I am in need of a VERY Comftorable pair of Hunting/Hiking boots. I apparntly have very picky feet, that have trouble feeling comftorable in most shoes.
I am black bears with jim shockey's crerw on vancouver island, where I will be doing some hiking, and in 2010 I am going to west texas for mulies.
Do you have any suggestions for a good pair of boots?
Thanks,
W.

danner pronghorns

There are lots of good boots out there. What to get is partly what use are you going to put them? Elk & deer call for a more flexible boot, insulated if to use them in cold comditions. A light, uninsulated, flexible boot for birds, & sometimes it needs insulation. Sheep/goat boots call for a much more rigid. unflexible, tougher boot-not necessarily insulated. Also, in my case, I
have a narrow foot and most quality bootmakers boots will not fit right, for all of them have limited "models" in narrow sizings & some(like Red Wing) do not have any narrow sizes at all. They limit themselves to medium & larger offerings. For my last sheep & goat hunts I got a pair of Lowa mountaineering boots @ $430. This after trying numerous other makes; they were the only thing I found which fit right. They worked great for me. I am not doing any futher sheep/goat hunts, so, they are for sale. They are size 10. My suggestion, do a lot of research if you do not have a standard size foot. Try lots of boots until you find the right one. Even take them home and wear them in the house until they feel right. If they don't- return them & keep looking. Sore feet can ruin a hunt. I had severe heel blisters up in the Brooks Range from an ill fitting pair of Danners. Fortunately, I had a well equipped medical kit- but, it was still quite painful. In some severe cases painful feet can end a hunt. So, pick your shoes/boots as carefully as you would your rifle, ammo or any other equipment.

I have had Russels, Danners, Rocky's REd wings ect ect The last few pair of hunting boots I brought were Guide gear brand from the Sportsmans Guide company. The work well wear well and are comftorable and price very reasonable.

quote:

Originally posted by woodsie:
I am in need of a VERY Comftorable pair of Hunting/Hiking boots. I apparntly have very picky feet, that have trouble feeling comftorable in most shoes.
I am black bears with jim shockey's crerw on vancouver island, where I will be doing some hiking, and in 2010 I am going to west texas for mulies.
Do you have any suggestions for a good pair of boots?
Thanks,
W.

Woodsie,

Regardless of boots, pay careful attention to the OTHER things that make for comfortable feet.

1. Socks. I like Thorlo Wool Hikers. Do NOT WEAR COTTON SOCKS! That's simply begging for blisters.

2. Replace your socks twice a day if you are particularly blister prone. Replace them after 1pm or so and let the first pair dry out. Recycle the socks the next day...

3. Don't discount quality insoles. SOLE and Superfeet are superb and have literally made all the difference on my feet having blisters or not. I'm "blessed" with very high arches. I never realized how important a fitted insole/arch was to preventing blisters. I really like the SOLE heat moldable insoles - they have made my feet so increadibly happy. I used to get massive blisters: as in, lose the whole heal and pad of the foot blisters. Today I can go 18 hours in my boots with no problems.

4. Lacing. Experiment with lacing. There's no rule that says you HAVE to lace boots all the way up or that you HAVE to lace them in a particular way. I tend to leave the top 2-3 eyelets unlaced. I've also done some creative things (like skip an eyelet) to release pressure on my arch or to open up the natural flex point on the boot. Play with it a bit. Find what's comfortable.

5. I like 7" boots or taller, laced at about the 6" level. This gives me excellent support, good flexibitility, and the taller boot keeps out scree and rocks and such.

6. Depending on your foot, you may prefer a mocassin top (aka, square toe or stitched toe) boot as opposed to a round toe.

Danner Sharptails work for me with the stitched mocassin toe. I have a bunyon coming in on my right foot and the wider toebox is sure more comfortable to me.

Pronghorns are a great choice as well, just didn't fit me quite as well.

I'm on my third season with Lowa GTX Sheephunters using green Superfeet inners. After breaking ankles and spraining ankles on mupltiple occasions during my soccer career I still have punky ankles no matter how much rehab I do. so, I was looking for a torsionally rigid boot with a good fore/aft flex. These boots are it!

I bought mine through shoebuy.com

quote:

Originally posted by jb:
danner pronghorns

I also recommend Danner

i have always worn danners (rainforest right now), and for the most part like them. my only real complaint is last 3 pairs i've had have all developed "squeaks" from the heel area collapsing or separating. very annoying to sound like humping frogs while stalking through thick brush! i may look into White's or Nick's when this pair finally gives out in a year or so. I had back surgery this last april, and i have pretty high arches, so i am always looking for good boots. i also use green superfeet.

heath

Rocky boots and Merino wool socks.

+1 on Lowa.

I've been thoruoghly impressed with the comfort of 2 recent pairs of Danner Sharptails. Danner's footbed doesn't offer great cushioning, but it forms to your foot and eliminates the need for all that extra cushion. With a good pair of merino wool socks, preferably Smartwool, I can wear them all day without foot pain. These are the only shoes I can say this for. I'm over 300 pounds so I'm familiar with picky feet.

David

IF Your feet are overly wide,narrow, different sized, etc...... RUSSELLS! The only way You will be truly fitted and hopefully comfortable.

Ecellent post by RNOVI and he hit on one of my secrets; Thorlo or SmartWool socks, CHANGED at Lunch each day!!

I've got an older pair of Danners that fit well and the Goretex works as advertised. Forget the model number but they are 6" and have BOB soles which I really like for the muddy/snowy/wet sidehills. They grip very well.

I no sooner got them, wore them a bit and noticed they were being CANCELLED and on closeout. So bought a spare pair!! If You find something off the rack that works...I'd uay a 2nd pair as they always seem to change them...not always for the better.

The Russells are wonderful, have three pairs. A set of lightweight PH's, a pair of tall, insulated Sheep Hunters (Mtn Hunters?) and a second set of chukkas I wear all the time. The Russels are great boots. Literally built to last a litetime, as well as rebuildable in their factory. A lot of the Jap/Chinese crap are basically throwaways,cant rebuild them.

I'd go for Danners but take a look at the Russels too.

FN in MT

quote:

danner pronghorns

Like said above I've got boots that I paid more for (Irish Setters, Russels, etc, etc) but I've been real impressed with the Danner Pronghorns.

Now my Russles are good boots but most recently I completed a week in the Sawtooth, a backpack archery hunt & at the last minute due to the warm weather I decided to wear my 2 year old pronghorns. I thought that trip would surly be there last but I tell you now I wore them for a week in some very bad country with a 70+ pound pack & I never had the first blister. I got home & cleaned them up & I'll be wearing them this weekend

For the money you will be hard pressed to beat the Danner Pronghorns.

Here is another vote for the Danner Pronghorn. I have taken mine to New Zealand and Patagonia and hunted in the US with them.

Good boots!

Sounds to me like you need boots for two separate conditions. Vancouver island can be wet & hilly or it may be wandering the beaches. Some kind of hiking type boot with a little stiffness and waterproofness likely would be best. Texas is flatter and hotter so the waterproofing won't be so important so a upland type boot would likely work. Good breathability may be more desirable here.

Either way go to a store that sells a lot of different types of boots and has some knowledgeable people working there. A hiking shop or one of the few good sporting good stores are likely places. Get your feet measured then try on the type of boot you decide on and ignore the name on it. Buy fit, then quality - not brand. What fits some one else may not be good for you.

Good luck

Another for Danner Pronghorns