Ever wore out pair of boots?
 

Has anyone wore out a pair of boots on a signal hunt?

I have a few times mostly elk hunting I dont buy cheap boots but not the most expensive either. Rocky's ,Irish-setters, Cabela's haven't tried Danners yet but I think next elk season I will.

Thing is I tell my lowlander buddy's that I ware out a pair of boots in 2 weeks they look at me like I have 2 heads . Is it just me?

on a single hunt? haha, I don't think I've ever wore out a pair of boots period...

what are you skitching behind the truck on a gravel road or something?

You wear out a pair of boots in two weeks? What kind of wear (worn sole, etc.)?

I have cut up a pair of boots pretty badly on sharp rocks and ruined them after a few hunts, but that was extreme abuse that I would not classify as "wear".

cheap boots say approx $50 boots will last under 100 miles of trekking before seams start tearing and such,
Good boots say $150-$200 boots can last 10-20 yrs
I had a 15 yr old pair of HH brown that i used for 15 yrs, and would have continued using them if they werent stolen

What's your definition of "worn out"? Broken laces don't count...

Bought a pair of Browning Nomads in the late 80's and used and abused them. The lasted about 10 years. Bought some cheap boots with bad results, and finally bought some Danners. Hopefully will get several years out of them.

You lost me on this one.....I hunt hard and walk miles every day during the seasons and a quality pair of boots lasts me years.

I do in September I buy brahma's hunting boot it has the softest sole I've seen yet. But it's 50% quieter than any boot I've worn for bowhunting. Great for stalking. They last about a good months worth and they start to lose water proofing and most times have holes from rocks here and there.

I will take pics and post. Stitching around the the toes come loose sole wants to separate. This year killed a bull over 3 miles in and took nine loads to get him out But I have done that before . Maybe I just have gotten Lemons by bad luck . Should of had over 100 miles in the 2 weeks would of been close. I will get some pics up.

I am all about the comfort. I don't care if the boots cost $50 or $350 and to be honest I don't care if they last one season or 10.
Last pair of boots I "wore" out were Irishsetters. They survived 6 long seasons of antelope hunting, plains deer hunting, mtn. elk hunting and dozens of trip out to hunt pheasants. The main thing is they were comfortable and very light. What good is apair of boots that last 10 seasons if they hurt your feet or they limit your range.

I have used brahma's,
waterproofing does not last long,
to get more life out of the waterproofing,
I coat them on occassion, and wax the seams,

I wore out a pair from Cabela's in 1 year. I just replaced my Danner Pronghorns after 2 years, no tread left. I replaced them with the GTX's - hopefully they will last at least a year.

I do a lot of hiking in bad weather, and rough terrain - makes for a good test for boots.

Later,

Marcial

I only had one pair of boots completely come apart. That was a pair of Redhead Snake Boots that I wore pretty hard for eight years.

I too hunt elk and wear some 400 Gr Danner Grand Slams..(modified pronghorns) and in the past 5 years we have taken 10 elk all of which needed back packing out. Two bulls came out of a Colorado wilderness area about 5 miles back and at 11,500 feet all the way back to the trail head at 9100 feet. That is all by itself a lot of walking in rough shale and rock. I only use the Danners on western hunts or an occasional hike here in New England but they still look and feel great after 5 years. The only maintenance I have done is to put some mink oil on the leathers to keep them from drying out. Try a pair of Danners next time and you might get more use out of them.

Danner is a good boot but think there quality has fallen off over the last few years compared to there older boot. I spend many a day in the field during the fall, and normally get 1-2 hunting seasons out of my boots before I get another pair.
Kenetrek has a great boot for mountain hunting that Im using now and they are great.

Yeah same with Rocky's,when they first came out they were great you could wear them till they look like hell and still not leak but now they seem to leak out of the box . I think a pair of Danner's going to be my next buy .

I only use Lacross Alpha burly 800's Knee boots in my home state try to keep smell down till it gets real cold then Rocky Snow-stalker Extremes have had them for about 10 years what a great pair of boots feet do not get cold and have never had wet feet!

