boot buying lesson learned

[quadrakid]

bought a pair of irish setters last august after swearing i would not buy boots from china. boot fell apart on me today and i hardly wear them, no hard use.they cost over 300 bucks. guess i,ll start saving for meindles.

[rifleman]

sorry to hear that. I have a pair of elk trackers & have put alot of miles on them for over two years. They are still like new.& will last me a couple of more for sure. Mabey yours were made on a Monday... I would take them back to where you bought them......
good luck!!!!

[Charlie]

Now when you say fall apart, what do you mean by that?

I have a pair of Elk Trackers and they are solid. No leaks, warm and I wear them quite a bit.

Did you get a poorly constructed pair?

[Steeleco]

I liked my Irish Setters so much I bough a new pair. But I too was a little miffed at $300 for them. Just about double the last pair. Definitely take them back and raise some hell. They are guaranteed if under a year old?

[Frango]

I have been wearing my Elk trackers in the snow all day for the last week.My feet are still warm and dry.

[quadrakid]

i really liked the boots,warm and comfy. i,ll be paying a visit to the retailer. if i don,t have any luck with them i,ll contact Red Wing.the leather upper just seperated from the sole.

[BlacktailStalker]

Hmm which model? I was looking at getting some insulated ones, my non insulated meindls dont cut it for hounds and snow.

[wsm]

i have a pair of irishsetters that are five years old, and are used hard. still no leaks but the leather is cracked in one spot, (my neglect) they only ever got treated once. the day i bought them. i will buy another pair after christmas

[ElkMasterC]

I have Meindls, Irish Setters, and Vasques.

Like em all. They do what I tells 'em.

Meindls aren't good for sitting in the cold. Setters ain't small enuff for big hikes, the Vaszques don't protect my ankles as well as some.

That's why I own the three..lol

[Hunterguy]

I also have the Elk Trackers, secret, stitched sole.

[bigwhiteys]

Still love my Hanwags... These along with the High Country footbeds from Lathrop & Sons have worked very well for me. Between hiking & hunting I've put a few hundred miles on them so far and they still look and perform great...

Carl

[bsa30-06]

I have been using irish setters for the last 3 or 4 years still good as new, never had any problems.

[rishu_pepper]

Meindl's are kickass stuff. I love mine. Sometimes a little on the cold side but it's never that bad with the proper socks.

[Wild_Dog]

its all about the Echo's

[goatdancer]

I got a pair of Irish Setters last Christmas. 1000 grams of Thinsulate for the times when the Meindels are too cold. Wore them a lot this last season and had no problems. Got them from www.sportsmansguide.com (http://www.sportsmansguide.com) . $105 delivered to my door, including the taxes at the border. Local prices for them are ridiculous.

[Johnnybear]

I have a pair of Elk trackers as well for the last 3 years. I treat them twice a year and make sure I get lots on the stiching everywhere. No problems. See what the retailer has to say and let us know.

[Wolfman]

I put my money where my mouth is when I can, and buy Canada or US made products whenever available and in my range. Part of the big problems with the US economy right now is with all the outsourcing going on and while I'm not against anyone making a buck I figure I'll try to keep my dough on the continent where product is concerned.

Used to be back in the day you could get a lot of things that were made in Canada or the USA now ya gotta really shop around. Buddy of mine shares a similar philosophy and just the other day was on the verge of buying a pair of boots at MEC when he noticed the tag said 'made in China from Canadian materials" !!!! Go figure that one, eh?

I was drooling over these boots the other day but....well, after the lottery maybe ;-)

http://hikingbootshandcrafted.com/

Wolfman

[cinnabear]

I luv my Irish setters, I've put on many miles in the wet and in the snow and my feet were always dry and warm.

[Lone Ranger]

I have a set of 800 gram Irish Setters and I love them to death. They're always warm and even when spending a weekend in the snow they stay dry.

I've never had any durability issues with them and I'd buy another set in a heartbeat. Next go around I would buy a set of the 1000 or 1600 gram boots because 90% of the time I use them they're in the snow. LR

[Plincker]

I just got my Irish Setter Mt. Claws 1,000gram thinsulate about a month ago and for the past two weeks have been wearing them everyday in the snow. They've been awesome! great for snowshoeing too, don't leak a drop and they're pretty warm. I wear Merino wool wigwam socks and leave the laces Loose and my feet where ok when it got down to -18.

