Putting upland boots through the paces
With upland hunters, there’s no piece of gear that takes a worse beating than boots. When pushing through brush, slogging through mud or trekking across rocks, boots are in touch with the ground every step of the way. It’s no wonder they often need replacing or updating with the latest designs. To help hunters thinking about “re-booting,” we tested five pairs of early to mid-season offerings to see if they could walk the walk.
MEINDL MFS BERGELL HIKER
Right out of the box, Meindl’s MFS Bergell Hikers bathe your feet in plush, secure comfort. The non-insulated boots have leather uppers, an interior Memory Foam System that wraps snugly around the feet, and Air Active cushioned insoles that mold to your footprint and are moisture wicking. A Gore-Tex lining provides waterproof protection. The excellent lacing system prevents pressure points, and the Vibram outsole has an aggressive, multi-directional tread for superior grip and stability and that releases mud. These would be great boots for chukar country. Height: 7”. Weight: 3 pounds 14 ounces per pair. Sizes: Whole and half 7 through 12. (The company recommends ordering a half-size smaller than normal.) Price: $320. Meindl USA, meindlusa.com.
CRISPI VALDRES II
In all honesty, it was almost a toss-up between these Crispis and the Meindls for “Editor’s Choice.” The Valdres IIs offer a snug, comfortable fit right out of the box; excellent ankle support; and superior stability. The non-insulated boots have water-repellent Nubuck-leather uppers, a stretch-nylon tongue, a Gore-Tex waterproof lining and a removable air-mesh footbed. The proprietary Vibram Full-Control outsole has an aggressive tread and provided excellent traction on all manner of surfaces. The only detraction was in the lacing system, where a nylon loop above the lace lock was difficult to thread the lace through. Height: 8”. Weight: 3 pounds 6 ounces per pair. Color: Brown. Sizes: Whole and half 8 through 13 plus 14. Crispi US, crispius.com.
LOWA RENEGADE II N GTX HI TF
LOWA’s Renegade II N GTX Hi TF boots were the tallest in our test (ours measured almost 9”, although the company states that they are 8”), and the extra height did provide good ankle support. The non-insulated boots have Nubuck-leather uppers as well as a Gore-Tex lining for waterproof protection. A removable foam insole made for comfortable walking, and the Patrol outsole has 5mm-deep lugs and provided decent traction. The boots’ downside was the lacing system, which had closed eyelets “to prevent snagging.” This necessitated threading the laces through the upper eyelets every time and inhibited tightening. Weight: 2 pounds 13 ounces per pair. Color: Dark Brown. Sizes: Whole and half 7½ through 12 plus 13, 14. Price: $310. LOWA, lowaboots.com.
LACROSSE URSA MS
The LaCrosse Ursa MS boots were some of the lightest in the group and were designed for backcountry trekking. The non-insulated boots have abrasion-resistant leather-and-textile uppers and waterproof Gore-Tex liners. The open-cell polyurethane footbeds were very comfortable. The Ursas took a significant amount of time to break in, and the lacing system was odd in that the lace lock was positioned where it was almost impossible to use. Pressure points caused some pinching above the ankle. The boots’ Vibram Mont outsoles had the least-aggressive tread in the test, although they did shed mud and dirt. Height: 7”. Weight: 3 pounds 1 ounce per pair. Colors: Brown/Gold (shown), Gunmetal/Orange. Sizes: Whole and half 7 through 12 plus 13, 14. Price: $300. LaCrosse, lacrossefootwear.com.
IRISH SETTER ELK TRACKER XD
As the name implies, Elk Tracker XD (Extra Durable) boots were designed for hunting the high country. The only insulated boots (with 200-gram PrimaLoft) in the test, Elk Tracker XDs have Nubuck-leather camo uppers with leather-gusset overlays, an UltraDry waterproofing system, a moisture-wicking nylon lining, and a removable EVA-foam footbed. The Vibram Bulls-Eye Air Bob Aggressive outsoles gripped well and released mud. There was some uncomfortable pinching above the ankle, and the toe box was a bit large, allowing the foot to move around, resulting in pressure on the toes when descending hills. Height: 8”. Weight: 3 pounds 11 ounces per pair. Sizes: Whole and half 8 through 11 plus 12, 13, 14. Price: $260. Irish Setter, irishsetterboots.com.
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Good Guide for flatland upland birds. Thanks for developing the Guide. However, if you’re a chukar hunter you need “mountaineering” boots. Any stitching just doesn’t hold up in chukar hunting or Himalayan Snowcock hunting.