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Any idea where I can find narrow fit hip boots? My current pair are the Cabela's model with a cinch strap around the ankle but even those slip at the heel when I walk cross country. I'm planning a return trip to Alaska and I want something high-topped and more comfortable for the next time. Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming. | ||
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Try the contour fit ones from Cabelas. Thats what I have , I also put felt insoles in mine to snug them up. I need a friend to pull mine off cuz I almost cant by myself, they are that snug. Theres nothing worse than the blisters from hiking in sloppy fitting hippers. | |||
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I like the Lacrosse ankle fit, and I have fairly narrow feet. They can be a real PITA to remove when your feet get sweaty! Now if you're doing more cross country moving than sloshing through bogs and in/out of boats, you might want to consider some other sort of foot wear. I'll wear my hippers days on end, but if I'm putting in miles a day, they are not the footwear to use. __________________________________________________ The AR series of rounds, ridding the world of 7mm rem mags, one gun at a time. | |||
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Plainview: Don't know if any of this will be helpful or not but.... When we go to moose camp here in the interior, it's for the duration of the season - 3 weeks. I take 3 types of footwer. Hip boots, rubber knee highs, and a rubber, low cut "shoe". I hate hip boots and wear them as little as possible and only if I think I may need them. Like some "fool" (read "partner") nailing a bull in a swamp. ~  Most of the time, I wear the knee-highs and I put an insulated felt inner sole in the bottom then a good quality arch support. I wear 2 pairs of socks - 1 heavy. I make sure I have a snug fit when I buy the boots by trying them on with the inner sole and arch support. For camp waer at the end of the day, I wear the low cut rubber camp shoes. They're great after a long day. One comment on the knee highs. Ankle support isn't very good but we aren't walking miles a day on rough, uneven ground. You might look at something like I mentioned above. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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Many thanks for the prompt replies. Now I have more questions: AC: The Cabela's boots I have have a nylon strap the crosses the front of the ankle. Are you refering to their "ankle fit" model? Paul: I will try out the Lacrosse. I know their snow boots are cut to a more narrow last than many. Do you have a specific model you would recommend? Also, what would you suggest for "alternative footwear" where the terrrain varies from beaver swamp/meadows to 2' deep streams to rocks & scree to mushy woods and alder jungles to dry tundra? All that humocky terrain did not go well with hip boots. (ie, NE Wood-Tikchik park) I found the only clear path to get to where I wanted to go usually meant walking across swamp that was just about boot top (8") of muskeg. I know, I know...stay on the reindeer moss....( I saw way too many grizzlies go into the alders to feel comfortable about walking there anyway) Bear: Knee highs sound good to me. Any particular brand you would suggest? My "guide" (nephew) is a walking machine....if I take the time to change footwear for different terrain I may never catch up...I thought the knee highs might work well with a combination of rain pants that could be snugged (tied with a cord) over the top of the boots as conditions merit. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. Thanks guys. Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming. | |||
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Yes thats what I meant ankle fit, I love mine and I have owned so many types I cant list them all. The Lacrosse hippers are okay the only thing I dont like is that they are HEAVY. If your doing a lot of hiking they can weigh on you. The Ankle-fits are lighter and have a good traction sole rather than the wavy ones some have. If you want to try some that are swesome that I am planning on getting, look at the Muck Shallow Stalker hippers, they are not cheap but 2 of my buddies got these and took them to the Peninsula with us this past spring for a bear hunt, they are lightweight and all they did was brag about how comfortable they were. One of them used his all fall duck and goose hunting and is still raving about them.I paln on getting them this winter. | |||
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Thanks AC. Who makes the Muck Shallow Stalker? I have hands on (I can try them on in person) access to Cabela's, Gander Mountain, Sportsman's Warehouse and Bass Pro Shops--think they might carry them? Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming. | |||
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They are sold by some of the waterfowling distributors and are made by Muck boot company. Legendary in the rubber boot business.The uppers are a cordura gore-tex material so they are very lightweight and breathe better than teh Rubber, IME. Search teh web for Muck Shallow Stalkers. | |||
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Found some. Not cheap but I'll try out a pair. We had 3 to 5 inches of rain here yesterday so maybe I can get a real test.... Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming. | |||
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another option... get the chest waders ((or cut them down to hip waders and sew in some buckles for your belt loops))that require boots to be put on over the neoprene socks. Get some good all terrain boots. I did this on a recent trip to Alaska and i was very pleased with the outcome. Three weeks in the rain and they did well. Very comfortable and they prooved to be very effective. No water, no blisters and down right comfy. Used polypro socks and then wool socks. Never felt the ice water. | |||
