doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Suitable boots

We have been happy with the LL Bean Kangaroo Technical boots. 8 pairs in the family. Very comfortable from the first day. But they do seem to run 1/2 size small for me.

Have had poor luck with gortex or any waterproof leather in any boots for several years. Have gone to rubber boots (Boggs or Le Chameau) for wet mornings or rain days. But getting too old to hunt much in the rain.

Brent, what are you doing chewing on your boots when you get hungry?

Always remember, a granola bar is your friend when hunting.

Russell maybe overrated by some, but from a comfort stand, they aren't overrated on my feet. I got fitted for a pair last May and one foot was sized differently than the other. No wonder I had issues with boots. The Russells are just what the Podiatrist ordered. And I agree about the LeChameau boots, there is nothing better in a waterproof boot. Gortex translated from the original Russian: "Will eventually leak on a cold day while walking through dew soaked grass." Gil

Meindl Douvre extreme. Mine are on their fourth season now and i have every reason to believe they will last another 4.

I have been wearing Merrell waterproof hikers for the last few years. My current ones have rubber type toe and are very comfortable. I have some older Red Wings in the non waterproof hikers and need to get one seam sewed up and they have a lot of miles on them. For the grouse/woodcock woods or when I think it is going to be wet I like the original Muck Boot Co boots. I never thought I would like rubber boots but these are different and I wear long socks to protect the top of my legs. I can walk all day with them without a problem.

Okay, I should be doing other chores, but I got distracted. Here are pictures of some of my hunting boots. I have others, and many have long since been tossed, but I have these 1/2 dozen to show off. The photos don't really show the damage and wear very well but look at the tops behind the toes, this is where most of my boots fail the fastest. I would consider buying numbers 1, 2, and 6 again. But missing from that list of acceptable boots is something light and uninsulated or at least lightly insulated. There is a description of each boots pluses and minuses between the two photos.


Top to bottom, left to right



1. Meindl Perfekts with 400 gram Thinsulate with Gortex. One 2-week moose hunt in the Yukon Delta and some local hunting convinced me these will be great boots. They are definitely still watertight (knock on wood), but have a long ways to go before I can pronounce them the King of Insulated Boots. Comfort excellent. Support excellent. Traction excellent. Durability to be determined, but looking good so far.

2. Danner Elk Hunters with 400 gram Thinsulate with Gortex. Many many hunts in Rockies for elk and deer, in prairies for pheasants and deer and antelope, and even the cattail swamps. They leak a little now, and they have lost some airbobs on the soles, but still great traction, moderate support and fit, but darn heavy and big (wide on the outside, so they are hard to force into the grass that I hunt). Durability is superb. If the Perfekts hold up like this, I'm set for big, insulated boots. Comfort medium. Support medium. Traction great. Durability superb.

3. Russel Moccasin "Hikers?" No insulation, no Gortex. Darn expensive for my "normal" and equal sized feet. Takes forever to get when ordered (6-8 months as I recall, maybe longer). Well hunted in Africa (easy walking) and a fair bit of pheasants and some antelope hunting (ie., probably the easiest hunting conditions). Support is minimal, water resistance minimal, comfort medium (dead flat foot bed can be easily fitted with some inserts to become "okay"). The photos don't show it but the stitching on the toes is shot on both boots. Good for squirrel hunting, chores, and easy walking like Africa or antelope. Comfort medium. Support medium or a bit less. Traction medium. Durability medium at best (esp. given it's cost).

4. Meindl UltraLights with 400 gram Thinsulate with Gortex. These are AMAZINGLY comfortable. That is the only good thing I'll say about them. They have support for feet AND ankles, big toe box keeps feet warmer, even with lots of socks. I bought them for elk hunting in the snow. They lasted one day because I had ZERO traction in the snow. I went back to the truck and got me Danner Elk Hunters that I had thrown in on a whim. Thank god for that. If these boots would hold up, they would be great for pheasants because of the comfort and light weight = they are ridiculously light. But they did not last even half of a season. Might be a great cold weather boot for western bird hunting or antelope or other things where the cover is pretty sparse. They won't hack it in the Midwest, where cover is so thick you have to lean into it to get through in many places. They are great chore boots around the house, shop, barn, and timber. Comfort superb. Support superb. Traction mediocre. Durability horrible.

