacier I have seen in Africa is on Kili, and you don't have to set foot on it to get to the top.

quote:

Hard for me to think of the last time I saw a PH wearing boots

Duh. Get with the program.

Wore mine in the SVC in June 2009. Seeds, burrs, and the like were a problem IMO. Boots for me.

I wear mine all year round in all kinds of conditions.We did alot of walking in Makuti and i noticed the trackers wore new boots except for one guy who I think wore torn tennis shoes and the game scout who also wore torn shoes.I noticed the trackers slipping on the steep downhills.I had no problems.Once one of the trackers who was behind,came around and walked up to me and bent over and looked my shoes over real close.It was as if he was trying to tell me that it is because of your shoes that I did well.Richard,my PH wore regular sandals at first then switched to trail shoe like sandals for the day we walked up a mountain of rocks to find a hyenas den.That day everyone including our camera man did not keep up and it wasn't because of the great shape they where in but what they where wearing on their feet.Richard did great and I kept glued behind him.I've tried three brand of trail shoes,Merryl?? another whos name I can't remember and Asolo.The Asolos are by far the best in every respect.

On my recent buffalo hunt in Tanzania, I used trail running shoes quite alot. I found them light and comfortable. I wore long pants because my legs cant take the beating from the scrub brush--plus I didnt want the glare to scare away animals! The pants kept out(for the most part)sand, twigs, burrs etc.

They were perfect accept for the longest 5-8mile tracking stalks where more support would have been better. I will trade those few occasions for the light weight and breathability.

ankle boots work like a charm!!!
Crocs however should be against the law.
I love Courtney Boots they are light and offer awsome support!And they even come in a shoe!
Nothing wrong with Merril though.


http://www.courteneyboot.com/boots.php

New Balance 974's work great.

I don't like boots at all, so I have been hunting in running shoes for as far back as I can remember.

I have used shoes from all the major manufacturers, and for the past few years I have settled on Ecco running shoes.

I have a major problem with shoes, as I have a very high arch, and my feet are wide, but short. So finding something comfortable is a bit of a hassle.

A few years go I found a model from Ecco, and I have been using that for the past few years.

I have used them in Africa, up in the Alps and hiking in Sweden.

When I came back from Tanzania last month, I went to the Ecoo shop to buy a few pairs, just as I have been doing before.

I was told they no longer made that model. But the helpful lady in the shop said she would find out if they any in the warehouse.

A few days later she called and said they found 4 pairs, and are keeping them for me.

I then found out that their representative here is a friend of ours.

He came over with his family to our house, and I told him this story.

He offered to check if they had any in Germany.

I told him I wanted 10 pairs, and as I have already gotten 4, I need 6 more.

A few days leter, 6 pairs were delivered to my house, as a Christmas present!

So now I am all set for the next few years.

What I normally do is use a pair to exercise in here at home, and take with me with I go to Europe.

At the end of the year, as we go Safari, they are well broken in. I use them for the hunt, and then leave them there.

I wear my shoes on safari from teh minute I wake up, tell I hit the sack at night.

I never take them off, even when walking through rivers or swamps.

Courtney boots, are the only way to go.

quote:

Originally posted by spear:
Courtney boots, are the only way to go.

+1 on that.

I have trekked many miles in Africa wearing Courtneys, they are tops.

saeed

+ 1 on the ecco's, i use both boots and shoes from ecco around the year.

best

peter

I would use only the ones with a gore-tex lining.Until I discovered gore-tex shoes, after a couple of months of use,the insides of my shoes always stunk.With gore-tex they remain odorless and fresh even three years later.A couple of the Asolo models(icarus,chrono??) are in suede making them attractive enough for city casual and safari photos.There is a good feeling when your feet are dry,cool and fresh all the time.[URL= ]1[/URL][URL= ]2[/URL][URL= ]3[/URL][URL= ]4[/URL][URL= ]5[/URL]

quote:

Originally posted by spear:
Courtney boots, are the only way to go.

