Wet extended hunt footwear?

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

So after doing several long wet hunts in the mountains and in tents i need to know what you guys use for footwear. On a Mt goat hunt i used Kennetreks and had sloshing wet feet for ten days and the boots took days to dry after the hunt and probaly weighed ten pounds while hunting.
This years kodiak hunt i brought a pair of meindldenalis and a pair of lacrosse burlys with airgrip.
First day i hunted in the burlys but not near enough foot support. My foot was literally on the side of the boot while sidehilling. Blisters were coming real quick! The rest of the time i used the meindl and my feet were soaked all day and every morning i had to put on a slopping wet boot.
So whats the right boot? Must have good traction and support for long hikes, all day hikes in rugged terrain. Be waterproof. Breathe good. Dry out fast or not store water weight. Thanks in advance i know you guys will have a good answer.

[Pine]

A friend of mine was in the Airborne Rangers and he thought Danners were the best boots for support and keeping dry .
I personally have no experience with them but most of his outfit wore them .

[Hud]

I like Cabelas Kangaroo, or Bison leather in a non-insulated boot for most hunting, and Danner for tough country. I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty waterproofing about $11 on all hunting boots.  I admit to prefer GorTex for wet weather. For cold weather 600 grams of insulation helps. I don't care for heavy boots, but fit and support is everthing, esp.for good ankle support.

I have been using SOLE inserts (red color) about $29. You preheat an oven and put them in for a couple minutes then in shoes or boots to form to your feet. They are definitely better than most factory insoles. You need to remove the factory insole before heating and forming them to your feet.  They go in warm NOT hot so yo can stand in the boots until they cool and form to your feet. Really nice in any shoe, or boot. I have not needed them in my Cabelas or Danners but might do it since I like the way they form to my feet. They are very durable and won't compress like the factory insoles. They flex inside when your walking if the shoe flexes.

   https://secure.yoursole.com/us/mens/footbeds/softec-response/

 http://www.cabelas.com/product/Obenaufs-Heavy-Duty-Leather-Preservative-oz/749374.uts?productVariantId=1739847&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=80114981&rid=20&gcl id=CM7syKTp1s4CFVBgfgodzs4GKA&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Stickbow]

I have always had good luck with unisulated Miendel (sp?) But I am not sure anything will stay dry for 3 or more days constantly soaked. I switched boots this year to Lowas.....we'll see. If at all possible I have a propane boot dryer at camp. Careful though it does take a toll on a boot, just use sparingly.

My hunt this year will be will be 3-4 days backpacking and back to camp to resupply and move. I'll do this for 2 weeks....I will have my boot dryer at the truck for sure.

[fireball31]

It might be worth your while to post this on the rokslide forums. Lots of gearcentric stuff over there.

[jleidy]

I think gore tex gaiters matched with gore tex boots are the key to dry feet.  I wear Outdoor Research Crocodile gaiters and Asolo Bajura boots and they seem to work for me.

[cacciatore]

You have some of the best boots out there!
In really wet conditions gaitors are mandatory, I am been told that Schnees' makes some good rubber bottom mountain boots. Another option is an uninsulated boot with some goretex socks that you change everyday

[Paul Cousineau]

Did you try waxing them? That can help a bit.

[Kevin Dill]

I don't think there's a leather boot out there that won't soak up water after enough days of wet exposure. Treat them all you want and they will still eventually get damp after several days. The only totally waterproof leather boot is going to be a Gore-Tex model in my mind.

From experience: I was in AK last August and got caught in a monster 5+ day storm above treeline. I was wearing Zamberlan Vioz 1012 boots all day every day in totally wet conditions. They were well treated ahead of the hunt. After 3 days the leather was damp with absorbed moisture. No water or moisture ever got to my feet despite being in the wettest conditions I've ever encountered.

Rubber is waterproof but might not work in some environments.

Treat your leather well right before the hunt. Consider carrying enough cream or grease for one application during the hunt.

In wet conditions wear gaiters but take them off once things get dry. Gaiters will hold moisture next to your boots.

Work hard to keep your boots dry and if they get damp do what you can to dry them out.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

I admit to not treating the boots with a waterproofer much. My feet were wet within ten minutes of just walking through open tundra. Seems a synthetic boot may be good.
Kevin what kind of waterproofing you use. That sounds pretty good performance on your boots.