That's too bad that you've had an issue with yours, I'm sure if you took em back they'll stick to their "one year warranty" deal. Hope it works out for yah.

[stickbow]

I put my money where my mouth is when I can, and buy Canada or US made products whenever available and in my range. Part of the big problems with the US economy right now is with all the outsourcing going on and while I'm not against anyone making a buck I figure I'll try to keep my dough on the continent where product is concerned.

Used to be back in the day you could get a lot of things that were made in Canada or the USA now ya gotta really shop around. Buddy of mine shares a similar philosophy and just the other day was on the verge of buying a pair of boots at MEC when he noticed the tag said 'made in China from Canadian materials" !!!! Go figure that one, eh?

I was drooling over these boots the other day but....well, after the lottery maybe ;-)

http://hikingbootshandcrafted.com/

Wolfman
Holy crap Wolfman,..1600 bucks for a pair of boots? WTF :shock: for that price I think I can hire a sherpa to hall me up and down the mountain :smile:

[Deaddog]

I have used Van Gorkum boots before, had them custom made and they didn't make it a full season, didn't compare to meindls in regards to being "waterproof", would never buy them again... back to meindls for me.

[Will]

I suspect at the curent rate of wear my Miendls will out last me....:rolleyes:

They'll look great in the casket at any rate ! :wink:

[Everett]

I have tried most of the major hiking boot manufactures as I go through at least one pair a year sometimes two. I have come to the conclusion that Meindels followed by Han Wag and Raichles is the way to go.
For you guys with Cold feet Cabelas sells insulated Meindels I actualy managed to get two years out my latest pair. Will be buying a new pair in the spring and resoling my unisulated meindels that I bought this spring at the same time.

[stickbow]

I have tried most of the major hiking boot manufactures as I go through at least one pair a year sometimes two. I have come to the conclusion that Meindels followed by Han Wag and Raichles is the way to go..

Raichle hikers are what I use during the 3d archery season and early part of hunting season and they have served me well for almost seven years.Great little pair boots.

[nick@sherpa]

Have a pair of Meindl sheep hunters boots .IMO a 10 rating boot. A few tips before buying Meindl- be careful with the boot size(N.A & European sizes are different) .- When home wear 2 pairs of wool socks & walk up & down the stairs & around the house & decide if they fit . –Before hunting walk outside a few hours to break them in.
Meindl is also having some footwear now made in China so check carefully to make sure that the boot is totally made in Germany . Also check into the quality of leather used.
(Only cons –heavy & $$$$)

Just to clarify... The only meindl's that are made in china are their trail runners/running style shoes. Nothing else. Canada Pro's are made in the factory in Germany as is any boot classed B/C and higher. Other models are made in their production facilities in Hungary and Slovenia. Walking Shoes are made in Italy.

[BiG Boar]

Hanwag from germany, near the same price, best boots in the world, supposedly. Anyone have anything bad to say about them, or that I should watch out for? I have treated them with snow seal twice in the last year. Might want to look into them?

[Everett]

I was told that the owner of Hanwag is the uncle or cousin of the owners of Meindels

[nick@sherpa]

Hanwag from germany, near the same price, best boots in the world, supposedly. Anyone have anything bad to say about them, or that I should watch out for? I have treated them with snow seal twice in the last year. Might want to look into them?

Hanwags are excellent boots. Unfortunately they are no longer owned by the family that started it. They are now a division of a large Swedish Outdoor Company. Fortunately they have kept the quality of the production. I do believe there are only two places in North America that sell them. Lathrop and Sons in the USA and a store in Banff/Canmore (cant remember). Lathrop originally sold Meindl but because Cabelas will not allow any sales of Meindl in the USA (aside from their own models) we as the distributor for Meindl recommended that they go with Hanwag.

Meindl is not and has never been related to the Family that owned/founded Hanwag. This is a myth that has flown around the internet for years!