inusulated or no? full grain or top?

[snareman1234]

I know the boots have been beat to death, I have read all the back posts, but I still have a few questions.

there was a little talk on the trend of high quality boots heading toward nubuck leather. I understand nubuck is an inferior product to full grain.
some of the 200.00 irish setters have full grain, but the 500.00 other high class boots have nubuck?

I am looking at a few different boots:

Hanwag Trapper gtx, Alaska top gtx, and yukon

Kenetrek Mountain extreme

I like the hanwag but I wouldnt be able to try them on before I buy them due to the closest store being in alberta.

The Hanwag trapper and alaska have nubuck leather and goretex liner. However, the Yukon has some full grain leather and no gore tex. which is better for waterproof and durability?

The kenetrek is a nice boot, I dont know if I want a 10" tall boot though. I am also looking for some opinions on Insulated boots and Non-insulated. I read to not get any insulation because they are impossible to dry.
I hunt from sept 1-end of nov so I dont know if I want to get a uninsulated boot. The kenetrek comes in 400g thinsulate, which would be better than none. and if it is water proof, it should be easier to dry a slightly sweaty boot rather than a soaked boot.

I am a little overwhelmed with all the choices hah, so any info would be great.

And please, no Meindl rants I don't really want them, my 2 buddies have them for guiding in the yukon and halfway through the day their feet are wet



Here's the Kenetrek Mountain extreme
http://www.kenetrek.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KE-420-400

The Hanwag Trapper gtx
http://www.hanwag.de/schuh-detail.php?shoe_id=30

The Alaskan top gtx
http://www.hanwag.de/schuh-detail.php?shoe_id=21

The Yukon
http://www.hanwag.de/schuh-detail.php?shoe_id=33

[RustyRipper]

I have the kenetrek mountain extremes 400gr, just got them this year and took em hunting up in the peace in october-november and they were awesome. we took the jet boat up the peace and the pine quite a bit so it involved jumping off the boat into knee high water every so often and sometimes if I was quick enough to jump out on the beach my feet would still be dry even though my pants were soaked. even when they did get a bit wet they were super easy to dry by the woodstove. they're very comfortable and have great support for hiking up tretcherous terrain and back down. they have a lot of rubber around the base of the boot which makes them very durable and they have a windtex membrane which I believe is the same sort of thing as goretex. My feet didn't sweat much and were always happy. I'm very happy with them.

[snareman1234]

Ok thanks very much Rusty\

one thing, how close to the woodstove did you put them? I heard in the past forums that its really bad to expose the boots to direct heat, but who knows, I always did it with my old boots too haha

[BiG Boar]

I have the Alaska GTX. Never had a water issue of wet feet. I would buy them again, not sure about how much insulation they would have in grams. I bought the wrong size so unfortunatley I have to aquire a new pair, one that is big enough to wear thick wool socks comfortably.

[BiG Boar]

I put newspaper in mine balled up. If you change it every so often it seemed to suck the moisture right out. I wouldnt put boots nearer than 4 feet from any heat source. Leather would dry up and crack.

[yukon john]

my irish setters fell apart with direct heat, imo kenetrek is the way to go

[Sitkaspruce]

I like full grain leather for hunting. More support and excellent waterproofing.

I just picked up a pair of Meindls (Army Pro). They are 10" and 400 gr of Ultra insulation. I get them for a special price due to my job. They fit like a glove and are extremely comfortable.

http://www.ajbrooks.com

Check out AJ Brooks complete line from Meindls. Great boots and very good customer service.

Also check out the Lowa Sheephunters. Might be too stiff, but look at them as well.

I never place my boots near direct heat, it will, over time, damage the leather. The leather needs to be dried slowly.

I use this if they are really damp. It is cheap, but really works. Just plug it in to your truck at night and they will be warm and pretty dry the next morning. (depending on how wet they are.)

http://www.binocularscanada.com/eNet-cart/product.asp?pid=SD200&cat=9

Cheers

SS

[RustyRipper]

Ok thanks very much Rusty\

one thing, how close to the woodstove did you put them? I heard in the past forums that its really bad to expose the boots to direct heat, but who knows, I always did it with my old boots too haha


Well first off I never put them by the stove if it was blazing hot, only when it was burning embers so it didn't give off a ton of heat, just enough to keep the air dry and warm and I usually had them about 2-3 feet away angled up a bit with the tongue splayed open. Never had a problem yet, nor with my scarpas which I love and still use when I don't need a cold weather boot. Did that with those for 8 years and still use them on a weekly basis.

[bigwhiteys]

I have the HanWag Trappers (non-insulated) and they are a great boot... I followed DevilBears advice and wax them with Obenhaufs Heavy Duty LP. With my Gaiters on I can wade knee deep creeks and my feet don't get wet.

They are NOT very warm though so I would get a 1/2 or even full size bigger to compensate for heavy socks as BigBore suggested.

I wear the Thorlo Trekkers and they are a thick sock.

Carl

[RustyRipper]

merino wool socks are awesome, its all I wear now. They're warm, you don't sweat as much and they absorb scent pretty well as well. on top of them they cushion quite a bit and make any boot more comfortable. won't go ever go without em.

[375 ultramag]

I' ve got a pair of boots from Cabelas. They are called Inferno's. They are a taller boot, 100% water proof and are warm. They have 2000 grams of thinsulate. I only wear them when there's lots of snow and or cold other wise they are too warm. Been in them in -27 all day, warm and dry. They have 4 seasons on them and I would buy them again.

[gibblewabble]

I would buy high top boots the last thing you need way back in the bush is to have a sprained ankle and they provide excellent support. I have a pair of Magnum boots that I have owned for 10 years the Goretex sock isnt water proof anymore but I just snow seal the full grain leather and they are good to go. They also have light thinsulate in them and I used them through to the end of November with no issues. I always wear a neoprene sock with a wool sock over them to wick moisture away and the neoprene is great for avoiding blisters with new boots. When I snow seal them I turn the oven on as low as it goes for a couple of minutes then toss them in til they are warm to the touch then hit em with snow seal and it melts right in and lasts for a season.

Go full grain because they will just last longer.