[Pine]

Hard to beat Snow Seal .

[eidsvolling]

This is one of the big reasons I'm a fan of Limmer boots for rough terrain in wet conditions. They're built with a single seam on the inside of the arch to minimize water infiltration. The leather is top quality. Coupled with their Limmer Boot Grease, they'll keep you dry when other boots disappoint. If you maintain them properly, you'll be surprised at their performance in wet conditions:  Limmer Stock Boots  

Having owned a couple pair of boots with Gore-Tex liners, I'm not a big fan (love the stuff for outerwear, however). The boot liners do not last long enough in my experience to be worth buying.

For lowland swamps and the like, I use the LaCrosse Alphaburly Sport.

[LongbowArchitect]

I've never had a leather boot with a Goretex liner that didn't eventually leak. The only thing that works for me is to wear a thin silk liner sock and  a waterproof Goretex sock over the top. There are several waterproof socks available but most of them are too thick and throw off my boot fit. I use the Rocky Goretex Oversocks from REI. They work incredibly well, keep my feet dry, breathe reasonably well and are durable. They also fit perfectly with my boots.

  https://www.rei.com/product/688268/rocky-gore-tex-oversocks-socks

[chinook907]

Xtra tufs are kind of a standard for that type of hunting.  A pretty good compromise between support and flexibility in a rubber boot.  Not optimal for side-hilling  but if you hike in them awhile and your feet and ankles are good you get used to it.  You can get little blue booties called "bammas" to wear in them for more warmth. And swap them out when they get damp.

Something else are Peet propane boot dryers.  They work well in the right conditions and weigh almost nothing  (but the can of propane does). It needs to be relatively warm out for them to work in a reasonable amount of time as they have just a tiny flame and really don't produce much heat. I wouldn't carry them far but if you make camp above tree line right near your drop off they're an option.

Colder weather and real mountains I think it's back to some kind of leather boots. And likely at least occasionally wet feet.

[elkken]

I use snow seal on my leather boots, and I also get boots with Goretex lining. I have never found a completely waterproof leather boot. Seal them really good, I coat them with seal and then heat them to soak the seal in good and do this until the leather will not absorb anymore. Also I treat the inside of the boot where there is no lining, just depends on the boot but usually around the tongue and eyelets.

I also use gaiters, Kenetrek, and they really help in wet brush and grass. We get LOTS of rain in western Washington state and the Cascade foothills were I hunt.  I have tried Goretex socks but they were not for me, I have a really hard foot to fit with an extremely high arch and a bad hammer toe due to a baseball injury.

[chinook907]

Forgot to mention that for wet sheep and goat hunts some guys use the plastic mountaineering boots with replaceable liners.  They just swap liners out when they get wet.  Never tried it myself.

[Bladepeek]

Sorry, but I just can't relate. I can see where if the outer leather is wet and you're walking/climbing hard, the sweat will not be able to evaporate through the wet outer leather, but when someone tells me their boots were soaking wet within the 1st hour, I can only think of 2 things:
1. You went in over the tops or water/snow drained down into the boot.
2. The boots were not waterproof.

I have 2 pairs of Meindl boots; both Goretex lined. One pair is non-insulated hikers. The other is all-leather insulated tall boots.Both are 11 years old. I can stand in water up to just below the top and not get wet feet. The first thing I do when I get a new pair of Goretex lined boots is to stand in water for at least 1/2 hour. If the boots leaked, they would go right back for replacement. I will grant you once the leather is completely soaked on the outside, it will take them a long time to fully dry, but the inside will be dry.

[Bladepeek]

cacciatore, I think you broke the code. I have never used gaiters, but I noticed while in South Africa recently, both the PHs wore gaiters. They said it kept out the sand and, most importantly, loose thorns. I imagine it would work just as well to keep out rain and snow.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Lots of good ideas out theere. Have any of you guys tried any hip waders you liked? A lot of the old time alaskans did all their hunting in hip boots. Including the famous bear guides Pinnell and Talifson on Kodiak.

[newhouse114]

While I was guiding bear, moose, and caribou hunters in Ak, I would often wear a pair of lacrosse ankle fit hip boots. They were no heavier than stout leather boots and combined with a full length rain coat, kept your entire lower half dry. We put a lot of miles on those boots and they seemed to hold up well.