Re-Booting -Trials and Blisterations

[KayakMacGyver]

I've run Schnee's Beartooth for the last 9 years. They have been great boots; durable, fit my picky feet more than OK and waterproof. The only downside, to me, is the weight penalty.

I've been on a journey trying to lighten my boot weight and decrease foot/leg fatigue heavy leather boots cause me on high mileage backpack hunts. I've tried Salewa Ortles Edge Mid GTX, Crispi Altitude GTX and Solomon Quest.

Salewa chewed up my heels, Crispi's were good for about 20 miles but lacked durability and squeaked like chimpmunk, and the Solomon's barely made it 10 miles of off trail use before showing durability issues.

Long story short, I think I'm throwing in the towel on trying to find a light weight boot to serve my needs. It's very hard to find boots that fit my feet well and I'm looking at another pair of Schnees.
I'm torn between another pair of Beartooth and the Timberlines.

Timberlines are just slightly lighter (according to Schnees website) and have more flex. I'm not sure what to expect in terms of performance difference.

Has anyone out there run both the Beartooth and Timberline and can offer some opinion?

I appreciate any input.

 

[El Jason]

Not Schnee’s, but I have two pairs of Hoffmans. One is the Explorer and the other is the Borah. Same thing as what you are looking at. The Borah is analogous to the Timberline.

I like them both. They each have their application. I tend to wear the Borah much more. The Explorer is my go to in really steep and icy conditions.

 

[duckhunt]

I've run Schnee's Beartooth for the last 9 years. They have been great boots; durable, fit my picky feet more than OK and waterproof. The only downside, to me, is the weight penalty.

I've been on a journey trying to lighten my boot weight and decrease foot/leg fatigue heavy leather boots cause me on high mileage backpack hunts. I've tried Salewa Ortles Edge Mid GTX, Crispi Altitude GTX and Solomon Quest.

Salewa chewed up my heels, Crispi's were good for about 20 miles but lacked durability and squeaked like chimpmunk, and the Solomon's barely made it 10 miles of off trail use before showing durability issues.

Long story short, I think I'm throwing in the towel on trying to find a light weight boot to serve my needs. It's very hard to find boots that fit my feet well and I'm looking at another pair of Schnees.
I'm torn between another pair of Beartooth and the Timberlines.

Timberlines are just slightly lighter (according to Schnees website) and have more flex. I'm not sure what to expect in terms of performance difference.

Has anyone out there run both the Beartooth and Timberline and can offer some opinion?

I appreciate any input.

No help but you just made me think about my work boots. Leather with steel toes and internal metatarsal.these things feel like 20 lbs. Lol

 

[KayakMacGyver]

No help but you just made me think about my work boots. Leather with steel toes and internal metatarsal.these things feel like 20 lbs. Lol

This is where my lightbulb went off. I switched from some lunky Wolverines to a pair of Caterpillar work boots and man alive the difference those ounces made in how I felt at the end of the day was incredible.

I got the same feeling with the Crispi Altitudes, but the durability sacrifice juswaisn't worth it to me. A pair of $400+ hunting boots need to last more than a season. At this price point, boots should last several hundred miles IMO.

 

[rjthehunter]

This is where my lightbulb went off. I switched from some lunky Wolverines to a pair of Caterpillar work boots and man alive the difference those ounces made in how I felt at the end of the day was incredible.

I got the same feeling with the Crispi Altitudes, but the durability sacrifice juswaisn't worth it to me. A pair of $400+ hunting boots need to last more than a season. At this price point, boots should last several hundred miles IMO.

I have about 20 miles on my Crispi Colorado's. I contemplated the Altitudes, but am glad I went with the stiffer Colorado boots. They seemed tougher than the Altitudes. I'm sure they're heavier too, but much lighter than my Kenetreks.

 

[Robert N]

I've run Schnee's Beartooth for the last 9 years. They have been great boots; durable, fit my picky feet more than OK and waterproof. The only downside, to me, is the weight penalty.

I've been on a journey trying to lighten my boot weight and decrease foot/leg fatigue heavy leather boots cause me on high mileage backpack hunts. I've tried Salewa Ortles Edge Mid GTX, Crispi Altitude GTX and Solomon Quest.

Salewa chewed up my heels, Crispi's were good for about 20 miles but lacked durability and squeaked like chimpmunk, and the Solomon's barely made it 10 miles of off trail use before showing durability issues.

Long story short, I think I'm throwing in the towel on trying to find a light weight boot to serve my needs. It's very hard to find boots that fit my feet well and I'm looking at another pair of Schnees.
I'm torn between another pair of Beartooth and the Timberlines.

