Boots for hunting in Oregon climates

[USMC1911]

Danner boots all day every day. Wore them every day at work for 30 years. If folks are experiencing leaking after a year of service they are not being taken care of properly. I have several pairs of danners that are 20 plus years old and have experienced leaking in one pair. Inexpensive they are not, rebuildable most are.

Danners of 20 years ago yes but the current ones not so much imo.

 

[DeanMk]

Hi all,

I'm curious as to what your boots of choice are when it comes to hunting in Oregon climates on both sides of the mountain. Both wet and mild and high and dry. While I'm knowledgeable with gore-tex and boot construction, I'm fairly unknowledgeable when it comes to Thinsulate numbers. I am one who tends to overdo everything but I don't want to oversweat my feet with 1000g of Thinsulate when in reality in oregon you're looking at at warmer temps. I prefer a stiffer sole overall but don't know if it's generally needed for a general deer here. I plan to put in for an elk tag next year and if I am successful I don't to screw myself by getting something too soft. I'm curious what is everyone's go-to boot choices here in the PNW. If I could afford Kenetreks or Schnees I would but I'm looking more around the $300 range max.

Thoughts?

Probably no help, but I was always happy with good ol' 6" Sears Diehard work boots.
Always worked for me and the price is usually pretty good.
When I was a teenager, JC Penny's used to sell those Kangaroo hide hunting boots. My dad and I both had a pair. Found mine, recently, at my mom's house but my feet are too big to fit them anymore.
Used to coat them with goose grease. Must've worked because 39 years later they're still pliable.
...FWIW, never hunted in O-Reagan, but is it really all that different from Warshing-Tin?


Dean

 

[DB is Here]

I've used Danners quite a bit, but they only seem to last one season. Then they leak. I want to know if there's anything out there that lasts longer as well,,,

Muk's work okay, but they can be to warm in summer,,,

Are you getting the one's that have the "Made in USA" tag on them? The other ones do leak.

 

[wp4]

Are you getting the one's that have the "Made in USA" tag on them? The other ones do leak.

I know I have tried them. Last pair I bought were the super rainforest model, almost $400. They definitely lasted longer than the cheaper quarry models, but still leaked within the first year. Cleaned with saddle soap and treated with Obenauf's every week.

Danner used to have a 1 year guarantee on the waterproofing, now it's 6 months. If I had to guess why it was probably from so many returns.

To be clear, what I mean by waterproof is I can go stand in a creek with water almost up to the very top of the boot and not feel a drop. I don't make a practice of doing that, obviously I would use rubber boots if I needed to work in those conditions. But my gore-tex boots of any brand always start to leak around the bottom of the tounge/ toe junction where they flex with every step. Then I end up with wet feet by simply stepping through a puddle, or working in a downpour.

Maybe other people have a lower standard/ expectation of what waterproof is. Maybe to some an all leather unlined boot that is treated with their favorite flavor of waterproofing treatment that keeps their feet dry when walking through wet grass is waterproof to them. So maybe we are talking about apples and oranges.

In my experience with gore-tex lined boots of any brand, or gore-tex membrane copies, it's the flexing over time as you walk that breaks down the gore-tex.

My boots always go on a boot dryer every day, and get cleaned and treated regularly. I don't know what more to do to take care of them, as someone earlier claimed must be the problem with people losing the waterproofing of their boots.

The boots still continue to function just fine one the gore-tex isn't working, but they aren't waterproof anymore by my standard of what waterproof is.

I got a year and a half out of those super rainforest boots. They were totally shot by then, lost the waterproofing ability near year 1. I went back to $200 Georgia boots that I get a year out of after that because it's cheaper over the long run. If I had got 2 years out of the $400 super rainforest's I would've bought them again or had them resoled.

I've drifted this thread a bit because now I'm talking about work boots that I walk on sharp railroad ballast with all day every day, not hunting boots. But I think it sheds light on the hunting boot subject for people who are shopping different brands for the best hunting boot. I'm eager to try some of the Italian brands that have been mentioned, they sound much better.

 

[wp4]

Probably no help, but I was always happy with good ol' 6" Sears Diehard work boots.
Always worked for me and the price is usually pretty good.
When I was a teenager, JC Penny's used to sell those Kangaroo hide hunting boots. My dad and I both had a pair. Found mine, recently, at my mom's house but my feet are too big to fit them anymore.
Used to coat them with goose grease. Must've worked because 39 years later they're still pliable.
...FWIW, never hunted in O-Reagan, but is it really all that different from Warshing-Tin?


Dean

The old low top Die Hard boots with no tread on the bottom except for the words Die Hard Die Hard Die Hard printed all over the sole! Those were badazz! My grandfather and father used those exclusively! I had a couple pairs as a kid so I could be like them LOL, they were comfy.
But they worked on smooth concrete shop floors all day in a machine shop. That nonexistent tread pattern would suck in the woods!

Reading reviews on sears website a lot of people complain that those old die hard oxfords are junk now too. Thanks China, and dying/ failing sears cutting corners!

 

[Mistman]

I, nor my hunting partners have ever found a Danner boot to be waterproof past a good couple months of flexing. Having said that, I love my Danners for fit, lightweight, durability and comfort.

Best pair of waterproof boots I've ever had (and they still don't leak) are some Cabela's Elk hunters but they're so stiff the sole doesn't flex much, after 13 years I still put them on once in a while, they're pretty hardcore, like really hard rubber and leather and they still don't leak. Not the most comfortable though. My feat generate a lot of heat when I'm on the move, west side of Oregon isn't cold enough for me to get insulated boots. I've even defaulted to good thick cotton socks over wool as I don't need the heat. Wool's great once your feet are wet as they'll stay warm but that's never really been my problem. If I were sitting in a blind all day I'd wear whatever I need to stay warm but I don't hunt that way. If my feet stay dry, cotton is all I need. The last couple years I've gone to Keen shoe/boots for lightweight and comfort. They aren't waterproof but it takes quite a soaking for your feet to get wet and they dry relatively quickly.

 

[DeanMk]

The old low top Die Hard boots with no tread on the bottom except for the words Die Hard Die Hard Die Hard printed all over the sole! Those were badazz! My grandfather and father used those exclusively! I had a couple pairs as a kid so I could be like them LOL, they were comfy.
But they worked on smooth concrete shop floors all day in a machine shop. That nonexistent tread pattern would suck in the woods!

Reading reviews on sears website a lot of people complain that those old die hard oxfords are junk now too. Thanks China, and dying/ failing sears cutting corners!

Don't recall the tread pattern you referred to.
Some of mine had the "waffle-stomper" tread pattern (which I believe is officially known as a Vibram sole) and some had the wavy textured sole.
You definitely can't charge through the woods like you own the place with the textured wavy tread pattern, but its not hard to learn The Art of Walking so that you stay on your feet, AND (more importantly) you stay as quiet as possible, because, after all.....you are hunting.
...and, again, leather uppers, so goose grease goes a long way with keeping them soft and more water resistant than if you didn't.


Dean

 

[coyote223]

Are you getting the one's that have the "Made in USA" tag on them? The other ones do leak.

No, haven't tried the USA one's. What's the difference, besides double the price? Yeah I know, don't take offense to that question. Serious question,,,