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I use the cheap 30$ felt lined rubber knee boots from Walmart and use the little 10 inch neoprene boot tops to keep deep water out of my boots. Then every night if needed I remove the liners to let the sweat dry while I wear my running shoes around camp. This setup lasts me all fall while guiding and most of the winter around the house for my chore boot. And don't laugh I even wear them for sheep hunts. I also always take high end leather hunting boots and a tube of shoe goop just in case I rip a whole in my rubber boots. I have never gotten a blister while wearing these boot nor have my feet ever been cold even in late Brooks Range hunts and if needed I wear the liners to bed. | |||
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Plainview: My knee highs are "Xtratuf" 's with a neoprene liner inside and they do not have a steel toe. I think tying your rain pants leg around them would help. I've done that when I had to cross creeks wearing my leather boots - it does work. There's a caveat however to some of these ideas. One is that if the weather is abnormally warm, you don't want a rain suit. My limited experience with chest waders is the same. You're really gonna sweat with them. The pants I wear are plain old Carhart carpenters pants - uninsulated. Take a couple pair of long johns with you & use them if necessary. I wear layers so I can easily add or take things off as necessary. In fact, this past moose season was so warm, I didn't wear my usual wool hat but rather I tied a bandana around my head to help keep the sweat off of my face. BTW, my rubber camp boots are "Mucker" something or other (don't recall) & I got them & the knee highs here in Fbks. Hope this helps some - just my opinions & experiences. Also, as a side note, we don't walk far when moose hunting but rather stay close to the river & watch the more open areas from stands where they like to cross. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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I use Cabels'a stockingfoot waist waders or stockingfoot hip boots, with a pair of Koflach boots/no liners.....no blisters, and very comfortable. Joe Where there's a hobble, there's hope. | |||
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I thought about the stockingfoot wader's but I wasn't sure how durable they would be walking through the brush/alders. Bear made a good point about the temperatures. I got pretty warm last year in mid-september wearing the rain gear. Alaska wasn't as cold as I anticipated and was a whole lot wetter. When ya live in the desert, soggy country requires a lot of adjustments.... Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming. | |||
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I am testing these now: http://muckbootsonline.com/muck_hip_waders.html I'll cover a lot of mixed terrain while hunting black bear including fording streams and at times w/ a heavy pack. A rubber bottom/tall leather top Schnees is what I fall back on often. These gives me more ankle support than X-Tra tuff type knee boots and are much lighter than anle fit rubber hippers. But the leather top boots are PITA when it comes to the fording. I tried but neither was satisfied w/ extreme hard plastic mountaineering boots w/ removeable liners nor light stocking foot waders under hiking boots for such situations. I was given a pair of the Mucks to try. What I have done was install 18" coverall lower leg zippers on my hunting pants along w/ a cinch at the cuff. The foundation of the Muck wader is their premium tall wetland boot w/ a water/briar proof legging attached. I fold this legging down (as shown in pic at above link) and zip/cinch my pant leg over the boot/legging at my ankle. The legging material is light and compresses under my pants and I walk around just like wearing any boot. When fording or going thru gnarly underbrush, I uncinch/unzip the lower pant legs then rezip/cinch them to the upper three inches of the boot under the legging. I then pull up the water/briar proof leggins and fastex buckle them to my belt. The mucks are sized normal and fit my foot extremely well w/ good arch support. The drawback I found was the lack of ankle support but this was easily corrected. I picked up two ACE adjustable neoprene ankle braces that have support stays which are designed to fit under atheletic shoes. I use this brace over standard weight Smartwool socks then slip on the boot. The mucks then give me the same support as my lace up Schnees. In addition, the Mucks have a temp rating of 70 degrees to minus 20 degrees. GVA | |||
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i usually try to find big foot sized boots, enuf so that i can wear a pair of tennis shoes inside. works for me | |||
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Gotta hand it to you Butch, that's an idea that I have never heard before. It's so crazy it just might work. Hmm. Many thanx to all of you guys for the suggestions. I will probably keep the return departments busy at a lot of stores this winter. Don't let so much reality into your life that there's no room left for dreaming. | |||
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I've been using the LaCrosse Big Chief insulated hip boots for 2 years now and I like them a lot. Used them on the float hunt this year and wasn't sure how they would do but they held up great and my feet never got wet or cold. Ankle fit is the way to go in case you have to do any hiking off river or in swampy terrain. "We band of 45-70'ers" | |||
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I just thought that I would add a mix of ideas. For me theres a big difference between hip boots that I am wearing in my riverboat for say salmon fishing, where I am going to step out of the boat and just fish the rivers edge without a lot of contour line related type hiking, most any decent hip boot works for that kind of use. But when you plan on climbing up and down hills after an animal(hunting) and you do a couple miles of that stuff in the wrong hip boots, you'll be looking for a new pair I guarantee it, been there done that. When we have real wet Septembers I'll wear my hippers on the wheeler moose hunting the entire time its wet out (for days) and hop off the wheeler to chase down a bedded moose a mile or so away and if your hippers are the right ones, it makes for excellent hunting garb. | |||
