jmden
Well-Known Member
No. Only the cheap Danner boots are made overseas. The good ones (albeit typically in the $300 range+ now) are made right here.
"Made in America" hunting boots
- Thread starter Wile E Coyote
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No. Only the cheap Danner boots are made overseas. The good ones (albeit typically in the $300 range+ now) are made right here.
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
I looked at several pairs a few weeks ago, and all were Mexican made or Dominican
gary
jmden
Well-Known Member
I didn't realize that Hathorns (basically cheaper White's) and Whites now have the same models, or alot the same.
I've owned one pair of White's Smokejumpers ($432 now--$300ish when I bought mine in '91) and one pair of similar styled Hathorns (Hathorn Smokeumpers are $300. I think Hathorn Smokejumpers may be a recent development. I think the Smokejumper model was reserved only for the Whites brand back then.) back in the 90's.
This is not just my experience, but that of many smokejumpers I worked with and that is that the White's were hands down a better product and worth the extra money. They used better materials and seemed to last longer and we worked them hard every day of the season.
I liked the Smokejumpers for for smokejumping then, but prefer a boot in the woods with a smaller heal and with sealed goretex bootie for hunting now, like the Danner Raptor: http://www.danner.com/raptortm-gtxr...utm_content=&gclid=CM6tpr2xqq0CFcoaQgodWD5jkw
I went through a fairly new pair of off brand work boots in one week on a fire I jumped just north of the arctic circle in '91. Got back to the lower 48 and bought the Whites and they lasted fine for the next 4 seasons. Got a pair of Hathorns after that and they lasted about a year. Shoulda stayed with the Whites...
You get what you pay for.
Buy cheap Danners, get cheap results. Buy the more expensive US made Danners and you're likely to get much better results. I sure have.
I've owned one pair of White's Smokejumpers ($432 now--$300ish when I bought mine in '91) and one pair of similar styled Hathorns (Hathorn Smokeumpers are $300. I think Hathorn Smokejumpers may be a recent development. I think the Smokejumper model was reserved only for the Whites brand back then.) back in the 90's.
This is not just my experience, but that of many smokejumpers I worked with and that is that the White's were hands down a better product and worth the extra money. They used better materials and seemed to last longer and we worked them hard every day of the season.
I liked the Smokejumpers for for smokejumping then, but prefer a boot in the woods with a smaller heal and with sealed goretex bootie for hunting now, like the Danner Raptor: http://www.danner.com/raptortm-gtxr...utm_content=&gclid=CM6tpr2xqq0CFcoaQgodWD5jkw
I went through a fairly new pair of off brand work boots in one week on a fire I jumped just north of the arctic circle in '91. Got back to the lower 48 and bought the Whites and they lasted fine for the next 4 seasons. Got a pair of Hathorns after that and they lasted about a year. Shoulda stayed with the Whites...
You get what you pay for.
Buy cheap Danners, get cheap results. Buy the more expensive US made Danners and you're likely to get much better results. I sure have.
winmag
Well-Known Member
Ya there's two types of Hawthornes. The cheap thin leather crapper style, & the thick heavily made Smoke Jumper style. The cheaply model doesn't compare at all.
I was never as crazy as you. My feet stayed on the ground, or waited for the chopper to land when I was on the fire line. 95-96 Seven Devils Sheep Cr fire, thru 2002 Missionary Ridge Colorado.
Your 100% right you definately get what you pay for. And the fires are brutal proving grounds. Ash, heat, dirt, foam, you name it, its hell on boots. I got my last pair from Big R for like $300 bucks, & I'm wearing them right now as I type this
just cause they're so comfy once they're broke in, kinda like a good saddle.
I was never as crazy as you. My feet stayed on the ground, or waited for the chopper to land when I was on the fire line. 95-96 Seven Devils Sheep Cr fire, thru 2002 Missionary Ridge Colorado.
Your 100% right you definately get what you pay for. And the fires are brutal proving grounds. Ash, heat, dirt, foam, you name it, its hell on boots. I got my last pair from Big R for like $300 bucks, & I'm wearing them right now as I type this
just cause they're so comfy once they're broke in, kinda like a good saddle.
jmden
Well-Known Member
Ya there's two types of Hawthornes. The cheap thin leather crapper style, & the thick heavily made Smoke Jumper style. The cheaply model doesn't compare at all.
