Hunting shoes?

seasley

seasley

Active member
I’m in the market for a pair of gore Tex hiking/hunting shoes.

For the ones that have them, is Merrell a good comfortable shoe?

I have a bad knee so I’m looking for a comfortable shoe

Please leave your feedback on what you guys wear

I usually wear muck boots when I hunt, but looking for something lighter
 
ive got a pair of cabela's Meindel ultralight hunters in 400 gram thinsulate and gortex.

took them out of the box and they felt like comfy pair of old sneakers.

they make them with no insulation, 400, 800 and i think 1k or 1200 too

and they have a 25 year warranty on them.
 
I be following this thread. Im tired of getting wet feet from tall dew covered grass from NEW gore-tex lined/waterproof boots.
 
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Yah, Merrell is a solid brand. My everyday/work walking shoes are low cut Merrell hiking shoes.
If you can get to a Merrell store, then check out the various stiffness soles, my choice is medium to stiff.
 
The Merrell Moab is the only one I've had. They are super comfy. For me they wear out super quick too though. I bought them local, brick and mortar and they replaced them twice but I didn't feel right going back for a fourth pair when it was obvious they were just going to keep blowing up every few months.

Really are nice and comfy though and the soles grip our slickrock real good. Slickrock ain't actually usually slick by the way, it's usually more like sandpaper and gives good traction. But definitely not all boot soles are equal for traction on it. Neither are all tires!

- DAA
 
I had worn Merrell's for a few years and have since switched to Keen's. I personally find them more comfortable, more durable and they seem to fit nicer as well.
 
I have the Merrell Moab for a knock around shoe and like them pretty well. Mine are holding up well, however I don't wear them hunting. They are comfortable for what I use them for.
 
Originally Posted By: West.Mass.HunterI had worn Merrell's for a few years and have since switched to Keen's. I personally find them more comfortable, more durable and they seem to fit nicer as well.

Exactly!
 
Man... Footwear is such a personal preference thing!

I've been wearing mostly a pair of Lowa Renegades for about a year now. I hate them. So, it figures, they are looking likely to be the longest lasting pair of boots I've bought in a good long while, LOL! Pretty much nothing I've bought and tried the last ten years has lasted much more than a year. These Lowa's seem like they might go several years though. And the year I've had them, I've put a lot of really rough miles on them. Did the Grand Canyon rim to rim in a day with them and most of the 200 miles of mountain hiking I did leading up to that. Have done two 50 - 60 mile off trail canyon country backpacks with them. For me and what I do, that is the roughest thing on boots, off trail in the canyons. Just tears boots up. They have been the boot I have mostly worn hunting for a year too. No signs of wearing out. I can't say they aren't durable! Purely personal preference, but I can't wait for them to wear out, just a few little things I just plain don't like about them that add up to I'll be glad to finally be rid of them. Looking like that's going to be awhile though
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.

Other side of the equation. I hated the Lowas so much on the two backpacking trips this spring that I went and bought another pair for that kind of stuff, Sportiva Snythesis Mid GTX. Love, love, love them! But... I haven't put too many miles on them yet and it's obvious they aren't going to last very long at all for the kind of stuff I plan on putting them through. Light, breathable, very comfortable, waterproof, grip like crazy on slickrock. I can friction pitch some sketchy exposed stuff with confidence in them. Same kind of stuff I just flat out won't even attempt while wearing the Lowas, I scramble up without much thought in the Sportivas. Love the lacing system too. Which is a sore point for me on the Lowas, just absolutely detest the lacing on the Lowas...

Really, really like the Sportivas. But... For how expensive they are and how fast I expect to wear them out, I can't really recommend them. But, dang, I like them more than anything else I've worn for a long, long time. Maybe for someone that doesn't torture boots like I tend to do, they might last an acceptable amount of time? Dunno...

Anyway, lot of words, really just to say that what I or anyone else likes is so personal, it seems like all a guy can do is try a bunch on and pay his money and take his chances and find out for himself.

- DAA
 
One of my main backpacking partners has settled on Keens the last few years too. He hikes a lot more than I do and is actually even harder on boots than I am. So he goes through them at the rate of two pairs a year. Has bought literally six pair of Keens in the last three years. But he wears pretty much everything out that fast and for him, after trying a whole big bunch of different boots, that is what he has settled on.

