Bowhunting footwear

[ncboman]

I've worn LaCrosse burly boots for years but am considering a pair of neoprene boots.

Which is better?

[LampLighter]

Mostly I use LaCrosse Grange non-insulated. When it gets in the 30's or below, I switch to LaCrosse Alpha Burley 1200.

I don't know what neopreme is. Those new LaCrosse Alpha's are made of something different. Maybe it is neopreme.

[dave-t.]

I wear the cheapest mud boots I can find in a size 13. I normally wear a 10, but the 3 extra sizes are to be able to put on more socks without cutting off circulation, and becuase I have really wide feet, and have trouble finding rubber boots that are wide enough for me. When they wear out I buy another cheap pair.

[ncboman]

The shoes I have on now are size13. :rolleyes:

[dave-t.]

For me to put on two pair of wool socks, I need that extra 3 sizes, mostly for width.

Insulated or not, two pair of wool socks and good circulation keep my feet pretty warm until it gets 'late winter' cold.

[Bushman]

The kids gave me a Gander Mountain gift certificate last Christmas so I made a study of the boots that they had and got the LaCrosse Alpha Lite 3.5 boots. I think they would be outstanding for a bow hunting boot. That 3.5 stands for 3.5 mm of neoprene, but they make a heavier version with 5 and 7mm with more insulation I believe. I have mine drying out in the basement to help get the plasticizers in the neoprene to leach out so that they don't have that new boot smell when I wear them. I do like the ankle support fit if those LaCrosse boots. If I need more warmth, I'll just bring Boot Blankets later when it gets really cold. The uppers appear to be a less dense rubber compound, probably neoprene, sandwiched between Nylon. The wear areas are reinforced and I like the air bob lug sole.

LampLighter, neoprene is a synthetic rubber that has most of the characteristics for a good boot material. Hardness range is from 10 to 95 Shore A, a service temperature up to 250 F., good ozone resistance, good cut resistance, good tear strength, good to excellent abrasion resistance and excellent resistance to heat build-up. They can make it very dense or more spongy so that air is trapped into it. That is the reason that it is a good insulator and that you will float unsupported when you wear a wet suit made of neoprene. Neoprene along with EPDM and Buna N (also call nitrile) are the three least expensive rubber compounds available in the rubber industry. As a compound it does a lot of things pretty well. The urethanes or hypalons are stronger, but more expensive. I never liked neoprene as an industrial roller compound because it dents and wants to stay dented and it is not as resistant to oils and chlorinated solvents as some of the other synthetic rubber compounds. If they ever made boots out of polyether or polyester urethane, you would never wear them out. We did a test in the lab using a 1,000 gram weight for 1,000 revolutions against different kinds of rubber. 75 Shore A neoprene wore 503 mm3 and 75 Shore A polyether urethane wore 10 mm3!

[Smokey]

I wear an Ariat 8" lace up work boot. I have had all kinds of boots over the years but found these to be the most comfortable. These are not insulated as it isn't needed in AZ. What I like best is the sole wears very well and is soft enough to be very quiet.

[Altjaeger]

Is anyone using these newer lightweight shes that have tougher and more outdoor oriented sole with a lightweight tennis shoe type top? It seems for southern hunting and October hunting elsewhere it would be ideal in dry and mild terraine situations where warmth is not a major issue. They are lighter and quieter than boots.

[ncboman]

I gotta wear knee boots around here because of the ticks. A ring of permanone around the tops keeps the critters at bay.

[Chuck S]

I wear a pair of LLBean, Bison leather, 8 inch tops, air bob soles in general. For
quieter stalks I carry a pair of slip on neoprene beach shoes which has a softer yet sole.

[LampLighter]

I wear the cheapest mud boots I can find in a size 13. I normally wear a 10, but the 3 extra sizes are to be able to put on more socks without cutting off circulation, and becuase I have really wide feet, and have trouble finding rubber boots that are wide enough for me. When they wear out I buy another cheap pair.


I tried that dave. Not good. Redhead, Comfort Trac which are Rocky's, they all have that chinese rubber and crack in one year. Lacrosse Grange, the regular non-insul rubber boot, I JUST had to get a new pair last year after 5 years of heavy, heavy usage.

When you drive 4 1/2 hours to the camp, drive from the camp 45 min., walk from the truck for 1 hour in the dark, and you have to cross a break to get to that stand before the deer are run out of the field by the farmers on 4 wheelers, and the wood ducks are landing on ice in the break and skidding ( funny :D) you cannot deal with a cheap, leaking boot. You have too much invested in the hunt. THIS is where I made a decision long ago. Unless you are heirs to the Rockefellar family, you cannot afford to do all of it to the max. I chose to concentrate on deer and turkey hunting- period. No more rod and reels, all the latest White Perch tackle, no golf, etc.. I put ALL of my rec funds toward my speciality.

Equipment-wise, you can either be a jack of all sports, and a master of none, OR you can master one particular activity and buy the best of what you need.

I suggest you do not get heavily involved in duck hunting . Boo koo $$$$$$
Ask our member Le from Sth. Carolina.

[dave-t.]

I've duck hunted a few times, but it's not my thing. I do like a hot dove field though.:)

I haven't had an issue with the cheap boots for the several years I've been using them, and it's easy to have a back up. I wear the old pair to the garden, to run the weed eater, and misc chores and have the new pair ready for hunting.

When it's reallly cold I switch to a Redhead lace up 1000g insulated boot that the model name escapes me right now. I bought the one pair of 11.5's that came in EE wide.