Maybe not quite true, but certainly my preference.

quote:

Originally posted by Donny01:
ankle boots work like a charm!!!
Crocs however should be against the law.
I love Courtney Boots they are light and offer awsome support!And they even come in a shoe!
Nothing wrong with Merril though.


http://www.courteneyboot.com/boots.php

Wow I disagree with everything you said about Courtenys I have had mine for 5 years, and while they are comfortable and tough, I would hate to wear them on any kind of serious Namibian mountain or in South Africa in the berg.

Desert non-goretex type military boots work well in Africa, and so do very light hiking boots.

I am using Danner Desert Acacias that are noninsulated, and Meindl Desert Fox boots. I traded the Meindls for a new Blackhawk knife to some German military guys in Afghanistan.

Its like a petrol car needs petrol,
a dog nedds dog food, a plane needs a pilot...
A hunter needs Courtney boots

quote:

Originally posted by D99:

Wow I disagree with everything you said about Courtenys I have had mine for 5 years, and while they are comfortable and tough, I would hate to wear them on any kind of serious Namibian mountain or in South Africa in the berg.

Desert non-goretex type military boots work well in Africa, and so do very light hiking boots.

I am using Danner Desert Acacias that are noninsulated, and Meindl Desert Fox boots. I traded the Meindls for a new Blackhawk knife to some German military guys in Afghanistan.

You are not going to take a knife to a Gun fight. Just like you are not going to hunt buffalo with a .300 win mag. Its all in preperation of the hunt though? You are obviously not going to wear slops in the nothern pole?

I betcha a lot of us could join the "Imelda Marcos Shoe/boot-Collecting Addiction Group".
__

I usually take a pair of walking shoes and a pair of slip-on camp shoes that could double as hunting shoes if necessary.

Trail / hiking shoes for me.

I find them much lighter and more comfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by Donny01:

quote:

Originally posted by D99:

Wow I disagree with everything you said about Courtenys I have had mine for 5 years, and while they are comfortable and tough, I would hate to wear them on any kind of serious Namibian mountain or in South Africa in the berg.

Desert non-goretex type military boots work well in Africa, and so do very light hiking boots.

I am using Danner Desert Acacias that are noninsulated, and Meindl Desert Fox boots. I traded the Meindls for a new Blackhawk knife to some German military guys in Afghanistan.

You are not going to take a knife to a Gun fight. Just like you are not going to hunt buffalo with a .300 win mag. Its all in preperation of the hunt though? You are obviously not going to wear slops in the nothern pole?

I'd hunt buffalo with a 300 Win Mag any day of the week, any buffalo. And I'd do it alone.

But I would rather not wear courteney boots doing it.

One of my trackers in Makuti(Ishmael) was in such good shape that he climbed a steep hill and then a large tree that was on top in 40 degree celsius,all at once but could not get a good footing as we climbed down some slopes with his courney boots( I believe they where).When I looked at his boots they didn't appear that sophiticated to me.They looked as is there was a piece of a rubber truck tire glued on to a tanned leather upper.

But I would rather not wear courteney boots doing it.[/QUOTE]

How can you even compare the two?

http://www.silvermans.co.uk/La...ctImages/70982-1.jpg

http://www.courteneyboot.com./selous_m.php

Makes sense shooting a buffalo with a .300, probably a single shot as well.

Your the one that originally compared the two.

Why all the hate for Crocs? I'll admit that I laughed at them for years as yuppie/trendy/marketing nonsense, so much so that I was given a pair as a gag gift. I wore them and loved them! Very comfortable as a light-duty casual sandal. I also wore a heavier-duty lace-up Croc model in the flooded Caprivi last year with great success.

I decided not to try them for archery deer last week, though.

John

I have used Nike running shoes and light boots on my hunts. By and large I prefer the Nikes. nothing wrong with the boots but the Nikes were lighter and worked as well as the boots. The only exception was my last hunt where my Nikes were stolen out of my suitcase at joberg airport and I was stuck with the boots for the entire trip. Boy was I glad to get home and get those boots off my feet. To date, my African hunting has been limited to Botswana, but at least for that type of terrain, I'll stick to running shoes.

I have ordered some Brooks Cascadia 5's to try out:

http://www.brooksrunning.com/B...0075,default,pd.html

If nothing else, the colors ought to be good for some camp chatter. I wear Brooks Glycerin 8's to run in and Brooks makes a good shoe.