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I'm with you AlaskaCub, when i'm out "meat" fishing or riding the wheeler I use the old Wal-Mart el cheapo insulated hip waders for $19.99 and they work just fine. For flyfishing purposes I use the Hodgeman breathable chest waders and wading shoes. For hunting, it's the LaCrosse ankle fit hippers all the way. "We band of 45-70'ers" | |||
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I'd tried a bunch of the hip boots/waders and various tricks over the years. While boat fishing or lolly-gagging a little ways along a stream any number of these are OK, but I could never get a set that I could use for hard hunting (walking, hill climbing, chasing bears across the tundra, etc. day after day) without blistering. I've gone to Simms high end Goretex waders with overboots and, while expensive, they are worth it for foot comfort and much less accumulated moisture (sweat) over 7-14 days or so. I've not tried climbing thru barbed wire, but they last relatively well even thru as much alder busting as I want to do, and many/most of the guides in the Peninsula area I hunt use them too. They are also great for float trips. Expensive, but well worth it compared to being lame. Cabelas has them too. | |||
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I've never put enough hard miles on the ankle fit hippers to know if they'd blister, but I would doubt it based on the time I have put in them. I would say they are too heavy and awkward for serious miles and terrain and based on that a good pair of mountairing and hunting boots are preferred. The tough thing about Alaska hunting is you can easily find a use for 3-5 pairs of footware. My basic setup is ankle fit hippers, hiking boots, and camp shoes (typically tevas) and I could easily add X-tra tough boat shoes and knee high rubber boots. I can also swap out the low cut tuffs for the tevas. __________________________________________________ The AR series of rounds, ridding the world of 7mm rem mags, one gun at a time. | |||
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I love my hip boots as long as I don't have to walk far in them. The LaCrosse ankle fit uninsulated always worked well for me and went on every hunt I went on in Alaska where there was any significant water. Even one sheep hunt. I never did figure out how people could make a whole hunt in them without getting some sort of food rot from sweat and they just don't have any ankle support for serious hiking. BTW the airbob sole is the way to go. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Sign me up as another fan of the foot wader/normal boot approach. Once you try this, I can't imagine ever changing. Walking with a normal pair of boots is just plain more comfortable. | |||
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To drag up an old subject... I just got done with a hunt in northern BC for moose; I wore bootless wader pants with the built in gaiter (got them at Bass Pro Shops). I used normal insulated hunting boots. Weather was totally crappy; rained and snowed all but two days, but the trails were so wet that the mud was halfway up my shins. This time I used some strech velcro bands that completely sealed out water while wading streams two feet deep. I remember one guy saying that leather boots would freeze when soaked, but I have a hard time believing this would be an issue. It got cold enough at night to freeze the gound and I never had problems with my boots. The laces were frozen, but I could still get them on in the morning. My guide was so impressed with the setup that he is trying it next year. | |||
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I am conviced the way to go is wading pants with the neoprene booties and regular but over sized boots. If you are in a wet environment you are gonna neat to cover your butt anyway so if you only have hip boots you are gonna need to some method to to keep your butt dry. So instead of two water proof layers just use wading pants. Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I use Wiggy's "Light Weight waders". Waterproof & tough for about $50. a pair. Just can't hump the muck very well in old rubber hip boots. p.e. | |||
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I hunt Bear in S SE on the Mainland and out on Prince of Wales. I have lived in hip boots for many years and tried lots. Light weight / canvas uppers / ankle fit / good air bob soles are what is needed. First Marathon quit making them and we went to the LaCross Fli-Lights but they stopped those a few years ago. Both those were tough boots light and fit well and lasted at least 2 years of hard hunting. The Cabela's ankle fits are rubber upper and low quality. Both my Guide and I had leaking boots after just a few hunts. My Guides leaked right out of the box. I have had several hunters use those Bog Busters (from Cabela's) with the cinch strap ankles. They seem to be holding up OK. But will they on several hunts in a row? They are lighter than they used to be. I'm going to take a look at those Muck Boots. If any one has found a suitable replacement to the LaCross Fli Lights .... let me know !!!!!!!! | |||
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Okay, hip boots have their fans, but has anyone tried the bootless wading pants w/normal boots and decided to go back to the hip boot clunkers? There is a reason serious fishermen don't use standard hipboots anymore... | |||
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Cabelas sells cleated backcountry wading boots for wear over stocking foot waders. Figure they will work over waders when in water and only some over-the-calf or knee-high waterproof socks otherwise. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?type=pod&id=0026699 Another option would be a pair of Schnee's hunting boots with the felt liner removed over stocking foot waders. The leather upper would get saturated when continuously in water but they would be comfortable to walk in. I own a pair of the Wiggy's lightweight waders. No way I can hike in mine - just fit too loosely over my boots. Now, if they were made to fit your stocking foot and worn under the Cabelas wading boot, they would probably work great. Might be worth a call to see if they would make them like that. | |||
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