The Great Boot Debacle
11-05-2006, 05:12 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 10
The Great Boot Debacle
Where to begin,
As all of you know getting into the sport of hunting can put a strain on ones household budget. That being said, I really try being practical in my clothing purchases. Pretty much, Walmart has been my place for hunting goods. For the majority of things they have provided me with a pretty decent selection for a novice, except for boots.
Picked up a pair of Herman survivors $54. Waterproof, wide width, sentmask, 200 gram thinsulate, yadda yadaa. Well, all seemed well for the first 2 weeks. Waterproof they were, comfortable ok, quality, not! The hook above the shoelace eyelet popped right off. Now I own payless Stanley boots (china), Redwing (USA) and Wolverines (china) and all have performed rather well. I've never had a complaint, but these Herman's had to go back. So, I return them and tried a different model from Herman's. Again, the hook flies out - MOTHERF@#$ER!!! I say to myself. Forget this, I'll need to spend some more $$$ on boots. So off to the Army/Navy store I go.
Selection, much better. I am greeted with Danner, Rocky, Wolverines and Irish Setter. Full and partial camo, 400-1600 grams thinsulate, $70-$180 price range, and wide widths available. Easy task this was not. After about 2 hours and a quick trip to Dick's sporting goods for a comparison. I eventually went for the Irish Setter Tracker II, 10" hardwood camo, waterproof with 1000 grams of thinsulate.
At first I thought that 1000 grams might be too much for this time of year in eastern P.A. Even the young sales clerk thought so. Well, after my first outing yesterday morning in Shnecksville, my opinion was soon changed. From 5 a.m.'till at least 10 a.m. it was friggin' cold (teeth chattering and all). I had worn a thin layer of moister wicking socks under a pair of medium weight wool/synthetic sock. I found myself wiggling my toes quite a bit (good thing I bought my boots a full size larger than my actual size
). As the day went on and my buddies took me to other places I was real glad I had these doggies on. They made the day most enjoyable.
Anyway, as time goes on. If I still enjoy the sport, a year or so from now, I'll slowly (and as needed) acquire better made clothing. For now however, what I've bought for now will have to suffice. Don't get me wrong, some of the things I picked up are not that bad. I love the Remmington coat with zip out lining and the Wrangler jeans are quite comfy. Rocky gloves are o.k. for now as is the Woolrich button down shirt. Boots (for me) I have to give a total thumbs down on.
I guess it's like anything else in life, Don't put all eggs into one basket. Shop around, try to get the best deals without sacrifice in quality.
As all of you know getting into the sport of hunting can put a strain on ones household budget. That being said, I really try being practical in my clothing purchases. Pretty much, Walmart has been my place for hunting goods. For the majority of things they have provided me with a pretty decent selection for a novice, except for boots.
Picked up a pair of Herman survivors $54. Waterproof, wide width, sentmask, 200 gram thinsulate, yadda yadaa. Well, all seemed well for the first 2 weeks. Waterproof they were, comfortable ok, quality, not! The hook above the shoelace eyelet popped right off. Now I own payless Stanley boots (china), Redwing (USA) and Wolverines (china) and all have performed rather well. I've never had a complaint, but these Herman's had to go back. So, I return them and tried a different model from Herman's. Again, the hook flies out - MOTHERF@#$ER!!! I say to myself. Forget this, I'll need to spend some more $$$ on boots. So off to the Army/Navy store I go.
Selection, much better. I am greeted with Danner, Rocky, Wolverines and Irish Setter. Full and partial camo, 400-1600 grams thinsulate, $70-$180 price range, and wide widths available. Easy task this was not. After about 2 hours and a quick trip to Dick's sporting goods for a comparison. I eventually went for the Irish Setter Tracker II, 10" hardwood camo, waterproof with 1000 grams of thinsulate.
At first I thought that 1000 grams might be too much for this time of year in eastern P.A. Even the young sales clerk thought so. Well, after my first outing yesterday morning in Shnecksville, my opinion was soon changed. From 5 a.m.'till at least 10 a.m. it was friggin' cold (teeth chattering and all). I had worn a thin layer of moister wicking socks under a pair of medium weight wool/synthetic sock. I found myself wiggling my toes quite a bit (good thing I bought my boots a full size larger than my actual size
). As the day went on and my buddies took me to other places I was real glad I had these doggies on. They made the day most enjoyable.Anyway, as time goes on. If I still enjoy the sport, a year or so from now, I'll slowly (and as needed) acquire better made clothing. For now however, what I've bought for now will have to suffice. Don't get me wrong, some of the things I picked up are not that bad. I love the Remmington coat with zip out lining and the Wrangler jeans are quite comfy. Rocky gloves are o.k. for now as is the Woolrich button down shirt. Boots (for me) I have to give a total thumbs down on.
I guess it's like anything else in life, Don't put all eggs into one basket. Shop around, try to get the best deals without sacrifice in quality.
11-06-2006, 10:10 AM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
RE: The Great Boot Debacle
It sounds like you got your money back on the second pair of Herman's boots, so you were fortunate on that deal. Quality boots are certainly the way to go. You will get the benefit of this additional quality every time you wear the boots, plus the boots will last longer. Be aware that if your body core or your head are dissipating too much heat -- meaning you are not wearing enough clothing/hat for the weather -- the first place you will feel cold is in the extremities such as your toes or fingers. Thus, if your toes are cold or your fingers are cold, the place to solve your problem may be put a hat on your head or pull on your parka.
If you can't just go out and write a check for all the hunting gear you want to pick up, you might consider some alternate outlets for purchases. For example, you may be able to find good deals on Pendleton wool shirts on ebay. These shirts will cost about $90 new through standard retailers; through ebay you may be able to buy for much less, depending on the specific auction. You can sometimes find good M51 Army Surplus wool pants in the appropriate size, these are excellent hunting pants. You may be able to find wool shirts at Salvation Army or Goodwill stores. Just some thoughts.
If you can't just go out and write a check for all the hunting gear you want to pick up, you might consider some alternate outlets for purchases. For example, you may be able to find good deals on Pendleton wool shirts on ebay. These shirts will cost about $90 new through standard retailers; through ebay you may be able to buy for much less, depending on the specific auction. You can sometimes find good M51 Army Surplus wool pants in the appropriate size, these are excellent hunting pants. You may be able to find wool shirts at Salvation Army or Goodwill stores. Just some thoughts.
