Let’s talk boots (older crowd on here)

I wore an old pair of cheap Bass Pro boots at a hunt test last weekend. I've worn them for years around my property and into town and never had an issue. They are lightweight, flexible and I thought they would be great to walk around the hunt test course.......wrong.

The arch of my right foot started to hurt about half way through the first brace. By the time I finished the first brace, I was walking on the side of my foot to take some of the pressure off. I planted birds and gunned the rest of the day and when I got home, I had a deep purple bruise covering my entire arch. I had to run my dog again on the second day and helped out on the field and I wore my Irish Setter Wingshooter boots. Significantly better support and while my foot hurt, it was tolerable. Got home on Sunday evening and I had walked about 11 miles over the weekend...according to my phone app and my foot looked the worse for it. The bruise was significantly larger. I have no idea what I did to my foot but I'm guessing the boots/insoles simply didn't provide the necessary arch support and/or I stepped on something hard and got a deep tissue bruise. I wouldn't have had a problem if I had simply worn better boots.

I'll stay off of it for a few days and I'm sure I'm fine, but the Bass Pro boots are going into the trash can. I have a couple pair of boots from Schnee and Lowa I was starting to break in and I need to speed up that process. I tried to cut a corner and wear the cheapest boots I own, to save a few ounces and that was stupid of me. Lesson learned.
 
I’m 59 and the last 4 years have been wearing the Salomon hiking boots. They’re light, waterproof and have great traction. My feet have never gotten cold and that’s counting this past January in South Dakota at -5. They are the 6 inch boots and with the Dans briar proof chaps I wear over them make the perfect boots for me.
 
I’m 62, feet we’re always hurting due to injuries when young, the more I’m on my feet the more it hurts. Bought the Crispi mountain guide and the support really helped. Bought two other pair of Crispi’s but the mountain guide definitely the best for me. The only problem is I put in as many steps at work as I do hunting, don’t really want to were them to work but I do, wore out the other two pair, saving the mountain guides for hunting.
 
I bought a pair of Crispi Crossover GTX and I love them. Bought a second pair because they were discontinuing that boot. The Crispi Attiva and Crispi Lapponia are very similiar. Like wearing slippers hunting. I wore them in Peru on a 50 mile trek through the Andes and my feet never felt better. Great boots.
 
Im 37 and i just wanted to say im impressed seeing that some of you up there in your 70s are even able to turn on the computer and navigate to a website such as this and post comments (assuming you didnt have to wait til your kids came over to show you for the 100th time which ones the google and you just leave the computer on with this forum open in the browser until you muck it up … or i mean until the computer broke and you're waiting for your kid or grandkid to come by the house again) … thats my old man who's in hs 70s … hes what youd call technologically retarded (his words, dont get upset because i used the R word). I get a call once a week to tell him how to get the captions back on the tv which is always both hilarious and slightly maddening.
 
BUL2023 said:
Anybody can chime in on this but it’s many directed at the mid 50’s and up.
What are you folks wearing for boots ? I’m 66 still can do anything I could in my late 30’s just takes longer now. I have a pr of 12” insulated Elk trackers, great ankle support, great gripping soles, but not the boot I want to walk a mile in because of the weight. I have a pr of Irish setter wing shooters ( I think that’s what there called) the most dangerous pr of boots on this planet as far as I’m concerned, last slip and fall broke a couple ribs, that was a year ago, they been in the closet since, and that was not the first time I ended up on the ground with those MF’s.
For 3 or 4 years now I’ve been wearing Crispi Summit II’s great shoe/boot but as I age my feet are widening out and they lack good ankle support. Been looking real hard at the Crispi Wind Rivers anybody wearing these ? Thanks in advance.
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If you liked the wing shooters, exempt for the traction, and the boots can be resoled, send them into Redwing and have a more aggressive Vibram soles put on them. Should run around $60-70?
 
DesertShadowSpringers said:
Im 37 and i just wanted to say im impressed seeing that some of you up there in your 70s are even able to turn on the computer and navigate to a website such as this and post comments (assuming you didnt have to wait til your kids came over to show you for the 100th time which ones the google and you just leave the computer on with this forum open in the browser until you muck it up … or i mean until the computer broke and you're waiting for your kid or grandkid to come by the house again) … thats my old man who's in hs 70s … hes what youd call technologically retarded (his words, dont get upset because i used the R word). I get a call once a week to tell him how to get the captions back on the tv which is always both hilarious and slightly maddening.
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You will miss those calls when you stop getting them…

When I was younger I hunted in whatever was cheap as it didn’t seem to matter much and I worked in boots all day. As I have gotten older I have put more emphasis on a quality boot. I was a Danner guy for quite a few years but now wear some Crispi’s that fit me pretty good. I will alternate in some Irish Setters on a longer hunt.
 
I'm waiting to see the new Crispi Upland boot that's supposed to be released on June 1st. All leather, 9", not insulated, $365. I need to make a decision quick as I don't want to be buying new boots in Sept.
 
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