Danner 200 gram insulated Ft. Lewis boots for the last 27 years. Traffic on hot asphalt, no problem. Winter hiking, no problem. I get a new pair every 4 to 5 or so years.
I wear CAT Diagnostics
For winter hiking with my dog I wear Oboz Bridger 8” insulated boots. They’re waterproof and keep my feet nice and toasty, and they have a clip for gaiters when the snow is deep. Also nice and supportive, though they could use a bit more traction on ice.
For regular boots I have a pair of the old Chippewa Katahdins from LL Bean before they moved production to Vietnam. I plan to keep them a good long time and have them resoled when necessary. It was one of the only boots I could find in half and wide sizes at my shoe size, so the fit is exceptionally good as far as my shoes go.
Danner everyday for the last 15 years. None of the rebuildable ones. Mostly pronghorns for the last 10 years.
My Stockmans
My Wolverine Loggers
My Thorogoods - Don’t look like this now- steel toe lasted three years - Nice boots but more expensive now
Time for something different. Trying ths Jim Greens
Found a neat youtube chanel Roseanvil he vuts boots in half and reviews them
also looking for a second pair of boots and thinking about some of these Jim Green Razor Backs - thinking I might want a second pair with more cushioning. Though having plantar fascisitis before a good solid boot seems help me keep that from happening. Might try some of the insoles you guys mentioned
Nick’s, I used to wear Whites, but the quality has gone down. Expensive but worth every penny, made in Spokane, Washington
Justins, been wearing them for over 15 years now on the farm. Clean them good about once a month and mink oil them to make them waterproof.
A pair of these
And a pair of these
https://www.justinboots.com/en-US/Product/Details?stylenumber=WK4666
I rotate them out every few days to let them air out. More often if it’s raining, summer, or I’m just really working. I get about 3-4 years on a pair before I replace them. Local stores here normally have a sale on them every few times a year and I’ll buy a pair to hold on as back up when one of my other pairs start to wear out. Wish there was somebody local to have them resoled but it would most likely cost more a new pair. A lot of times by the time the cattle and my shop work gets the better of the toes and the steel starts showing.
Interesting youtube channel.
You guys have a lot of choice for nice, domestically made, boots. Wish it was the same here.
I have over 20 pairs of exotic cowboy boots. J toe riding heel.
Lucchese, Tony Lama, Justin.
None right now. I have some Merrell moabs but they broke down to the point they don’t fit. To be fair they survived a few caving trips. I’d love to find some good rubber boots.
Did they have small vents through the soles to release water? That was a big draw for cavers a few years ago so your socks didn’t stay soaked on longer trips. (Edit: this was a reply to lightbringer about jungle boots, not sure what happened with reply)
Yeh, they have the little vampyre bites in the instep.
Great info on the Danner’s. I’m wearing some
Hoka hiking boots and some heavy wolverine winter boots. The wolverines are really comfortable and I’m thinking of getting a pair of Wolverine Heritage for about $400
My dream is a pair of custom Limmer boots. The price is reasonable but it would be a hassle to travel there and get measured etc
I spent the weekend looking for my next boot after all the feedback here- there are some great boots out there! I finally settled on getting several pair to cover every season.
The Lacrosse stuff impressed me most with Danner a close second place. I WAS going to just buy a killer Danner model, but thought twice as there are some well made imports (also from these companies) with plenty of reviews to back them up.
I opted for a great deal on a Lacrosse Windrose 8” tall boot on sale at Sportsman’s Warehouse for $99 bucks (free shipping plus tax). It has 600g insulation, is waterproof and usually $160 or so. This boot will work for cooler fall and later spring weather (between 20-80 degrees).
For summer Sportsman’s also had a shorter Danner (not found on the Danner site?) TerraForce waterproof full grain leather boot for $119 (shipped + tax). I like the idea of REAL waterproof designs by Danner and Lacrosse and this short boot has plenty of lacing to adjust the fit.
