Had my 10 year old Rockies resoled and they didn't fit right anymore. Too bad because they were perfect. Replaced them two seasons ago with Danner Pronghorns. They are comfortable and lightweight but leaked immediately. I tried everything and nothing worked. Looking to replace them and wondering what everyone thinks is the best waterproof option. Where we grouse hunt, there is always a lot of water.
Appreciate your suggestions.
Kenetrek. A company in Montana completely focused on making great/long lasting boots. My buddy bought new kenetreks the same year I bought new Danner's. We both have 5 years of elk hunting (pretty hard elk hunting at that - lots of miles) on the boots. His are holding up much better.
I have a pair of Meindls that have lasted me for over 5 years now and still going strong, I sno-seal them once/year to keep them water-proofed.
I raise and train beagles, so they are used daily as well as on the farm and cutting wood.
They are not cheap, I paid around $300 for them, but I've never had a leather boot last this long.
If you are in really wet stuff its tough to beat a good rubber bottom pack boot.Schnees makes a good one,fullgrain leather.I have three pair uninsulated,400gram and a pair of heavy pack like the old lacross only way better.I agree about amarican made danners.Now all cost$$$.
A previous pair of Danners last me 15 years of hard use and they stayed waterproff the whole time.
I replaced them a few years ago with another waterproof Danner that leaked like a fish net from the start and the soles are splitting already, absolute junk.
So last year I choked hard and $prung for a pair of Italian made crispi at scheels. Ive got one grouse season in and I like them a lot but longevity is always the true test of worthiness which remains to be seen.
Some say Danner has focused on market expansion over quality. Their market focus has shifted its appeal to the west coast hipsters and latte crowd found in the larger cities of the west coast, Seattle Portland San Francisco if you get my drift.
About 15 years ago I had a pair of Rocky Super Brutes I think they were called. Could stand in 8" of water all day long and never had a leak. Bought 2 more pairs after that and both didn't hold up near as well. Went with Irish Setters on my current pair and they're ok, although I do treat them with Beeswax and a little Shoe-Goo on the sole seams where it meets the leather also helps.
I also have the Meindel boots . Iv'e had them about 7-8 years now . What has worked fro me is using coleman tent seam sealer on them right away , then, used a product called " Neverwet " that is sprayed on . I live in grouse/woodcock country and hunt all fall from home . The boots and this application has worked well .
Boots pretty much suck these days. I feel lucky if any of them are truly waterproof after a season or two of grouse hunting and pheasant hunting in SD.
Having said that, I've been wearing LLBean Upland boots. They'll stand behind their stuff. But, they're going to leak eventually.
I use Obenaufs religiously and have a few pair of boots to rotate through...this is the best solution I've found.
I second that once the Danners were made outside the USA the quality really went down. I weara knee high Lacrosse rubber boot if the area I'm hunting is really wet. Usually I wear a pair of Meindels by Cabelas that are awesome. They are more of a mountain boot and rigid but my feet don't get wet. I think they were the Denali model
I agree with US made Danners. For most upland hunting, I use the Sierras. Personally if I get a few years of 100% waterproof use, I’m good with that. With all the seams in upland type boots, I honestly don’t think it’s reasonable to expect them to be waterproof for much longer than a few years of moderate use.
If you sign up for their emails, they do have a few good sales every year. Black Friday in particular.
The mesh sides tend to fail if you get enough miles on them. Once that starts to fail your done. Hence I'd prefer full leather uppers if you can find good ones because you can always respray for waterproofing etc. They are hotter however. My best boots have been the Danner Pronghorn. My worst (surprisingly) was Irish Setters (don't remember the model but they were high end boots). I swear the Irish Setters missed the waterproofing material in manufacturing - they didn't even slow down water from day 1. Had to be a freak thing. Put alot of miles on between elk hunting and grouse.
Wow, I cant believe you got 10 years out of a pair of Rockies. I've had a couple of pairs Rockies and they both leaked about as quick as you described your pronghorns. I concur with Fishmunkee, the made in the USA Danners have held up the best for me. Having said that I very seldom get more 2-3 seasons out of them before the start leaking. There is normally still quite a bit of life in the boots and I will wear them on days wear I know the spots I'm going are not that wet and wear my newer pair for the wetter areas. The reality is I've never owned anything that was Gore-tex that didnt end up leaking at some point typically before the item was worn out. I considered going with a rubber boot at times but I just dont think comfort wise and trying to keep up with my dogs would be possible in a heavy rubber knee boot.
