Looking for Good boots for a Mid Oct Elk hunt in Colorado?

[2footroper]

Well I ordered the Perfekt 10 extreme but i couldn't try them on as they didnt have my size in stocl. Ill have to wait and see how they fit when I get them. They should be fine though.

 

[SidecarFlip]

If you have a ton of Cabelas points.........

Trudge down to the local Cabelas and get yourself a pair of Meindl Perfekt Hunters. No break in, excellent footbeds (you can upgrade slightly to Kennetrek footbeds...slightly). They come pretty datk green but mine changed to brown after I waterproofed them.

I've worn mine in NM, in Colorado, out east and here in Michigan. **** good boots IMO. AND NO BREAK IN.... You can get them with Thnsulate, mine are 600 weight and fine for snowpack plus they breathe well do your feet don't sweat.

Danners are nice but need broken in. Whatever boot you get, wear them prior to goping to see if they are indeed comfortable and allow the footbeds to conform to your feet. Nothing spoils any hunt faster than sore feet, or blisters. Many easeoned hunter has been sidelined by poor fitting footwear causing blisters or rubbed skin.

I also have a pair of Kennetrecks. Problem is, I have a hard to fit foot so it was an exercise in senfing them back and getting another pair, not so with Meindl's. You can fit them in the store. I actually tried on 6 pair with various weight socks (that Cabelas thoughtfully supplies for fitment btw.

Schnees also has some nice boots but Schnees is mailorder again.

Always better to fit in person IMO.

WHATEVER YOU DO GET, MAKES SURE THEY FIT AND WEAR THEM PRIOR TO YOUR HUNT WITH THE SOCKS YOU PLAN ON WEARING. THE WORST TIME ON ANY HUNT IS HAVING BLISTERS OR SORE FEET. NOTHING RUINS A HUNT FASTER.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Well I ordered the Perfekt 10 extreme but i couldn't try them on as they didnt have my size in stocl. Ill have to wait and see how they fit when I get them. They should be fine though.

Oops, didn't read your post. IMO, good choice. Follow my instructions. Keep in mind that you want to pull the footbeds when you aren't using them and change them out yearly. I went to the Kennetrek footbeds but I see little difference between Meindl and Kennetrek.

Make 'em turn brown (after you insure that they fit properly). I waterproofed mine with Blackrock Leather Care. It's hard to find but an excellent leather dressing.

You'll probably get a bit of chafing from the topmost part of the boot where it contacts your sock and causes your sock to rub your skin but that goes away after a fashion, especially if you wear them prior to.

The soles are excellent for sidehilling on rock (I spent a lot of time 2 years ago sidehilling slides in NM hunting mulies). I never felt unsure and the boots themselves provide excellent ankle support.

I think they are good as and in some ways better that Kennetrecks. price wise, about equal.

Just make sure you wear a high quality purpose built hunting sock in the correct weight. Kennetrek has some nice socks put so does Cabelas.

I've woods hunted in well below freezing weather in heavy snowpack and never had issue one with my feet. Warm, comfortable feer = a good hunt.

 

[Len Backus]

Boots are a very personal choice and not everyone is going to have the same feelings in different ones.

But...when I switched from my own 3 year old pair of Meindl Perfekt Hunters to Kenetrek it was shocking. I had gone to a local Scheels store (before I became a dealer) to try on Kenetreks. I wore my Meindl Perfekt Hunters to Scheels so I could have a very recent impression of them compared to what I was about to try in kenetreks.

I tried the Kenetreks on for a while feeling pretty darn good about them, and when I was ready to leave the store, put back on my Meindl Perfekt Hunters.

As I started walking away from the boot department, I remember so clearly that I actually stopped dead in my tracks in the store for a minute and thought to myself: "These Meindl Perfekt Hunters have so little positive support that they feel in comparison like a flimsy pair of bedroom slippers."

Now the Meindl Perfekt Hunters were a few years old and I gave them the benefit of the doubt for that reason. But I decided to take a special trip to a Cabelas more than an hour from my house to see what a NEW pair of Meindl Perfekt Hunters felt like in comparison to one a few years old.

Well, they did feel better than my used ones but still no where near as comfortable and supportive as the Kenetreks.

The rest of the story you know, I stopped at the Kenetrek headquarters later that month, bought some boots for myself and became a Kenetrek dealer.

Now...14 months and many, many miles and feet of mountain elevation later I feel the Kenetreks are even better than my initial impression.

I have truly drunk the "Kenetrek Kool-Aid".

 

[SidecarFlip]

All well and good Len because you sell them (and have various sizes on hand to fit to you) whereas. unless you live close to a stocking dealer and I don't, mailorder is the only way.

I bought mine (Kennetrecks) prior to you having them, not that I'd drive 500 miles to get them from your Oshkosh retial outlet when I can drive 2 miles to Cabelas.

