Question on Courteney Boots. I know that they are used on safari and I am considering some. My question is are they a good already boot that I obviously will use in Africa but what about in the yard, just for everyday use?

I usually wear my hunting boots all the time to break in, etc but they are all so aggressive tread that I thought the Courteneys might be a good all around fit.

Thoughts?

I had a couple of courtneys but I gave them to my brother, they did just not fit. My brother wears them daily.

Joe, I don't see why the Courtneys would not make for fine all-around daily use, although I don't know that I'd want to wear out a $400 pair of Courtneys doing yard work. :-)

Joe,
I wear mine for anything I want, their mine and......Sorry. The only complaint I have about them is the lack of support in the arch but they hold up well and do a great job in the african bush.

I have bad knees and ankles and it makes me willing to pay money for shoes and then wear them forever until they wear out when I find a good fit. I have found that cheap shoes/boots just don't work for me.

I would say courtney are a cheap shoe with a high price

What is a well built boot with a non-aggressive sole?

I should have not just said yard work; for everyday work is what they would be for.

LJ
I have 2 pr of Courtneys, the Selous & the Hunter.
Like them both. Wear the Selous everyday. Sometimes wear the Hunters to church.
I have tendonitous in my left foot, after I started wearing the Selous it improved greatly.
Never had a pr. of shoes I liked better or lasted as long.

Justin,

I bought a pair of Palladiums. Some people have referred to them as "Foreign Legion boots"

They may not be as heavy-duty as you are looking and certainly not even in the same league as Courtney or Russell but mine fit well and are really comfortable.

And at a price that makes them much more practical and appealing for me.

I will be buying more.

I find that ankle-high hikers made by any of the leading footwear companies provide better support and can be had for $100 or so on sale.

Good for any warm dry climate if they suit your feet.

I have two pair. Had them for four or five years now. Don't wear them much, so they are still in good shape. I would have to agree with what some have said, kinda cheap shoe/boot especially at the price they are charging today. Bought mine for less than half what they are going for now, so don't feel tooooo bad. Have several pairs of other brands that are more of my "go to" boots now for Africa and for here.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I have two pair.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Might need to change your name to Imelda Sellers after reading the Alaska Boot thread.

Had my Courteney boots for 7 years, they are my "go to" boots when hunting in hot, dry weather.

in a way I am kinda glad SCI is not coming back to Reno. My wife would buy a new pair of Courts every year. She wears them everywhere
The pair I have are perfect for any hunting that is not wet or cold

USed to use Russells, I tried Courteneys back in 05 when John Sharp gave my wife and I a pair. Been using them ever since. I have the Selous and the Patrol. GREAT boots, just as long as it's not muddy, those big cleats really pick up mud!

I love my Courtney boots. I wear them on just about any hunt I go on now days, except mountain hunts. I wear them from time to time outside of hunting as well.

One thing that seems to be missing in the discussion concerning the lack of arch support. That is by design! I have a pair of Meindel's that are very stiff and have great arch support. I'm sure many of you guys have a pair of similar hunting boots.

Ever try to stalk quietly in them? That stiff boot with the strong arch support takes away any sense of "feel" of what you are walking on. The smallest rock often gets rolled under the boot because you didn't "feel" it when putting the boot down. Little sticks and twigs are easily snapped as well.

The Courtneys are designed without the arch support inorder to simulate the "feel" of walking barefoot, but with protection to the bottom of the foot against thorns, rocks, etc. When stalking in the Courtneys, you feel everything you put your foot down on, but not to the point of pain as if walking barefoot.

Anyway, that's my interpretation of the Courtneys real value when it comes to hunting in them. They are not well suited for mountains, but everything else ...

The only draw back to the Courteneys is first the price in the USA, and second is getting them to fit when buying them to be shipped. I had a pair of Courteney Selous that was sent to me supposedly in my USA size. They were so big I had to place a thick insole in them to wear them at all. I finally gave them to Rusty who they fit well without the insoles.

My advice to anyone who wants to buy a pair is to do it in a store so you can try them on before dropping a large chunk of cash for something you can’t use!

I still don’t have a pair, but like those who say they are the cats meow, I absolutely agree, and I tried to find somebody selling them at the DSC show this year but could not, or I would have a pair.


........................................................................

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
I have two pair.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Might need to change your name to Imelda Sellers after reading the Alaska Boot thread.

Oops!! Wrong Larry!! Meant Larry Shores.

all i can say is i have had mine for about 10 years and have worn the tread/sole down quite a bit- AND I STILL LOVE THEM! bought them in Vic Falls at about 1/3 the going US rate.

Everyone's right to an extent.

Mac in paricular. I wouldn't order the boots. The pair that fits me bears no resemblance to my U.S. or European size. Apparantly, size is a relative thing in Zimbabwe. Try them on and walk around a bit.

Pricey? Yes. No other comment.

Other than that, I like the boots. Wear them everywhere. Haven't hunted in them yet, and may not anytime soon. I have a few other pairs.

I have 2 pairs and used them on hunts in africa 3 or four times. I find them ugly, overpriced, a bit narrow over the toes and the soles sets black marks on the floor when using them at home.

regards CF

Clearly by people's comments, you will either love them or hate them. If you love them, then I don't think that $200 ( in Zim )for a pair of shoes you will wear for at least 5 years ain't too bad. I had a pair that I wore for about 5 hunting seasons ( fair amount of mileage )before getting rid of them. I was then given a pair of Russels, that I have been wearing for the last 4 yrs. The soles have been changed once. Having extensively worn both, I prefer the Russels.