If you read the reviews these shoes are used by trail runners that participate in long -- and I mean long -- trail runs (who in their right mind would run 50 to 100 miles). If they can survive that, they can survive me stumbling around in the bush.

Actually Mike, I run 50 to 100 mile races, but as Duane will attest, I am probably not in my right mind. I ran my first 100 miler at 50, the Tahoe Rim Trail 100. It was my mid-life crisis and I figured it to be cheaper than a Porche and safer than an affair.

I have a wide forefoot and narrow heal and run in the Asics 2150 Trail shoes with an ankle-high gaiter to keep the crud out. Most of my trail running is in country that resembles the Selous or Northern Provence of South Africa. The Asics have good traction on a wide range of terrain and should also work well for African hunting.

I think my perjorative comment was motivated by envy, plain old unadulterated envy. I like to think of myself as being in reasonably good shape (I can make it to the fridge during a commercial, open a beer and get back to the recliner without breaking a sweat), but the thought of running 10 miles, much less 100 miles, is simply out of the question. Congrats for doing so . . . and at 50 to boot.

So that is the brand of Saeed's sneakers, Ecco, eh? I have looked them up and found the pair I need.
I left my Nike All Condition Gear low-top shoes in Tanzania too, prominently placed near a trash can as we were preparing to say aloha.
Minutes later they were gone.
They could still beat Maasai sandals on a hike.

I brought my "Cabela's Uninsulated Kangaroo Featherlight Boots" home.
I waded Hades Swamp in those, and they dried out fine.
They are inexpensive compared to the insulated versions, especially compared to a similar Orvis brand.
I have had the Browning brand insulated kangaroo-leather boot too, and they were also great,
All over Alaska for 5 years, only had to be retired after I melted their soles in a campfire, warming my feet.
My latest color of kangaroo leather Cabela's was an olive drab green, but I like Cabelas' brown too.
Top value for the dollar, feather-light and quiet, even for my fat feet, all purpose hunting boot, no gaiters needed. Barely over a pound for each boot:

The only thing I've ever worn when hunting in Africa is running shoes, usually Nikes.

The only thing I've ever sen Roy Vincent wear is Converse "Chuck Taylors". For those who aren't familiar with them, they are the old black canvas sneakers we wore when we were kids. How's that for technical footwear?

You guys got it all wrong. There is only one style of shoe that screams Dg hunting. And this is it, comfortable, good looking and non threatening to most wildlife.

Surestrike, you may be starting a new trend. Recently, its been taking Little E on safari, now I wonder how long it'll be till some of our group shows up in camp wiht a pair of slippers like you've shown.

Imagine the look on the camp staff's faces if they saw you walking around camp in a pair of bunny slippers.

I'm certainly no fan of boots.

I once used a pair of technical hiking/climbing shoes on safari. They were light, had a wonderful grip, but were as loud as hell.

Are there running shoes that are reasonably quiet???

My Brooks Cascadia's came in. They soles are extremely quiet. The colors are extremely loud.

I have three type of footware for hunting.
1. Montrail trail running shoes for nice weather.
2. Montrail hiking boots w/ Gore Tex for colder weather or backpacking for ankle support.
3. Pair of cabelas 1000gm thinsulate hunting boots for cold weather.

Check them out.
Montrail shoes

Sandals for camp.

its funny i too hunt in ecco, with planter faciaitis they work for me but i have been hunting with blood ( Paddy Curtis) for 30 years and for the first ten he wore no shoes at all and the last 15 he has actually spent about 3.00 on old crappy tennis shoes and some sandals. he does have courtneys and when having to be forced to dress up he wears them but he complains they are to hot. HA

Wear what you like! The charge to pull crippling thorns with a multi tool starts at around $5-00 a pop. Screaming and yodelling is your choice?

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

Originally posted by spear:
Courtney boots, are the only way to go.

Maybe not quite true, but certainly my preference.

Agree. I like the ankle support of a good boot especially in tricky terrain.

+ quietest footwear that I know of
+ they beat up all the shoes/boots that I know of in keeping your feet from overheating (right after Teva's that is)