I've never really been a deer only hunter. Consider myself more of the "jack of all trades" when it comes to the outdoors. I like to limbline for catfish, and tie my own trout flies, and I try to have that much variation/difference in my hunting too. Why miss out on something you enjoy if you can manage to make it happen?

[ncboman]

hmmm,

redhead side zip boots (http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_94741____SearchResults#reviews)

these caught my eye in the basspro catalog but after reading the reviews I guess the La Crosse boots are still looking the best. Doan want no come apart boots.

alpha lites (http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_97330_500004001_500000000_500004000?cmCat= CROSSSELL_PRODUCT)

alpha burly (http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_101903_500004001_500000000_500004000?cmCat =CROSSSELL_PRODUCT)

[DaveHawk]

I need a new pair of tennis shoes. {Chucks} will do fine.

[Bushman]

NCB, those air bob soles are what sold me on the Alpha Lites over the Burly boots. That and less insulation and lighter weight for the Alpha Lites. A bunch of years ago I was walking down a trail side by side with my buddy. He had Vibram soles on his boots and I had air bobs on mine. The difference in the noise we were both making with every foot fall was amazing.

It is hard to beat a good pair of uninsulated leather Danner boots with the air bob sole like the "Grouse" series for scouting and walking, but I won't use them for actual deer hunting. Leather holds scent like a sponge and I've been sniffed way more often when I wore leather boots than I have with rubber.

I've had enough LaCrosse boots over the years to know that they hold up pretty well. Knowing a thing or two about rubber from my job, I can tell you that rubber is not rubber. Just like you can go and buy a set of cheap tires for your car and they are shot in 20k or you can get 80k out of another set. They both look the same when they are new. Being a synthetic blended rubber (neoprene in this case for boots) they can be put together with fillers and extenders to make them less expensive. Just by the feel of the rubber sandwiched between the Nylon in the uppers of those Alpha Lites you know that the sponginess is coming from more air that has been introduced when they calendered that stock. Unless they protected it with Nylon, the brush would cut it to ribbons. It is lighter in weight and insulating though.

[ncboman]

NCB, those air bob soles are what sold me on the Alpha Lites over the Burly boots. That and less insulation and lighter weight for the Alpha Lites. A bunch of years ago I was walking down a trail side by side with my buddy. He had Vibram soles on his boots and I had air bobs on mine. The difference in the noise we were both making with every foot fall was amazing.

It is hard to beat a good pair of uninsulated leather Danner boots with the air bob sole like the "Grouse" series for scouting and walking, but I won't use them for actual deer hunting. Leather holds scent like a sponge and I've been sniffed way more often when I wore leather boots than I have with rubber.

I've had enough LaCrosse boots over the years to know that they hold up pretty well. Knowing a thing or two about rubber from my job, I can tell you that rubber is not rubber. Just like you can go and buy a set of cheap tires for your car and they are shot in 20k or you can get 80k out of another set. They both look the same when they are new. Being a synthetic blended rubber (neoprene in this case for boots) they can be put together with fillers and extenders to make them less expensive. Just by the feel of the rubber sandwiched between the Nylon in the uppers of those Alpha Lites you know that the sponginess is coming from more air that has been introduced when they calendered that stock. Unless they protected it with Nylon, the brush would cut it to ribbons. It is lighter in weight and insulating though.


good post.


Knowing a thing or two about rubber from my job, I can tell you that rubber is not rubber.

very true.

I worked at an Aeroquip hose factory in the 70's and we coated the rubber hose with lead, ran it thru a giant autoclave, and then stripped the lead off. Learned a lot about rubber at that job.

Learned a lot more about it when I researched 'rubber roofing' years ago. Anyone tries to talk 'rubber roofing' either don't think you know much or doan know much about it themselves.

I know rubber and epdm but not as much about neoprene. Seems everyone that tries the neoprene boots like em and La Crosse is a quality name imo.

I gotta replace the anklefit burlys I've been wearin for years though. I'm gettin too old to fight mornin and night to get em on and off. :D

[Bushman]

NCB, I think that they heard that from a lot of guys. I wear Burly type boots for deer hunting and while I love them out hunting, getting them off is something else entirely. I think that is something that they have helped solve with those Alpha Lites. What makes that rubber in the ankle area spongy also makes it more elastic. I have not had nearly the issue of getting the Alpha Lites off that I've had with the Burly type.

I put an EPDM roof on my cabin this spring and it is getting chalky colored from the sun which is what I expected might happen. It is light weight and waterproof though. EPDM is not as strong a compound as neoprene, but it will take 100 degrees more heat up to 350 F. and is more chemically resistant.

[Hink]

Do the alpha lites have plenty of room in the calves and do they adjust?

I have a heck of a time getting the ankle fit type rubber boots on and off and most do not fit my calf. They also don't seem to give me the support that I require due to the terrain. My normal boot is a lace up Rocky (lynx when its warmer and forester II when its colder) and my favorite bow hunting boot was a very soft soled model Rocky that I used for years but the soles are gone and no longer waterproof. I know using these type boots has to hurt me scent wise but I do spray them down with scent killer before each hunt.

I'm willing to try that alpha lite model if I thought I could get them on over my calves and off at the end of the day.

[Bushman]

Hink, I'm just a normal size 190 pounder, but the Alpha Lites go on and off very easily and I just tried the right one on over my jeans. They do not have nearly the ankle support of my leather Danners, but they are a heck of a lot taller, more waterproof and camo. I suppose that easy on and off is a trade off for stiff rubber or leather and more ankle support. The boots are 18" tall and they have an adjustable back to adjust for your calf 6.5" down the back with a cammed buckle. I don't buy any shoes or boots out of a catalog because I want to try them on first.