Crispi boots fail

I bought some Irish setters about four years ago before a trip. They leaked so bad out of the box that I exchanged them for some danners when I got home. By the end of the season they the danners were leaking almost as bad. I went to some Solomon’s that I like a lot and were decently waterproof but I was only getting fourteen months out of them. After 3 pairs of those I bought some 7” kenetreks this summer. I hope they last long enough that I can have them resoled. I guess we’ll see. After probably close to 400 miles though other than some wear on the soles they still look brand new.
 
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I am on year 3 with my Crispi Idaho GTX II boots and no issues. I have to believe they would cover them for warranty. I bought them as a replacement for my old (15yrs or so) Filson Uplander boots. They are really nice for an old-school leather upland style, but they are heavy! I love my Crispi boots.
 
Someone on Facebook was just saying how thier krispi are falling apart also, less than a year old.

I've been wearing Irish setter gunflint for 7.5 years. First pair lasted 7, second is half year old and brand new still. First pair were still waterproof and extremely comfortable, i just wore the tread completely off. I wore them fishing, dog walking, dove hunting, upland hunting, and everything in-between. They are a little too warm for summer use. I don't even know how to calculate how many hundreds of miles were on those boots... I average about 5 miles each trip pheasant hunting alone.
 
Bite the bullet. Spend twice as much and get a pair of Russell's that will last for a decade or more, then send back for resole refurbish.

I have had a pair of Russell's for at least 15 years and had them resoled, not because they were worn out but because I made a mistake and bought the wrong sole from the get go. Needed something with more traction. I would say they have another 15-20 years left in them - more than I do.

russellmoccasin.com

South 40 Bird Shooter

The Bird Shooter model has been a constant at Russell in it's many variations since the early 1930's. The South 40 Bird Shooter was introduced in 1984 after much testing in the pheasant fields of South Dakota. Nearly every trick in the Russell book is applied to the South 40, making it the...
russellmoccasin.com russellmoccasin.com

I have these with two modifications - I added the board hide toe cap and green accents on the back like their Country Squire model.
 
Irish Setter in leather = great. Irish Setter with fabric leave things to be desired. I have the Vaprtrek boots and they were awesome, but 3 seasons of bowhunting and grouse hunting did them in. I wore them this Pheasant season for the first time and over a few weeks the fabric got all torn up from the grasses and they started leaking. Super comfortable uninsulated boot, still fit and feel great, but they're shot and useless when it is more than damp out. I picked up a pair of Danner Cedar River 8" boots in early November to replace my Vaprtreks, and I still have not gotten them broken in yet. The heel is so dang stiff that I can't get them properly molded to my foot, and have ended up with heel blisters. I've worn them on a few shorter hunts, multiple days at work, even around the house etc. Probably have about 120hrs into wearing them. The foot bed is super comfortable, I am just really struggling with how stiff the heel is. It doesn't seem to conform to the foot at all.
 
AtTheMurph said:
Bite the bullet. Spend twice as much and get a pair of Russell's that will last for a decade or more, then send back for resole refurbish.
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Do they sell these in retail stores? I need to try boots on. Online purchase is an absolute no go for this guy.
 
BrownDogsCan2 said:
I bought some Irish setters about four years ago before a trip. They leaked so bad out of the box that I exchanged them for some danners when I got home. By the end of the season they the danners were leaking almost as bad. I went to some Solomon’s that I like a lot and were decently waterproof but I was only getting fourteen months out of them. After 3 pairs of those I bought some 7” kenetreks this summer. I hope they last long enough that I can have them resoled. I guess we’ll see. After probably close to 400 miles though other than some wear on the soles they still look brand new.
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I probably should add the kenetreks are all leather, the others were cordura or cordura/ leather with waterproof liners
 
Gim, I have been at their facility in Berlin, WI. They will measure your foot and save the specs. Great experience and service. Check out their website. The aroma of the leather is as outdoorsy as wet dogs and spent shells. They might just have your fit as a special order that was returned.
Long gone now was a model that was gore-tex only in the moccasin. Craftmanship at its best.
 
Kenetrek fan here. I have a pair of Mountain Extremes that are 5 years old, with who knows how many miles and they are still going strong. I have worn them in all conditions.
 