I was never as crazy as you. My feet stayed on the ground, or waited for the chopper to land when I was on the fire line. 95-96 Seven Devils Sheep Cr fire, thru 2002 Missionary Ridge Colorado.
Your 100% right you definately get what you pay for. And the fires are brutal proving grounds. Ash, heat, dirt, foam, you name it, its hell on boots. I got my last pair from Big R for like $300 bucks, & I'm wearing them right now as I type this
Oh...you're saying there's two qualities of Hathorns, not just Hathorns and Whites? I've been out of that type of workboot world for awhile. Now I wear the Danner Acadia steel toe at work... Can't remember how many pairs of mountaineering boots I've gone through.
One very clear experience I've gleaned from owning and wearing plastic mountaineering boots though is that I very rarely and only in certain specific conditions would want to hunt (unless I'm in snow like plastic mountaineering boots are made for) in a stiff, typically full shank, hunting boot. There's a few of these out there that are being touted as the 'boot you have to have' and I call %@# and they are very expensive. They are not fun to walk in at all. Stiff boots like that are great in snow and (hard snow, not soft)--that's where they come into their own. Had an acquaintance that bought an expensive pair of these this year and is greatly regretting it.
For the typical big game hunter, that stiff of a boot is just not what they need. You need to be able to walk comfortably and need the right amount of flex in the sole of a given boot. Every boot is a compromise and you just have figure out what works best for you.
FAL Shot
Well-Known Member
To Trickymissfit,
Some of the Danner boots are Chinese made. My Danner Combat Hikers are made in USA, and they are everything any classic Danner boot has ever been. The replacement boot, the Improved Combat Hiker, is top rated over all the other military suppliers that are USA made (Wellco, Belleville, Matterhorn, Corcoran, Altama).
The Italian Vibram sole is on most Danner boots, and all the USA made Danner boots as far as I know, and this is true of most high end boots no matter where they are made. Thus, almost all top end boots are part Italian. German Lowa and Meindl are part Italian. Vibram is the best boot sole manufacturer, PERIOD, and if your boots have anything else, they are second best at the very best.
If you want the VERY BEST boot that is made entirely in one country......it will probably have to be an Italian boot. Look at Crispi, AKU, Scarpa, Garmont, etc......they are Italian boots. Italian boots own the mountaineer and ski world. Danner and White make diddly squat in mountaineer (not mountain hiking) and ski boots. While I like to buy American.......Italians are kings of the boot world. They just are.
The LL Bean Cresta Hiker is made by AKU (check out the video on Youtube, the reviews on Trailspace.com) and sells for $190. Nothing else at that price point can surpass it, at least nothing made in the USA. I will take a pair of those over a Chinese Danner Pronghorn any day of the week. The Danner ICH will be definitely superior in a mountainous environment....at $380.
As the price drops below $300 retail, quality begins to really suffer in boots. Something has to be given up. Maybe it is where it is made (The Romanian AKU factory instead of the Italian AKU factory, etc.), maybe it is features like Gore-Tex vs. no Gore-Tex, maybe it is quality of materials and/or workmanship. The really critical retail price point is $200, for even if the product is made in China or eastern Europe, quality rapidly falls off below the $200 price point in serious boots. You start getting into boots that are made with tennis shoe design and materials. EVA foam instead of PU foam, split leather instead of full grain or top leather, crappy soles instead of Vibram soles, fabrics instead of leather, little bits of scrap leather sewn together instead of one-piece wraparound construction, etc.
Some words of advice: 1) Avoid Chinese boots like the plague that they are. If there is a neighbor dog you hate, then give the Chinese boots to him as a chew toy. 2) Plan on spending around $200 at retail at minimum or plan on spending some time on eBay. 3) You can get decent USA military boots on eBay from guys who were issued new boots but don't need them (they often buy premium boots like USA Danner and sell the issue boots to help pay for them.). 4) Buy military surplus boots and pay 1/3 or less what the military paid for them. Danner Combat Hikers (Afghanistan boots) are selling all over eBay for 1/3 or less of the government contract cost right now. A few months from now the situation will change and you will have another boot being sold at surplus. 5) High end European boots at closeout clearance prices show up all the time. I paid 1/2 price for my AKU mountain hikers on closeout. 15 years later I still have them and they are still in good shape except they need new insoles. 6) Learn those esoteric European boot brand names. I didn't know what AKU was all about when I bought my AKU boots, but now I know why some of the greatest mountaineers in the world use AKU boots.