For DEEP winter (or tree stand hunting below freezing- like today at 8 degrees!) I opted for the Lacrosse 2000g insulated boot with the best reviews of everything I looked at. For $160 (shipped + tax) this boot was said to be good down to 20 below. But one review said it didn’t sweat in warmer weather either. So I’ll probably use it for ALL tree stand hunting with wind below freezing.
I ordered one pair from Sportsman’s Warehouse yesterday (Super Bowl Sunday) and got a 10% off coupon today which I used for the other two pair of boots. BEST OF ALL… Sportsman’s Warehouse allows FREE returns if any boot doesn’t fit like I want (very probable with three sets here). So I can replace for a better size (or return if they stock out).
All these boots had 4.5 - 4.8 ratings from several sites. They are a good value for the quality that they are. No, they are not a $400 Danner, but ALL THREE boots cost me less than that when it’s all said and done. And with these three boots, I am covered for all hunting scenarios (* I already have 2400g insulated muck boots for duck/goose hunting) and all seasons. Happy camper as my old Ariats gave up the ghost pretty fast and I now know better how I’m going to care for these boots too.
Check out the sales starting-up about now. Lot’s of deals to be had as cold weather (and most hunting) comes to an end here soon!
Just got a new order of boots in to try. Been without a good pair for years now since my old heavy climbing/hiking boots finally became too tired to rebuild again. It was like loosing a family member I’ve had them so long.
I was pretty stunned at the prices of a good pair like I used to have.
I don’t do any of that sort of thing anymore so I though I’d try some of the “Tacticoool” flavors.
I’m a wide size so my choices are limited. Also I want to find them on sale.
The local stores look at me like I have two heads when I ask for wide or extra wide sizes. So the Web is my only shopping choice.
I’m wearing a set of Under Armour right now. Holy Molly these things are light. Doesn’t feel like there will be much break in. At least when they are new and stiff, they give good ankle support.
Size at 12W seems about right. Slightly stiff soles – for now – but getting more flexie as I’m wearing them. All glued together so no hope of rebuild later on. But heck to $50 on sale, I’ll pitch them when the times comes.
Yesterday I was sporting a set of 5.11 tactical boots. Heavier and stiffer than the U.A.s. Feels like the sole is a bit thicker and maybe a more substantial foot-bed. Less cushioning and the inside of the right boot is not as comfortable as the UA boot. These seem to run just a hair longer and perhaps just a bit narrower than the UA boots.
The lacing system is a pain in the butt. I have to nearly unlace the things to get them on.
I understand why tactica-cool boots have eyelets and not hooks, but what a pain. I wish they both had hooks.
Lastly I have a set of Lano Shadow boots in frog green. These are normally really expensive but I scored a pair at a heck of a deal. These are quite stout and seeming heavy duty. Being 8 inchers, these are even a bigger pain to get on without pulling out the top laces.
Super supportive with a really stout foot-bed. Lots of padding and outer “armor” panels. Super support, but think they will be plenty hot with all the padding.
Unfortunately they are a bit narrow for me. Size seems to be on point. Not sure I’ll be keeping these.
I got a size 13 cause the reviews said they run small. Not in my case. 12 would be about right.
I’ve got some Sorrels and a set of boots I got from a Japanese mountaineer from a stint in Antarctica for cold weather adventures. Which, until this week, was not a thing in Texas. The old Micky Mouse boots were about the best things ever for cold unless I went for the full Muck-luck route. But the Mucks were only good if it was cold enough for dry conditions.
Years ago I had a set of Dr. Martins that just lasted and lasted. But were never quite as comfortable as I though they should be.
Real leather (Danner Etc.) seems overpriced or just crappy quality for lesser brands. I’ll see how these plasticy-cloth-synthetic jobs go. I’m not much of boot person anymore and I’m hoping these will do me for a while.
All the Best,
Jeff
This past fall I bought a pair of Eddie Bauer hiking boots on sale for $40. That’s my kind of price. 
They claimed to be waterproof, but stepping into a rain puddle proved otherwise. 
Oh well, they feel comfortable and the leather looks nice.