I've worn (out) Danners, Russels, Cabela's and Irish Setters, all within a year. Whether it is in heavy pheasant cover or rock/brush cover in desert quail country, nothing holds up. Last year I stepped in a badger hole and virtually destroyed my ankle, so now the only boot that comes close to working are Danners, and the one that works best is the High Ground, which has a structural issue with the lower lacing fabric, so they last less than 6 months and Danner has discontinued them, though for some reason they are making them for Sportsman's Warehouse. I've given up looking. I just order a new set of Danners (now I use Vitals) and throw the old ones out. Crispi are way to expensive (as were custom made Russel's) to only get 6 months of wear out of.
 
Im gonna try to see if scheels will do an exchange, but not holding my breath. With the foot of snow we just got, I dont need them soon so sending them back isnt an issue. I am annoyed that I have to pay to do so.
Has anyone used Thorogoods?
 
Labradinger said:
Im gonna try to see if scheels will do an exchange, but not holding my breath. With the foot of snow we just got, I dont need them soon so sending them back isnt an issue. I am annoyed that I have to pay to do so.
Has anyone used Thorogoods?
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I purchased a pair before the start of the season. Certainly weren’t as comfortable out of the box as Irish setters or any other brand I’ve worn but they are wearing really well.
 
gimruis said:
That is really surprising. Although 70 days a year (all walking) is a lot of wear and tear. That's way more miles than I tread in an average season, and half the hunting with my boots is basically sitting in a stand or a turkey blind. It usually takes me a whole season to break in a pair of new hunting boots. 5 full years with a pair of boots meets my satisfaction.

There may not be a boot on the planet that can handle the ground you cover chad lol

Which Irish Setter did you have? I'm looking at the Terrain 400 gram model. I also need to select one that a local retailer has. I refuse to buy something like boots online. I need to try them on and at least walk around in them for a little bit.
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I cant remember which style as they went in the garbage after season. I do remember they were very comfortable, just didnt hold up.
 
Surprised, I’ve been wearing my crispi’ s almost every day for work and hunting, no issues. Love them and my feet don’t hurt at end of day.
I’ve averaged 8500 steps a day for last 6 months. I think ill wear out the soles before I wear out the rest of the boot.
 
Labradinger said:
Bought a pair at Scheels this summer and today noticed the rubber toe of one boot has come completely detached from the leather. Ive warn these probably 18 times, just hunting. I checked their warranty and it’s not ideal-they wont even pay for shipping back to them. Sadly, even my China made Danners lasted longer. Add Crispi to the list of never again. For 355 bucks, one would expect a hell of a lot better.
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Man that sucks, I’ve had great luck with my Thor gtx. I’ve got my replacement pair in the closet
 
For pheasant hunting I really like my Irish Setter leather wing shooter boots. For bear and elk hunting, I normally wear Lowa Tibet's. They've been bullet proof for me. I also have a pair of Zamberlain's for colder weather that is also a nice boot. Comfortable boots are a necessity.
 
I have a pair of crispi that I have not worm much at all (10 days of casual walking and 20 hunts) and they are falling apart. I am a footware nut and WILL NOT wear the same pair of boots 2 days in a row, often times not wearing a pair for a couple days since last time. I have 2 pair of kennetreck that I have worn a lot and they are as good as new. I also have a pair of Irish setter boots that got as a Junior in High School... I am now 42 years old. I still wear them hunting. It is almost a joke at this point, but they are comfortable, still waterproof and never done a repair to them. Other than about 5 pair of laces, I have not had one issue with them. I have had a few other pair of Irish setters over the years and they lasted a couple years and were done.
 
I think in today's world everything is such a crap shoot with the quality you get. I wore my new Crispis alot this fall and they are holding up just fine (as expected from a $380 pair of boots).

But there's gear I own that I'll swear by it's quality that other people I know say they'll never own because it failed on them. And there's gear I'll never own again because it failed on me that friends/family swear by. Such is the world now.

One thing I like about Crispi/Kenetrek/Meindl, etc is that they aren't made in China. Which can't be said for Irish Setter. I say this as someone who owns and likes their pair of Wingshooters. My personal opinion is that a pair of boots made in China is destined to fail more often compared to a boot that's made in Italy. My 2 cents anyway.
 
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