I have bad knees also, I use a pair of Oakley tactical boots, ancle-high, very light and good sole damping..

Considering the price you could get them for ten years ago, yes they are very expensive. Particularly so when you consider what the staff wages would be compared to say a quality Aus boot manufactures staff wages. BUT, they do have a supply/demand value with their name now.
There are a lot of copy's in southern Africa now as a option and at a fraction of the cost. Some good, some not so.

I have never tried the Courteney but last time I bought a pair of boots (Merrel) I took them to a local shoe maker to have them stretched as no factory made shoes ever fit my wide feet. He turned out to be an American, college trained shoe maker and we started talking. He would make me a pair of hand made custom fit shoes made to my specifications for maybe 50% more than any factory boots. I know what I will get when these are worn out.
About the lack of arch support, all sport shops today are turning to the hard, plastic, heatmolded insoles that are molded on your feet for perfect support. Try those?

10 dollar desert shoes from Zim, just add an extra sole hard sole.

I just bought a pair of the trackers at Farradays in Harare for $199 during my last hunt. I think you get a lot of boot for the money, and I find them very comfortable. I also own several pairs of custom made Russel boots, and although they do fit a little better and are lighter than the Courtneys, they are almost twice the price, and the wait to get a new pair is about 6-8 months. An anwful lot of PHs wear Courtneys in Zimbabwe - there must be a good reason.

quote:

Originally posted by A.Dahlgren:
I would say courtney are a cheap shoe with a high price

I would agree, they suck on hard surfaces, my knees and ankles are screaming bloody murder.

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:
Had my Courteney boots for 7 years, they are my "go to" boots when hunting in hot, dry weather.

Ditto. Purchased in 2006 still my favorite hot weather boot. Actually, they are just my favorite boot.

I love mine. I have the Safaris and the Selous. Most comfortable hunting boots I own. I balked at the price and resisted, but once I gave in and hunted in a pair, I bought another pair for backup. Did I say I love em. Seven safaris in them now, soon to be 8.

quote:

I still don’t have a pair, but like those who say they are the cats meow, I absolutely agree, and I tried to find somebody selling them at the DSC show this year but could not, or I would have a pair.

African Sporting Creations sells them at DSC in their booth or you can order them from them online or by phone.

quote:

Originally posted by D99 Reloaded:

I would agree, they suck on hard surfaces, my knees and ankles are screaming bloody murder.

BUT darn quite on hard surface unlike all those fancy named Chinese made shoes with plastic soles.

I really like my Courtney Selous boots and have worn them regularly on my cactus infested ranch for several years. Even shot my first tuskless while wearing them in the Dande North. They look to last me the rest of my hunting career, but I find them kinda heavy and not kind to my achilles tendonitis. For me, these Courtneys are probably best for hunts that do not require much walking since my feet ask me to use a more light and cushioned boot like my Lowa Renegade.

I noticed several experienced PHs have gone thru their Courtney phase and their Russell phase only to settle on the teva type of water shoe, crocs, etc.

Like Oz said; if they fit. I've had Selous and Safari and I love them.

Good day, gents:
I must chime in here as I Courteneys have been my primary footwear since the mid-1990s. In Alaska I don't wear them in the cold and snow, but as my daily warm weather and indoor shoes. I love the style and they just spell Africa better than any other shoe.

In the late '90s I wrote one of the things I liked about Courteneys was they seemed to wear out evenly. I can't say that anymore. In the last eight pairs I have bought the first thing to go out IN EVERY PAIR is the soles come unglued from the under sole at the toe. To apply just new glue does not work as the pores of the rubber are already filled with glue so I have to have them stitched. That will hold them with an additional application of hot glue. Then IN EVERY PAIR they split at the ball of the foot due to thin material. Both the Safari and Selous models.

Any of you folks have these problems?

I still wear them and this year had three pair delivered from Zim to the Dallas convention for me. However, to get around the high price I have a Zimbabwean get the shoes for me. As she states, "I will get you the 'black African price' and not the 'white tourist price.'" Do this on your next hunting trip and save about 50%.

Cheers all,
Cal

I had a pair of Countney boots, but as I have a very arched foot, they did´t fit me. They were definate nice shoes for sure. Today I use a pair of SALOMON and ECCO.

I've worn mine two trips to Africa, and found them very comfortable, and ankle support is great.

I wear them a lot around here, it would take a long time to wear out a pair of soles unless you live on a rockpile.

They do take a lot of wear-in.

Cal:

I have one pair only and the soles, first one then the other, came unglued at the front then at the instep.

I have glued them several times which confirms that bonding agents sold over the counter do not really work even though I sanded the parts to be joined beforehand (as you would do when applying a patch to an inner tube - guess most people wouldn't know what I'm talking about but never mind - some do).

I cannot complain as they have given me at least 10 years of service and dabbing a spot of glue now and then is not an issue with me.

Now if you read the guarantee that comes with the boots it does say that the company will re-sole FOC - are they true to their word?

I have 3 pair, 2 Selous and 1 Velly,I wear the Vellies as dress shoes with jeans and hunt in the others and love them. They do need and additional arch support but thats a simple addition anyone can do.The uppers and sole are what make them great in Africa(nothing seems to penetrate these). I had a pair of Gates that I loved until a thorn stuck through the sole and into my foot in Zim,this brought a stop to the hunt until we took a pair of pliers and pulled the thorn out. They are great to wear everday. Don't think they would be good in Alaska or British Columbia in the mountains.
Wesley