Timberlines are just slightly lighter (according to Schnees website) and have more flex. I'm not sure what to expect in terms of performance difference.

Has anyone out there run both the Beartooth and Timberline and can offer some opinion?

I appreciate any input.

Which Crispi's were you wearing?

I have had a set of Crispi Laponia's for the past 4 years with great success. They are light and have proven to be pretty durable for me. Granted, I'm 5'8" and currently at 170#. I hunt local (admittedly very steep terrain) but probably have 200 miles on them.

I don't think I'd use them on any true mountain hunt - for that I'd look at the Briksdal pro.

 

[rjthehunter]

Just threw some superfeet Hiking Support insoles in my Crispi Colorado II boots and they're super comfy. No issues hauling around a 65lb pack.

 

[brymoore]

Boots are funny. Some guys can wear anything and other guys have feet that need an exact fit. I feel for you guys. My son is that way and I’ve seen all the different boots and blisters.

Boot strength - I used to wear Lowa Tibets. Strong boots but a little heavy. No complaints except I wore them out every other year. I was talked into trying Crispi Briksdal. They are lighter than the Lowas. I had my doubts about the Briksdal strength but the two pair I have had were/are tougher than the Lowas. I got four years of heavy use out of the last pair. The stitching finally started to fail.

 

[Irrelevant]

Here are some that I've had mostly good success with

https://www.backcountry.com/scarpa-zodiac-plus-gtx-backpacking-boot-mens

https://www.backcountry.com/scarpa-kailash-plus-gtx-boot-mens

https://www.backcountry.com/scarpa-charmoz-mountaineering-boot-mens (for use with crampons)

https://www.backcountry.com/zamberlan-vioz-gt-boot-mens?skid=ZAM0019-DARGRE

https://www.backcountry.com/asolo-fugitive-gore-tex-boot-mens

 

[Schaaf]

I've been on a 4 year quest to find another set of boots that fit me. I keep falling back on the crappy Salomon Quests. Their quality control has fallen so far but I've just decided I'm okay with buying a pair every couple years and just find myself another pair when they start leaking.

 

[SaskHunter]

I made the move from Lowa to Zamberlan last year and I've been very pleased with the quality, comfort and durability of the 960s. I wore them on a few big trips and they performed really well.

Still wear my Lowas for warmer temps. I'm pretty lucky and aren't very picky when it comes to footwear. I can probably count on one hand the amount of blisters I've had over 20 years in the Army...

 

[KayakMacGyver]

Which Crispi's were you wearing?

I have had a set of Crispi Laponia's for the past 4 years with great success. They are light and have proven to be pretty durable for me. Granted, I'm 5'8" and currently at 170#. I hunt local (admittedly very steep terrain) but probably have 200 miles on them.

I don't think I'd use them on any true mountain hunt - for that I'd look at the Briksdal pro.

Altitude GTX. They were great for a short while, but not going to last. Definitely not worth the price tag IMO. I wanted to try the Laponia, but my size wasn't in stock.

 

[KayakMacGyver]

I made the move from Lowa to Zamberlan last year and I've been very pleased with the quality, comfort and durability of the 960s. I wore them on a few big trips and they performed really well.

Still wear my Lowas for warmer temps. I'm pretty lucky and aren't very picky when it comes to footwear. I can probably count on one hand the amount of blisters I've had over 20 years in the Army...

I've heard great things about Zamberlan. Unfortunately, they aren't a good fit for my foot shape so they just aren't for me.

 

[elkduds]

I've heard great things about Zamberlan. Unfortunately, they aren't a good fit for my foot shape so they just aren't for me.

This. Everything else about boots is secondary to fit, which is often extremely individual. My feet aren't even the the same size as each other.

 

[KayakMacGyver]

This. Everything else about boots is secondary to fit, which is often extremely individual. My feet aren't even the the same size as each other.

Ha, same. If you're a 12.5-13 on the left and a 12-12.5 on the right let's do some trading

 

[SaskHunter]

I've heard great things about Zamberlan. Unfortunately, they aren't a good fit for my foot shape so they just aren't for me.

After 20 years in the army, I can tell you that boots are most definitely not one size fits all... I've been lucky to have solid feet but know many people who have suffered from boots that didn't fit...

There are lots of combat boots that would work just as well for hiking/hunting. If you do find a good boot, but it wrecks your feet, consider a wool sock with a liner, this is what the Canadian Army issues us and it's a bomb proof combo for many. Good luck on finding what works for you!