What boots does Bob trust for 2022?

I have heard it, you have heard it. We have all heard it. If you take care of your feet, they will take care of you. Most people will read or hear that saying and think nothing of it, until they actually have a miserable experience with a foot issue miles into the backcountry. It can literally be the difference in success or failure. I have hunted around guys who have feet that are tough as nails and can probably throw on a pair of Nikes for the high hunt, and make them work. There are other dudes (Jeff) that can try five pairs of different boots and have five mountain outings ruined because their feet got destroyed, e.g., massive blisters, hot spots and very sore feet. It has nothing to do with performance but the smell that comes from removing his boots after hiking all day, it could gag a maggot. 

A while back I wrote an article on my first real pair of mountain hunting boots and those were the Zamberlan 960 Guide GTX. While those were a fantastic pair of boots, I really had nothing to compare them to besides a pair of Keen hiking shoes that I have worn in previous hunting seasons. While those Zamberlan’s were a great boot, I happened to find myself in a different pair of boots for the 2021 hunting season, and those are the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme non insulated boots. All I have to say is, wow. What a fantastic boot. At $500 a pair, they are very expensive but I truly believe you do get what you pay for. Now, could you get away with spending half that amount and have a quality hunting experience with a cheaper pair? Absolutely. They come in at 3.9 pounds per pair and are 10” tall with thick premium 2.8mm full grain leather uppers and a full wrap around rubber rand. There is definitely a break in period and I recommend putting some miles on them before setting out on your first backcountry hunt. It seems hard to find a boot that is both comfortable and stable enough to side hill with a hundred plus pounds on your back. With the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme, you get a ton of ankle support and comfort. Their K-Talon outsoles provide great traction for any kind of mountain terrain. Due to their thick full leather uppers, rubber rand and heavy duty stitching, your feet will remain warm and dry. But I will say there is a down side to having such a bomb proof boot. Breathability is not the best and hot summer days will not be your friend. 

It was mid-July, and the boys and I were heading to the high country to set a trail camera. On my feet were a brand new pair of Kenetrek Mountain Extremes. I figured it would be a perfect time to put a few miles on the boots for their maiden voyage. Since these boots are quite stiff, I didn’t lace them up very tight because I figured they would be more comfortable until they became broken in. I learned later on that day, that was bad choice. While scaling a log across a creek with twenty five pounds of salt in my pack plus some gear, I lost my balance, jumped off and my left foot went into a hole and I sprained my ankle pretty bad. I like to think if I wasn’t wearing such a solid boot, my ankle would have snapped. Or if I would have laced them tighter, the sprain wouldn’t have been as bad. Who knows? My buddy Chris was nice enough to take the salt that I was carrying and we proceeded to head up the mountain to set the trail cam. Looking back now I should have limped my way back to the truck and iced my ankle. When we finally got back to the truck I took my boots off and besides having a black/purple swollen ankle, my feet were soggy from the sweat and very hot. This is the one down side to having a thicker full leather boot. Then I started thinking, maybe a second pair of boots would be a good idea. Something lighter and more breathable, but still has enough support to carry heavy loads on your back while traversing rough terrain.

That brings me to a new pair of boots that I just recently picked up. The Crispi Colorado GTX. Its upper is made of a water repellent suede, high resistance cordura and is lined with Gore-Tex for waterproofing. Wrapped around the bottom is a Kevlar triple stitched polyurethane coated leather rand. With the materials that the Colorado is made of in comparison to the mountain extreme, breathability should be a lot better and offer a more comfortable option for when temperatures rise. Another comfortable aspect of the Colorado is their price point. Coming it at $360, they aren’t cheap, but are significantly less money than the KenetrekMountain Extreme’s. Crispi uses a flex rating from 1-5 when rating the stiffness of their boots. One being very flexible and five being very stiff. The Colorado’s have been given a flex rating of four. To each their own, but when I am carrying a heavy pack on uneven terrain, I will take the more stiff boot with ankle and foot support every time. At 8” tall and 1.7 lbs per boot, I imagine you could comfortably stack up the miles in them. I should probably add that at the time of writing this I have yet to wear the Crispi Colorado but plan to on an upcoming turkey hunt at the end of April. During the 2021 hunting season I wore the Mountain Extreme’s on multiple late summer and fall bear hunts, a Wyoming antelope hunt in October, and modern deer season in late October here in Washington State. Besides my feet getting hot during the summer, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them and I was super happy with the boots. 

Living in Washington State as a hunter, you have to be prepared for pretty much any type of weather. You’ll obviously get lots of rain so a waterproof boot is important, but you can also find yourself post holing through snow and baking in the heat during summer months. Having just one boot to do it all is definitely possible. Two, or even three pairs of boots is a better option, if you can swing it. I even have a pair of Kenetrek pac boots for when temperatures get extremely cold. These are just the options that I have in my boot lineup and they may not work for you since everyone’s foot is different. Jeff rocks the Crispi Lapponia’s and the Nevada’s, and he absolutely loves both of them. For me, having the Crispi Colorado’s, Kenetrek Mountain Extreme’s and Kenetrek pac boots, I believe I can tackle any hunt and weather condition. So whether you’re chasing velvet bucks in the high country during September, or rutted up mule deer in November, make sure you have your boots dialed in and are prepared to take on anything nature throws at you.