Unfortunately a lot of the boots today are made in China and LaCrosse is a good example. The new boots don't last as long as the old ones. I switched to Muck Woody Max for my rubber boots and they are much more comfortable, warmer and are lighter. they go on and off much easier but the down side is they are about 50% more expensive. I haven't noticed the Danner boots to have degraded but do know that some of their line is now made in China. the Rocky boots used to be great and many were made and marketed in Nelsonville OH. The factory store is still there or at least was 3 years ago. Their boots are all China made and aren't anywhere as good as when they were made here.

Danner still has a good boot. What I have noticed the most is the sizing of the boot has fallen off in quality. I use to be able to buy the same size boot with out trying them on with out any problems. Made buying them online or over the phone easy and have shipped to my doorstep. Now they might be bigger or smaller which makes ordering them online/phone impossible now, alteast for me it is. I knew of the Kenetrek boot being good. So gave them a try and more than pleased. Only regret wish I would have switched sooner to Kenetreks.

Most of the truelly good hunting boot have very little exposed stitching. The only benefit to exposed seams are wet feet. For eleven years i wore sinthetic boots guiding four to five sheep hunts a year in some of the worst conditions boot will ever see. The only thing i ever wore out were soles. Now i am wearing kenetrecs and could not be more happy. I was a little concerned at first but after a few sheep hunts in some nasty country, i see i am going to get my moneys worth

9 loads to get an elk out, ya gotta learn to do something different because we hauled out a Yukon mooose in 9 loads and can do any elk with no more than 4 loads.

As far as good boots, I also used to really like Rocky boots, seemed like they would last almost forever, then the last pair I bought, before a trip to AK, only lasted almost one year before they started to leak water real bad.
Using Lacrose now and they seem like they only last about 3 seasons which isn't very good either. I'm on my 2nd pair of Lacross so we'll see if they last any longer. The first set of them eventually rotted/ripped out the side.
I've never worn out a sole on any boots, except my work boots.

A good boot is just getting broken in after a couple weeks hunting.

I bought some new boots this year after my existing boots were losing their waterproofing and starting to show some wear after 2 years of hunting with them. I did quite a bit of research and test fitting and ended up with a pair of Meindl Denalis from Cabelas. I liked the Hanwag Alaskan better, but they didn't fit me as well so I ended up with the Meindl.

A great place to read some detailed reviews is www.hardcoreoutdoor.com

Lowa, Hanwag, Kennetrek, Meindl, and Asolo are some brands you could look into. I think it would be pretty much impossible to wear out any of those in two weeks without using a chainsaw on them.

I never wore out a pair of boots hunting, but I wear boots 365 days a year. I been wearing Whites for the last 8 years, the best investment in boots I have made. I have two pair and just keep rebuilding them.

I'm almost kind of amused to find something here not related to denigrating one caliber or another!

It's probably reflective of my light infantry roots, but I've definitely developed some preferences regarding footwear over the years.

First - across Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, and Northern Iraq, I've not found any sole that wears better than the good old Vibram.

Second - the sole is most often the first part of a boot that I see wear out. If that sole is chemically bonded (glued) to an otherwise serviceable upper, the boot is nonetheless done. If that sole is stitched to the upper the old-fashioned way, it's generally just a matter of having it re-soled.

Third - There's a right tool for every job. You wouldn't use a flat-tip screwdriver to drive a cross-tip screw, right? You'd do well then not wearing a pair of lightweight bonded hikers to haul yourself and 90 pounds of rifle and gear up to your elk camp. If you would, not only are you stressing your footwear beyond their intended use, but you're risking ankle injuries by not providing them adequate support under load.

For light-duty summer hiking, even some early Deer and Pronhorn hunts, I'll wear a pair of lightweight, bonded-sole hikers. I'm not carrying a load, temperatures are usually mild, and it's generally pretty dry. I plan on replacing them every other year.

For heavy-duty hiking and for late-season Deer and Elk hunts, I'll wear one of two pairs of tried-and-true, stitched-sole Danners I've had and used heavily since 1987. Both pairs have been re-soled, one of them is ready for its third.

This fall, I considered retiring the more worn of the Danners. Everyone told me "Meindl", but the bonded sole is a deal-breaker for me. If I do replace that pair, it'll be with another pair of Danners or a pair of Cabela's Outfitter Pros - both of those have stitched soles.

lol i think he means hes just getting them broke in on one hunt..