Best Insulated Boot?

[Bdavis]

Have worn Irish Setters forever. Bought my son a pair of Crispis' and now I want a new pair of boots. Anyone have a pair or a preference for another brand they would like to share. I'm 5'10, 240 and mainly spot and stalk deer and upland bird hunt.

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[Nosferatu]

I HATE insulated boots.

After years of struggling with hunting footwear, I finally stopped buying insulated and waterproof boots. They never worked.

I have settled on a pair of Whites 10" leather, unlined, uninsulated boots. I treated them with Obenaufs for water resistance.

I wear a pair of thin polyproplene liner socks and vary my merino wool outer socks depending on weather and what I'm doing. If I'm moving a lot, thinner socks. If I'm not, thicker socks.

Change them when they get wet, hang them on your pack to dry.

My feet are in such better shape after making these changes.

 

[DB is Here]

Whites or Nicks are Fantastic, and they'll be my next pair.

Currently I'm running Danner Acadia's. Solid boot just a little heavy. They are 400g thinsulate . (warm & dry in the wet).

 

[solv3nt]

I've got non-insulated Kenetrek.

 

[kmk1012]

I'm hooked on Danner Super Rainforest, they are expensive but have double leather thickness and have good ankle support. Still made in America for whatever that's worth.

 

[Colt Carbine]

My feet and trade have been abusing Danner Rain Forest for 3 decades. I'll destroy a pair in 18-24 months. They aren't cheap but you can't put a price on warm dry feet while working outdoors in the PNW. Danner has hunting boots for those that don't want heavy work boots. Keep in mind ONLY Danner's with stitch down soles are made in Portland, IIRC. Buyer beware if purchasing 2nds from the Factory, as there isn't any Warranty.

I've seen lots of happy customers wearing Redwing on job sites. FWIW

Really need to try on a few different brands not everybody's feet fit the same in a Danner, Whites, Redwing or.....

 

[kmk1012]

My feet and trade have been abusing Danner Rain Forest for 3 decades. I'll destroy a pair in 18-24 months. They aren't cheap but you can't put a price on warm dry feet while working outdoors in the PNW. Danner has hunting boots for those that don't want heavy work boots. Keep in mind ONLY Danner's with stitch down soles are made in Portland, IIRC. Buyer beware if purchasing 2nds from the Factory, as there isn't any Warranty.

I've seen lots of happy customers wearing Redwing on job sites. FWIW

Really need to try on a few different brands not everybody's feet fit the same in a Danner, Whites, Redwing or.....

I'll second this, as well as RedWings too. Only issues with RedWings is they don't really have an "off road" tread in their lineup. But if you work on cement all day they cannot, and I mean cannot be beat. Also expensive but wear great.

 

[Springer08]

A leather boot with 200 grams of thinsulate and enough room to wear a good pair of wool socks without being tight. That keeps me on good shape down in to single digits.

 

[orygun]

Danner Rainforest (USA). Solid boot. Dry as can be. I usually don't notice how heavy they are until I take them off.
I also have a pair or Red Wings that are 400g insulated. They are great, unless I sit all day. Dry, fairly warm and much lighter than the Danners.
@Springer08 's comment about being too tight is a big deal. That means there is no air for insulation and quickly leads to cold toes.

 

[Bdavis]

Danner Super Rainforest wasn't even on my radar. I will get into town this weekend and try a pair on.

Thanks for the quick feedback. I am getting the vibe that we have some ex choke setters among us.

 

[The Heretic]

Have worn Irish Setters forever. Bought my son a pair of Crispis' and now I want a new pair of boots. Anyone have a pair or a preference for another brand they would like to share. I'm 5'10, 240 and mainly spot and stalk deer and upland bird hunt.

I prefer Keen brand. They have a store in Portland and they are made in the US (mostly Oregon I think). They have a wide selection of boots of all kinds for different purposes. For insulated I have a pair that are 8", waterproof with a steel toe for use when I am using power equipment like my chainsaw or flail mower.

 

[ditchtiger]

Carhartt

 

[P7M13]

I have Danner Quarry, Danner Vicious, Whites Grand Ronde insulated and Red Wing Dynaforce.
The White's are far and away my favorite, and simply the best in rugged terrain. The Danner Quarry and Red Wings are the quietest.
I use the Danner Vicious only when I'm out in snow. I'll use the Danner or Red Wings when it's raining heavily, even though my Whites have never leaked. Why? I don't care if those boots get soaked. I'll dry them out and re-oil them.
I have three pair of Keen. I buy them when they are on sale. They're a great work shoe, but not worthy of use as a hunting or hiking shoe. Those f*ckers leak even walking through dewy grass.
It's essential to find a boot that fits your foot well. The Quarry, Grand Ronde and Dynaforce fit my foot exceptionally well. Keens fit very well, too, at 1/2 to 1/3 the cost.
Dang, re-reading this, it's like I'm an Imelda Marcos of boots, but most of those were purchased when my semi-annual "work boot" allowance came up (not the Whites).

 

[drstrangelove]

Lowa, kennetrek, crispi… don't go cheap. These last forever and do not leak. Every Danner I've ever owned leaked. Insulation is not necessary unless hiking in snow.

 

[Duneblaster]

If you wear a size 4 or 7...

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[L84Cabo]

My humble opinion for whatever it's worth...and assuming you're not going to spend the money for a full custom boot...

The hiking/backpacking crowd had boots sorted out LONG before the military, LEO, and work boot crowd/makers did. My preference is to stick with those brands unless I need a steel toe for something. The good news at this point is that most of the backpacking/hiking boot makers are offering a military/LEO line too...in case you just want basic colors instead of all the nonsense.

I would look at Salomon, Asolo, and I've heard really good things about Vasque lately but have never owned a pair of their boots. Lowa makes a decent boot too and likely has something that is insulated.

 

[Tlock]

I've got non-insulated Kenetrek.

All my hunting friends swear by them, I've personally never put a pair on. To much money for this poor ex trapper. Romeos or muck boots for me!

 

[solv3nt]

All my hunting friends swear by them, I've personally never put a pair on. To much money for this poor ex trapper. Romeos or muck boots for me!

They're mighty comfortable.

 

[P7M13]

I would look at Salomon, Asolo, and I've heard really good things about Vasque lately but have never owned a pair of their boots. Lowa makes a decent boot too and likely has something that is insulated.

I've had Asolo and Vasque as climbing boots -- they are excellent boots. Asolo now lines theirs with Gore-Tex, and while they don't leak, my boot becomes a swimming pool because of my foot sweat. I had a pair of Vasque hikers that were waterproof, comfortable and durable, but my feet have changed and they no longer fit, so I donated them. I currently use Scarpa boots for climbing, which are also excellent.
As far as Salomon, Merrell and Oboz, they're great fitting, comfortable, but don't last six months for my use. I won't buy a boot that wears out like a running shoe. Merrell is the worst of the bunch, they changed their line from the extremely rugged stuff they made in the 80's and 90's to bad chinese copies of Keen.

 

[bionic knees]

Danner Quarry or I have a pair of mossy oak liteweight hunters in camo that I like a lot