Some of the Danner boots are Chinese made. My Danner Combat Hikers are made in USA, and they are everything any classic Danner boot has ever been. The replacement boot, the Improved Combat Hiker, is top rated over all the other military suppliers that are USA made (Wellco, Belleville, Matterhorn, Corcoran, Altama).
The Italian Vibram sole is on most Danner boots, and all the USA made Danner boots as far as I know, and this is true of most high end boots no matter where they are made. Thus, almost all top end boots are part Italian. German Lowa and Meindl are part Italian. Vibram is the best boot sole manufacturer, PERIOD, and if your boots have anything else, they are second best at the very best.
If you want the VERY BEST boot that is made entirely in one country......it will probably have to be an Italian boot. Look at Crispi, AKU, Scarpa, Garmont, etc......they are Italian boots. Italian boots own the mountaineer and ski world. Danner and White make diddly squat in mountaineer (not mountain hiking) and ski boots. While I like to buy American.......Italians are kings of the boot world. They just are.
The LL Bean Cresta Hiker is made by AKU (check out the video on Youtube, the reviews on Trailspace.com) and sells for $190. Nothing else at that price point can surpass it, at least nothing made in the USA. I will take a pair of those over a Chinese Danner Pronghorn any day of the week. The Danner ICH will be definitely superior in a mountainous environment....at $380.
As the price drops below $300 retail, quality begins to really suffer in boots. Something has to be given up. Maybe it is where it is made (The Romanian AKU factory instead of the Italian AKU factory, etc.), maybe it is features like Gore-Tex vs. no Gore-Tex, maybe it is quality of materials and/or workmanship. The really critical retail price point is $200, for even if the product is made in China or eastern Europe, quality rapidly falls off below the $200 price point in serious boots. You start getting into boots that are made with tennis shoe design and materials. EVA foam instead of PU foam, split leather instead of full grain or top leather, crappy soles instead of Vibram soles, fabrics instead of leather, little bits of scrap leather sewn together instead of one-piece wraparound construction, etc.
Some words of advice: 1) Avoid Chinese boots like the plague that they are. If there is a neighbor dog you hate, then give the Chinese boots to him as a chew toy. 2) Plan on spending around $200 at retail at minimum or plan on spending some time on eBay. 3) You can get decent USA military boots on eBay from guys who were issued new boots but don't need them (they often buy premium boots like USA Danner and sell the issue boots to help pay for them.). 4) Buy military surplus boots and pay 1/3 or less what the military paid for them. Danner Combat Hikers (Afghanistan boots) are selling all over eBay for 1/3 or less of the government contract cost right now. A few months from now the situation will change and you will have another boot being sold at surplus. 5) High end European boots at closeout clearance prices show up all the time. I paid 1/2 price for my AKU mountain hikers on closeout. 15 years later I still have them and they are still in good shape except they need new insoles. 6) Learn those esoteric European boot brand names. I didn't know what AKU was all about when I bought my AKU boots, but now I know why some of the greatest mountaineers in the world use AKU boots.
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6mm Remington
Well-Known Member
Schnee's pack boots out of Bozeman Montana
Danner Trophy, Canadian, and Ft. Lewis boots
Whites
Hawthorn
Danner Trophy, Canadian, and Ft. Lewis boots
Whites
Hawthorn
Ryan Rogen
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2017
- Messages
- 1
Most of the people know that Thorogood is a great name brand work boot. They have been in the business of manufacturing work boots and work shoes since 1892 under the Weinbrenner Shoe Company, prior to taking on the name Timberland. Mostly, these are American made work boots, though they do have factories in other areas. They're a trusted source when it comes to work boots, hiking boots, uniform boots, and postal shoes. One of their most popular collections made in the USA is the American Heritage series.