Having said that, I did the Kennetrek exchange, 2 times to get a pair to fit right. Kennetrek was good about that and say so in their blurbs.

Cabelas was painless and 6 fits later had what I wanted.

Far as fitment and feet, no persons feet are the same as another's but in my case, the Meindl's 'feel better' than the Kennetrecks and again, in my opinion, provide at least as much ankle support, maybe a little more but thats dependent on how you lace them. I like mine tight.

On the plus side, neither the Kennetrecks or the Meindl's require an extensive break in, unlike Danners and others that 'break you feet in while they break in', something I don't like to do...... At my age, I don't want to be even the slightest bit uncomfortable in the foot department. Moleskin is not in my vocabulary.

I like the rand on the Kennetrecks better but I've had no issue with hardscdabble and the Meindl's either.

It all boils down to personal preference and availability for fitment, again my opinion.

In as much as neither are made here in the States, no point in discussing origin. Both the Itallians (Kennetreck) and the Germans (Meindl) make a quality product.

My preference and always has been Kennetreck socks but I hear Schnees brand is also pretty good. I'm not overly fond of Cabelas hunting socks though I have a couple pair.

It's all personal preference and tit for tat.....

Finally, more than one pair of boots is always a plus if, you can afford multiple pairs.

 

[2footroper]

All well and good Len because you sell them (and have various sizes on hand to fit to you) whereas. unless you live close to a stocking dealer and I don't, mailorder is the only way.

I bought mine (Kennetrecks) prior to you having them, not that I'd drive 500 miles to get them from your Oshkosh retial outlet when I can drive 2 miles to Cabelas.

Having said that, I did the Kennetrek exchange, 2 times to get a pair to fit right. Kennetrek was good about that and say so in their blurbs.

Cabelas was painless and 6 fits later had what I wanted.

Far as fitment and feet, no persons feet are the same as another's but in my case, the Meindl's 'feel better' than the Kennetrecks and again, in my opinion, provide at least as much ankle support, maybe a little more but thats dependent on how you lace them. I like mine tight.

On the plus side, neither the Kennetrecks or the Meindl's require an extensive break in, unlike Danners and others that 'break you feet in while they break in', something I don't like to do...... At my age, I don't want to be even the slightest bit uncomfortable in the foot department. Moleskin is not in my vocabulary.

I like the rand on the Kennetrecks better but I've had no issue with hardscdabble and the Meindl's either.

It all boils down to personal preference and availability for fitment, again my opinion.

In as much as neither are made here in the States, no point in discussing origin. Both the Itallians (Kennetreck) and the Germans (Meindl) make a quality product.

My preference and always has been Kennetreck socks but I hear Schnees brand is also pretty good. I'm not overly fond of Cabelas hunting socks though I have a couple pair.

It's all personal preference and tit for tat.....

Finally, more than one pair of boots is always a plus if, you can afford multiple pairs.

++1

 

[Dhughes]

I'm in the market for a good pair of boots also, but I have the opposite problem. My feet are narrow. I wear a 12 B in all my western and work boots. I'm wanting something uninsulated that I can wear shed hunting, early season elk hunting and pheasant hunting. I'm looking at the kenetreks, but there isn't a store anywhere close to try them on. I've tried on some meindls before and they were too wide. I'm tired of my feet killing me after walking all day.
Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[SidecarFlip]

I probably should have posted on here that Dvor (Optics Planet) was running a helluva sale on Kennetrek's erlier this week but I didn't because Len sells them on this site (in his store) and I didn't want to impact any of his sales.

Just the proper thing to do.....

 

[dzlfarmboy]

Take a look at Lowa Tibet gtx, super quality made boot

 

[2footroper]

I actually bought the Meindl CABELA'S 400GM PERFEKT EXTREME. I had a ton of Cabela bucks and these boots feel amazing. They should work out fine . espically with the ankle support although that shouldn't be a big issue as I play hockey at least 3 times a week as a goalie so my ankles are pretty stout. Still walking on uneven ground and rockey slopes can present some unexpected strain without good boots. Thanks for all the input guys. Have a great season and enjoy the summer. Get out and shoot!!!gun)

 

[BMF]

Ha Ha. You bow hunters are funny. Always running around the woods in your moccasins and loin clothes.

That is funny but.......I actually had a WY elk guide wear Muck boots a couple of years ago. It was cold, snowy, slippery and steep. It was three points touching the ground steep, sometimes four, and you wouldn't believe ( I wouldn't have) how well they performed. It was mind boggling how good they gripped the slippery mountain side. Now, obviously there is very little footbed and ankle support but ****......it still blew me away.
I have a pair of perfekt hikers, and just recently purchased some Kenetrek Hardscrabble's. But if you have strong ankles and want the ultimate in slippery rock traction, along with warmth and unparalleled breathability......might be a good economical backup.

Brent