When it comes to a good-quality pair, let’s face it, weight does matter. While you’re out on your outdoor adventures, they can require heavy trekking, climbing, sitting for long hours, plus intense building. It makes a big difference how your body feels after a long trip, after you kick your shoeless feet up at the end of the day, as to whether the boot you’ve been wearing is lightweight or heavyweight. The models on the market can range in weight. Less than 1-pound is a pretty good find on the light end, and you will, generally, see this in your knee-high, rubber ones for hunting ducks. The opposite end of the scale comes in at a heavy 7 pounds, give or take, This weight is, usually, seen in ones for deer hunting.

Shaft Height
Most ones have been designed with a different specific use in mind. The footwear you would use for active hunts may not be the best option for bait hunts. Similarly, bird hunts are not the same as deer or elk hunts, so choosing the right type of shoes is crucial – not just to ensure that your prey is not scared by your movement, but even more importantly, so that your feet are protected from the different types of terrain and conditions these activities include. The height of the boot shaft plays an important role when it comes to this. While some of them have a shorter shaft, others will go up to 13”, all the way to your knees, thus providing more protection. If you tend to do this activity in snow or wet environments, a higher shaft can make a huge difference in terms of heat retention and keep snow or rain out.

Anti-Properties
Often times, high-endurance shoes, like these ones are, undergo a process that turns them into being anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and even anti-fungal. This process, usually, requires that the materials used for the insoles, liners, and the midsole is to be soaked in a chemical solution which instantly kills microorganisms immediately upon contact during activities. These microbes can cause undesirable ailments such as foot fungus, athlete’s foot, and the bacteria that causes foot stink. So, it is highly beneficial to the wearer these types of materials be used in their shoe, especially, shoes they’ll be wearing for long hours and up to days at a time (if you’re an avid hunter).

Antimicrobial Agents: Refers to all agents that act against antimicrobials of all types, including viruses, fungi, and protozoa. The agents are classified in many ways; yet, not limited to their spectrum of activity, the effect on bacteria, and mode of action.

The term antimicrobial references any substance of origin that is semisynthetic or synthetic, or natural; that, also, kills or inhibits the growth of a microorganism without causing damage to its host.

On a side note: certain ones use materials that contain naturally occurring antimicrobial agents like copper wire. Copper wire has been long-used by humanity in effectively killing microbes using an organic process in which the cell’s membrane is in direct contact with the copper; therefore, the outer membrane ruptures. Sequentially, the other way has to do with the holes in the outer membrane that causes an overall weakening of the microbe’s cell; thus, ceasing it to exist. It kills 99.9% of active bacteria within 2 hours and this method is probably the healthiest version used in a shoe today.

There are multiple companies on the market that have patented their very own anti-formulas and compete for top place in effectiveness; thereby, the great formulas are in usage over and over again in active gear.

The importance of camouflage (cryptic coloration) in a boot of this kind is, without a doubt, a very important feature. The purpose of camouflage is a defense or tactic that an organism uses to hide their appearance; masking identity, location, and movement. There is an extremely large variety of camo used to design good models. This is all for a very good reason, as a hunter needs to keep themselves hidden from predators and/or the animals they are going for.

The best hunters know that blending well into the given environment makes for success or failure at scoring their game. There are many types and designs of camouflage, all specifically built for different environments and elements in nature. For instance, if you are a wetland season type of hunter, you will want to purchase a boot with a marsh/waterfowl print. On the other hand, if your main priority is to take trips in the winter, you will probably like to use a design specific to the snow’s white nature. I assure you, in any element, you may find yourself in, there is a design fit for your lifestyle!

Top Camouflage Designs for each Element

River Bottom/Deciduous Trees

Marsh/Waterfowl Applications

Snow/Winter Camo

You may know by now that one boot is not going to be suitable for all types there are. The rubber Neoprene slip-on boot, likely, won’t do you well if you’re trekking many miles. A boot with added ankle support will be the best on the side of a mountain, but it is not necessarily needed for less-strenuous forms of hiking around. A waterproof boot is a must-have in the wetlands. Furthermore, not all the ones for the dry season are equipped with waterproofing abilities.

The proper fit of the boot is a serious note to consider, as you should never settle for a pair that ‘just doesn’t fit right’ or ‘that is broken down and/or worn out.’ This will put you in a position to end your trip early; or at the very least, you might become pretty miserable while on it. You are likely to know which season, game, and elements you are going to be working in and this is quite helpful in researching what boot is fitted to your needs. Let’s start with the fit and last of a boot.

Fit and Last: You will need to ensure that the boot ‘matches’ your foot. In the old days, a good-fitted boot had something referred to as a ‘last’ and was made out of wood. Today, the last is usually made out of aluminum. Here is where finding the right fit gets a bit more complicated: a size 10.5 made by a certain company is surely not going to fit the same as a boot made by a competing company. Even within the same company, the last often differs, creating varying sizes.

If you are a size nine, ten, or eleven-medium, most general lasts are built for you. That’s great news if you’re at that size! But what if you don’t fall into that category? If you have a narrow or medium-sized foot, you will need to spend a little extra time searching for the correct size.

Support: Hunters will all require different levels of support, depending on what they are going for. This, also, coincides with what terrain and geographical location you will be in. An avid western big game hunter is not going to do well in a tree-stand pair, as they often wear rugged, athletic-style ones weighing less by the pound and/or ones with plenty of ankle support.

To determine if a boot has enough footbed support for your needs, you can take the boot’s toe in one hand and the heel in the other; then, twist it in opposing directions. Heavy-duty hiking style ones will barely move; whereas, a boot with little footbed support will move almost a good 2 inches. When you’re hiking hardcore terrain at almost 6,000 feet, you’ll be far more pleased that you chose the ones with no twist and having much more protection. These firm-support ones might take longer to break in, so give the proper time it needs to ‘feel right.’

A properly fitted boot will take you many miles in comfort; while on the flipside of the same coin, an improper fit will take you not so many miles and in a lot of miserable pain, potentially, ruining an otherwise good trip. The information throughout this guide should help in finding a good fitting boot, but further research and even going into a local store to be fitted can give you the extra support needed to find a proper shoe for your outdoor adventures.

Upon researching, you will find that two types of leather are generally used; full-grain leather or top-grain leather. Both of these serve their own unique purposes and both, definitely, have different cleaning methods. Be sure to clean your full-grain leather with a chemical treatment meant for it. You can clean a smooth leather boot with either a chemical treatment solution or a natural oil preparation.

Full-grain Leather: this refers to leather that has not been smoothed out; no buffing, smoothing, or sanding has taken place with this type of leather. You are getting the full leather appeal. Full-grain leathers are available in two types; aniline, or semi-aniline.

Top-grain Leather: This is the most common type of leather used in high-end footwear such as the one on this page. It has had the split-layer separated away; making it smoother and far more pliable to work with. After the top coat has been sanded to be smooth and a finish coat added, however, it is less breathable. The top coat added, also, adds a ‘cooled touch’ to the leather. It is, typically, less expensive and does not form a natural patina.