doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Got Hunting Boots ?

Am I wrong, or do I recall kenetreks as having a rock hard footbed?, and I mean no inner padding at all, just the cushion of the tred material. I didn't get how that would be comfortable... Steve

In my opinion Russel Signature South 40 bird shooters are the best/most comfortable leather boots made. I don't have a problem with them leaking stepping in the occasional water hole but in wet grass they will leak but they easily walk dry.

For wet conditions I wear Le Chameau Chessers with a Super Feet Green insole.....A fellow from Georgia told me if you ever wear a pair you'll wear nothing else. The thing about the leather lined boot is that your feet don't get clammy when hot. My original pair is going on 6 or 7 years old they look pretty rough the side zipper broke last spring. I just stopped zipping them and just buckled the top strap. I have since bought a replacement pair but think I've still got a few years left on these.

I cannot, for the life of me, imagine paying $500-650 for a pair of rubber boots, leather lined or not. I thought it was ridiculous when I paid $150 for a pair of insulated La Cross knee boots. Not sure what the authentic French version will do for $400 more that the faux French can't.

I'm glad folks like Russells, but I know I have bought my last pair.

Brent, that's kinda like the difference between a Model B Fox and a Fox D grade small bore.

They both go bang and when pointed properly, birds will fall out of the sky. But there is a world of difference between the experience of using one or the other....a difference many people are prepared to quantify as worth $10,000 plus.

The very best tends to cost more.....and getting the last 10% to 15% of improvement tends to cost the most!

I spent many years in the footwear business including having my own designs made. When I look at a LeChameau Chasseur I am looking at what I think of as a very well made, calf high leather boot that has an exterior rubber layer. Not a "rubber boot". That would not be inexpensive to make anywhere. You could hardly pick a higher cost country to make them in than France.

James, it sounds as if some of the very best mentioned in this thread have rock hard footbeds, stitching that tears after only a couple years, or leaky uppers that will leave you with wet feet when walking through wet grass. I absolutely agree with the idea of buying quality boots, but price and prestige does not always translate into comfort and durability.

I kind of understand BrentD on this subject. From a quick glance in my basement last night, I'd say I probably have at least 14-15 pairs of hunting boots ranging from light leather and uninsulated rubber to heavy Gore-Tex and Thinsulate lined, felt pac, or insulated rubber Mickey Mouse boots for sub-zero conditions. None is perfect for all hunting, but I have come to prefer some over others, and the most expensive have not always been the best, most comfortable, or most durable. The final choice for the day always comes down to the conditions and the type of hunting I plan to do. Then I usually toss an extra pair of boots and socks in the truck for those days when you break through the ice up to your knee and fill your boot with cold black swamp water.

I do find it mildly amusing when I see some teeny tiny women's shoes selling for $500.00 to $1000.00 when I can buy good work or hunting boots that have half a cow's worth of leather for a fraction of the price. The women don't bat an eye.

Keith, I couldn't agree more. Everyone's foot AND gait is different and unless truly custom made, all boots are designed to maximize the number of people that can fit them. And I sure know that high cost does not necessarily mean perfect. Any boot is only as good as what the guys on the line did when they stitched that boot together. (Or cut or glued or lasted or all the different steps that go into production). But I can see where the cost is, is what I meant.

And I have cupboards full of boots and shoes from my time on the business. Some work well, some not so well....including same models from different production runs. What my experience tells me is that it's a crap shoot, listening to the advice of others. To do that effectively one needs to understand how your foot and gait differ from whoever is giving you advice.

I'll never argue with anyone when they tell me what works for them. I just know that is ALL they are telling me....it works for them.

And as an aside, when you see women's fashion shoes selling for $500 plus, know that the retailers is usually making a 60-65% margin on initial retail price when it hits the stores. Selling for $1000 means he paid $350 for it. But by the time he sells the last of his spring shipment he will be doing well to have averaged 45% on his sales and he will still have inventory that he will never sell....last seasons crap doesn't move well in the fashion business.

What it will do is in warm weather your feet will remain comfortable and not hot and clammy like they will in a pair of LaCross.

Yes Steve you are in this case incorrect. The Kenetrek boots that I wear have a well made replaceable insert, a well made bed liner, under that is a medium stiff dense rubber sole that is close to an inch at the heel an tapers down to the toe and adhered to this is a treaded sole. The Mountain boots are extremely well made and manufactured in Italy.
I live to hunt so I would not, and have not put up with boots that are not comfortable with great support. On top of this they need to last, which these do.
Like all things it does not mean they are for everybody, but for hunting out West they sure work well for me. I share this information as it might help someone to narrow down their choices.

This has been a fascinating exchange. I have heard of several boot options, and I have enjoyed everyone's take on their experiance. I am a desert quail/chucker hunter and my boot choice in part is conditioned on weight and heat management, rarely is water resistant an issue. I found that Merrel mid heights are absolutely the best. There is one model Reflex Mid are true to size and have room in the toe box. The Vibram soles have great traction and prevent rock bruises. The soles are not so large (wide) as to hang up on cactus and rocks. There is another model the Merril Moab Ventilator. This model runs small and requires a half size larger, the soles are too wide and I find they hang up on rock projections. The ones I have came from Cabelas and I'm in my third pair. The negative, once the sole is gone they are gone. I get about 3 years wear out of a pair. Merril just changed the liner from GorTex to their proprietary liner which according to reviews may not perform as well. Thanks for all to good information and opinions.

Interesting thread here, surprising to see how much of an individual thing boot choice is ......in some ways more diverse than gun preference among posters here......

I'll admit that I too have tried (repeatedly) to catch the right "vibe" that makes the Russell's such a cult item among its supporters... But they just don't get there for me.....

I have shooting friends that dote on them......
I recall my last effort was at the insistence of one of these die hard champions of the Company, he insisted it was because I did not have them "made to measure" following personal measurement by Ralph or other company employee.

Giving in and trying this "sure fix" I sat and was carefully measured at one of the Safari Shows some years back.....

Went thru the waiting period in the off season and at last received the boots.... The result.... no difference, in fact perhaps less comfortable than my attempts to buy off the shelf....

I called and discussed my plight with Ralph , and found his sense of humor lacking at my statement to the effect of....
" I bet that other S.O.B. was really mad" he rather hesitantly asked to whom I was referring, to which I replied,
" The guy that got the boots I ordered, 'cause surely I haven"t got them......"

I stumbled across my last pair of them in a closet this Fall, McIntosh Bird Hunter or such....If anyone knows of someone who can use them I'll gladly send them along gratis.... @ 12 1/2 to 13 C- D width