I have wanted a pair of Le Chameau Chasseurs since wearing a pair on a stalking trip to Southern England several years ago. They were undoubtedly the most comfortable hunting boots I have ever worn. I spend a fair number of days in the field each year and need to get a new pair of rubber boots and am seriously considering Le Chameaus. But now I see they offer an insulated Vierzon Nord Plus insulated boots.

My dilemma is that I do not know the comfortable temperature ranges for each boot. At what temperatures do you wear your Le Chameaus? How much of a difference does a sock change make? The Vierzons appear to be limiting during much of the year due to all of the insulation. I am also worried about not being able to wear the Chasseurs during the cold months. The obvious solution is to get both, but that is not possible right now.

Any suggestions? What is the lowest temperature at which you will wear your Chasseurs and what is the highest temp at which you will wear your Vierzons? How much of a difference does a sock change make?

Thanks!

Hi Marc

Good choice of wellie.

I live in mine and prefer them to walking boots. I had a pair of the neoprene lined ones for about 14 years and they were still going strong apart from the metal strip along the inner sole of the boot and it was rusting away and came out once after I was drying them out after falling in a ditch.

I then upgraded to the leather lined ones which in my opinion are superior in fit and comfort but especially fit. I would pay the extra and go for the leather lined ones. Neither is warmer than the other in my opinion and as for temperature range I have worn them in temps as low as minus 11 Celsius and then in the summer months which is perhaps around the mid twenties ish. Depending on how warm the weather is say perhaps upto late twenties or more and depending how active you are will limit the comfort in this type of heat.

I wear fleece type foot sock which I got from an agri suppliers years ago and mine fit me like a glove and are immensely comfortable.

In summary I would get the leather lined ones.

Anything else you need to know ask away.

Thanks

jb

Marc - as Jon2 said - I have got myself leather lined and are IMO money best spent ones - fit is perfect, warm to cold, as long as you don't intend to stand in them on a high seat during winter nights for 4 hours ect...:

Thank you very much for your experience.

I guess i should have added that my feet do not normally get cold, nor do they sweat excessively. If my feet get cold, then many other parts of my body are totally frozen!

So with my additional information, it really makes me think the Chasseurs are thebest for me. Wold a light cotton or synthetic sock in the summer and a heavier wool or warm synthetic sock work for the winter?

How are they sized? I wear a European 42 or 43, depending on brand. I do not know what size the Le Chameaus were that I borrowed on that stalking trip.

Thanks again, and anyone else with Le Chameau experience, i would greatly appreciate hearing it

I prefer uninsulated boots for late spring/summer/early fall. They are a better fit, and you don't get feel of "swimming" around in the boot, which the neoprene insulated boots convey.

When it gets colder in late fall/winter/early spring, I prefer the neoprene insulated boots. It is a pain to be on a stand (for a driven hunt, say) in uninsulated rubber boots if there is snow on the ground. Then the neoprene insulation makes life a lot more comfortable.

Even the neoprene insulated boots are unsuitable for long time immobility at temperatures much below freezing. Then an insulated leather boot or PAC is what is needed. But as long as you can move around, the rubber/neoprene boots are fairly warm, and they sure help keep the muck off.

Extra socks help, but there is a limit to what you can achieve this way. If the fit becomes too tight through wearing socks, you'll freeze in spite of the extra insulating layer. Likewise, there is a limit to how much bigger you can buy the boot to be able to wear both with and without socks. So yes, extra socks do make a difference, but only within certain limits.

So, I'm afraid you'll need two pairs of Chameaus - one for summer and one for winter. This gets expensive pretty quickly

- mike

Marc don't fall for different thickness of socks - it is all about blood circulation above all...I chose leather linen mostly becouse of fit - size just like ordinary shoes or boots - set to middle thick socks - if I may I'd suggest SmartWool - then choose according to time of the year. For extreme cold stuff or very steep rocky slopes there are better things around, but for 80% they would be second to none. Just my 2c.

I use a 50% wool/syntetic sock for most of the year. In winter i use a 80-100% wool sock only. Wool transports moist away from the foot so its comfortable even in summer. Sweat smells less with wool to. Never wear cotton in boots there are better materials.

I must be the only one who hates the damn things!

I have the neoprene lined ones and they just don't fit me properly, (about 1/2 size to large?) plus I don't find they offer much support around the ankles for serious walking.

The soles are ok, but I find them slippy on wet grass...

I don't think I'll be getting another pair but instead looking at some Aigle Parcours...

Pete

Yes I know what you mean and my neoprene ones were similar to yours (I still did where them alot and enjoyed doing so though).

Before you go and buy a pair of Aigles I would urge you just to try the leather lined ones as they do make all the difference in my opinion. Just worth a look as they do tend to last a while and non of them are exactly cheap these days.

Cheers

JB

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:
..I don't think I'll be getting another pair but instead looking at some Aigle Parcours...

Pete, I have the neoprene Parcours, they are not bad, and are great for sitting up a high seat in. They are quite comfortable under foot, dut they do also suffer from a bit of "wallow" or side slip.