5. LLBean Upland Kangaroos uninsulted with Gortex. Comfort is about like the Russels. Good, but not fantastic. A better footbed than the Russels, but no ankle support. Watertighness fine as long as we lasted, but that was not very long - about 8 full days of pheasant hunting in dry conditions. Comfort medium, Support medium. Traction medium. Durability horrible (but LLB agreed to let me return the for full refund, I do love this company. Just not their boots).

6. LLBean Maine Guide boots - no insulation, no Gortex. These are great for what they are - canoe boots, field work boots, and places where the conditions are likely to be wet, the ground flat, not rocky, and temps mild, neither super hot or cold. I could not work in them all day without seriously wearing out my feet. They are great for certain special conditions that I often encounter. I did this once while elk hunting (they are awesome for still hunting with a bow in some conditions) but I damn near crawled back to camp at the end of the first day. Wore my backpacking boots thereafter on that trip. Comfort medium (in the right environment they are good). Support Zero. Traction minimal, Durability medium or a bit better and easily reshod if cared for.



Same order as above, but just the right boot in profile. .

I've been very happy with Filson Uplanders for over 10 years, run true to size, cork liners, insulated or not. List at $375-425 but readily available as seconds in their stores or on eBay.

Here's a pair of size 10's for $329.

I thought I would try a pair of Russells so I waited for the Vintagers 10 years ago ad had them measure me there. They showed up several months later and I couldn't get my foot into them. I'm a 10D and never have had a problem getting boots that fit but these boots would have been better suited for a 9.5. There's still a brand new pair of Sheephunters in a box downstairs. Anyone interested contact me if you are a 9-9.5.

I agree. I have gone through a lot of boots over the years, and my recent favorites have been Keens, but I needed a taller boot this season to allow for an ankle injury. So, I bought tall, uninsulated boots from Danner, Meindl, and Lowa. The Danners are tall (8-1/2"?) Pronghorns, and the Meindls and Lowas are around 8". Pronghorns and Meindls were on sale at Cabela's for under $200, and I paid full pop at REI for the Lowas, around $450. The Lowas are the most comfortable, the Meindls are fine, but the Pronghorns are the best value and the boots I have been wearing. Light, comfortable, sturdy, decent ankle support, acceptable appearance. I will never buy or wear a boot with a moc toe, because of the stitching problems and because they hurt my feet around the toe box. I have bunches of boots in my rotation, but when I go back to a 6" boot (if I am able), it will be shorter Pronghorns (4 pair) and the old Keens (3 pair). My only caution on the Danners is that they tend to run a bit narrow for size, so I buy them wide.

Two words Russell Moccasin....the South Forty Signature Birdshooter is by far the best walking boot I've ever wore.



Anyone say different they don't know jAck shitz.

Many years ago when in my early 20's I drove into Spokane to be custom fit for a pair of the Whites Smokejumper boots, 12" tops, when I was on what's now called a hotshot crew....paid $98.00 for the pair.

I ended up wearing those boots for firefighting, upland and big game hunting and about everything else I did outdoors...virtually lived in them for 3-4 months of the year under some serious usage and abuse conditions. They lasted about 7 years and then I had them rebuilt and they lasted another 3-4 years.

One of the most comfortable pair of boots I've owned, to this point, with great ankle support and traction. Heavy as can be and got soaked in rainy, snowy, inclement weather but I didn't care being young, dumb and in shape.

I've changed my tune 40+ years later on what constitutes a good upland/big game boot, but if you can handle the weight, hunt in steep rocky terrain, in dry weather and want a boot that lasts, they're tough to beat. I now own a pair of Nick's, equivalent to the White's, but I certainly don't hunt anything in them.