He even wore out a pair of the same Lowa Renegades that seem like they are going to last me a chunk of forever in well under a year. He hated them too though - I should have listened to him
laugh.gif
. But Keen is most likely what I'll try next as well.

- DAA
 
I've been wearing a pair of Wolverine boots for a few season now. They're insulated which I'm not too crazy about but they're waterproof pretty good. I think I got them on sale from Cabela's or Bass Pro.
 
Originally Posted By: DAAOne of my main backpacking partners has settled on Keens the last few years too. He hikes a lot more than I do and is actually even harder on boots than I am. So he goes through them at the rate of two pairs a year. Has bought literally six pair of Keens in the last three years. But he wears pretty much everything out that fast and for him, after trying a whole big bunch of different boots, that is what he has settled on.

He even wore out a pair of the same Lowa Renegades that seem like they are going to last me a chunk of forever in well under a year. He hated them too though - I should have listened to him
laugh.gif
. But Keen is most likely what I'll try next as well.

- DAA

A friend tells me the bulk of her crew wears Keen shoes.
 
Merrell Moabs are super comfy, but they are toast after a year of daily wear. I've been through a bunch of pairs. But the NEW Merrell Moab 2.0 is a better built shoe. Way sturdier than the old design.

If you haven't tried the Cabela's Meindel Ultralight boots, you should! I love the non-insulated version. Can't beat Cabela's warranty.
 
Originally Posted By: Plant.Oneive got a pair of cabela's Meindel ultralight hunters in 400 gram thinsulate and gortex.

took them out of the box and they felt like comfy pair of old sneakers.

they make them with no insulation, 400, 800 and i think 1k or 1200 too

and they have a 25 year warranty on them.

I have these in the 400g, love them. Got my first pair probably 4 years ago and I wore them to the bone and they eventually leaked after 3 years, called cabelas and got another pair under warranty no questions asked. Second pair going solid.

Anything gore-tex will shed water but it can't take constant saturation or stream crossings. I still need to pull out the rubber boots for the slush winter weather we have up here sometime, the rubber boots are like 5X the weight of the meindels.
 
For most of my coyote hunting and bird hunting I wear a pair of Browning uninsulated feather weight upland boots. They are really light super comfortable and waterproof. If it gets really cold I wear a pair of 400g insulated Danner prong horns.
Ps the Danners are the old style made in the USA boots
 
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My dad got me a pair of gortex 400g thinsulate Irish Setter boots as a graduation gift for an upcoming elk hunting trip back in 2004. They are still my go-to hunting and hiking boots. They aren't muck boot waterproof, but when they were new they were better than expected and are still better than a treated pair of only leather boots. No big problems wearing them early season around 70-75 degrees if laced up tight and they are just large enough to fit a decent wool sock and laced up loose I wear them down to 10 to 15 degrees coyote hunting, even colder now that I have a good pair of gators to put over them. I also love the tread pattern on them, they aren't like they used to be but they still give me better traction than other boots I've tried.

I don't know how they have held together for so long, I used snow seal on the leather regularly but after more than a decade the leather is just starting to crack. And except for the back of the heels inside the boot starting to wear out all other attachments and seams are in better shape than I can understand.

I wish I had an odometer on these boots, I've got hundreds of miles on them. When ever these wear out (I should have a year or two more out of them) they will be replaced with more Irish Setters.
 
Originally Posted By: Plant.Oneive got a pair of cabela's Meindel ultralight hunters in 400 gram thinsulate and gortex.

took them out of the box and they felt like comfy pair of old sneakers.

they make them with no insulation, 400, 800 and i think 1k or 1200 too

and they have a 25 year warranty on them.

I have the non insulated and love them. Hoping over the holidays they go on sale so I can get the insulated ones as well. I will say, the leather on the toe area is really soft, if you are like me and sometimes accidentally kick rocks or branches may be worth putting something over the toe to help protect the leather a bit.

I have funny shaped feet so its hard for me to find a boot that fits well. Ive tried the Merrel hiking boots but they are a no go for me. I either wear square toe cowboy boots or my Cabelas Meindl.
 
I recently purchased the Under Armour Infil Ops 10" gore Tex boots and can honestly say they are the best boots I have owned so far. Super light weight. So far completely water proof.
I hunt lava rock which just tears up any boot I have tried. These are standing up with nothing but minor scrapes
I highly recommend them.
 
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