Slightly off topic, but all of you guys seem to be pretty active upland bird hunters. So am I, but I can't find a decent boot.

I bought a pair of Meindl Lightweight boots. They were worn throught around the toe in the first year. They had great support (not critical but nice), crappy traction (acceptable for pheasants however) and were light, dry, and comfy. But they just didn't last past the first season. Granted, these are $200 boots, but I thought a couple of seasons of Iowa hunting would be a reasonable expectation. I was wrong.

So this year, I bought a upland boots from LL Bean because I generally find their stuff a good cut above the rest of the crowd. That, plus being made of kangaroo leather (alleged to be tougher than most leathers), made me think these would work, albeit in the $200 price range. Again.
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/13580?moe=ordhistory&csp=a

I was wrong. Again. After about 8 days in the field, the toes are going fast. The leather on the top of the toes seam is completely worn through, and the rest of the leather doesn't look so hot either.



So, I'm going to try to return them. But regardless of the results, I need a better boot. I give up at the $200 price point, but if I'm going to pay a bunch more, I need a bunch more boot. I use some of the old (good) Danner Elk Hunters and Meindl Perfekts (both insulated with serious traction, and substantial support).

The perfect boot would (in order of importance)
1 Comfortable (I have "normal" easy to fit feet)
2 Waterproof (gortex etc is normally fine for a couple years for me)
3 Reasonably durable (2+ seasons before leaking or busting seams)
4 Have speed laces from ankle to top (no eyelets on the very top of the boot)
Reasonably light (I would give up some lightness for more traction)
5 have substantial Traction
6 have support for ankles

I guess I should add it would be 9-10" tall as well (water is usually 10-11" deep where I hunt). I would want it uninsulated or at least not more than 200 gr of Thinsulate.

After wearing out these last two pairs, I have come to believe that good boots that will last will have a minimum of stitching and seams around the toes. Tall prairie grasses just wear through the corners and edges that seams and stitching present.

Right now, I am looking at a pair of Danner Grouse boots on Cabela's, but these are not even fully leather. I find it extremely hard to imagine paying over $300 for a pair of good boots, but I cannot, for the life of me, conceive of paying $400 for a pair of upland boots. So somewhere not too far north of 3 Benjamin's is about my limit.

I'll add one more observation about upland boots. The Grouse, like their Elk Hunter boots are Norwegian Welt construction which is nice and easily resolable. HOWEVER, it is a wide sole and it takes some noticeably greater effort to force it through tall grass, relative to a boot like the LLBean kangaroo boot. Resoling a boot is not important to me. The uppers will fail before the soles do given the cover I hunt.

Any suggestions?

Brent

PS. I do not find the LLBean rubber bottomed Maine hunting boot to be useful for long days of bird hunting. I need more support than that. Not a lot, but those don't cut it.

_________
BrentD, (Professor - just for Stan)

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