Kenetrek, Meindle or Lathrop and Sons hunting boots

[RogerHeintzman]

I am looking to purchase a new pair of mountain boots for a Mid-Asian Ibex hunt in Kyrgyzstan this October. I hope to do a Mt. Goat on Kodiak Island next year.
I would like input from members for which boot they own.
Kenetrek is my first choice as of now.
March is our RMEF Banquet and they always have Kenetrek on silent auction and thought I would try to win them.
Hunters I know who have Kenetrek say nothing but good.

 

[BigSteve57]

I went with Meindl due to width. Kenetrek didn't have an extra wide in my size. We tried on the Kenetreks at the Harrisburg Outdoor show in 2017 and my wife and I felt they ran narrow. TRY THEM ON!

 

[CAustin]

I went with Meindl due to width. Kenetrek didn't have an extra wide in my size. We tried on the Kenetreks at the Harrisburg Outdoor show in 2017 and my wife and I felt they ran narrow. TRY THEM ON!

I also have the Meindl boots. Very comfortable.

 

[nztimb]

I have had a couple of pair of Lowa in both the Tibet and the Ranger and they are far better than the Meindles I had

 

[IdaRam]

Hi Roger, congrats on your upcoming trip to Kyrg! I hope you make it to Kodiak as well.
I currently have both Miendl and Kennetrek boots, as well as a pair of Danners. I like all of them, however the Kennetrek’s are without question the best of the three. For a mountain boot the Kennetreks are the best choice in my opinion. Also, if you look at what guides and outfitters in mountain country are wearing you will see almost exclusively Kennetreks.
Having said that, be aware that Kennetrek has had some problems with delamination of the sole to the leather, particularly on the toe. I personally know four people that have had this happen and I did as well. Several of those friends of mine sent their boots back to Kennetrek with mixed results. I repaired my own with no further issues. That was a few years ago. I cleaned the crap out of the leather and rubber then used alcohol to further clean both surfaces and then used Shoe Goo to bond them back together. They have seen hard use since then with no hint of delam.
I’m telling you all that because if you buy Kennetreks you will very likely need to know this.
https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-GOO-110212-Adhesive-Black/dp/B004PBOJE8

Despite this frustration I must admit that I will be buying another pair one of these days. They are just that good. If there were an equal alternative I would choose them because I am unhappy with the way Kennetrek has handled this common and known issue. But alas, there is not. Kyrg or Kodiak, Kennetreks are the way to go.
Just my opinion, YMMV
Happy hunting!

 

[5shot]

I have the Lowa Bighorn due to wide feet. I love them.

 

[Red Leg]

Meindl builds a great boot. However, I have become a big fan of Kennetreks for mountain hunting. Have been using them in British Columbia and West Texas for the better part of a decade.

 

[BC.Pat]

I hunt with meindl and danner. But when goat & sheep hunting I use Hanwags. Very very stiff but excellent support and construction. ( and a bugger to break in)
Good luck
Pat

 

[BigSteve57]

I also have the Meindl boots. Very comfortable.

Mine required virtually no break-in. I bought them prior to a mountain Elk hunt that proved very strenuous and had no issues with only 16 mi. break in prior. My guess is that my feet just magically fit perfectly. I got lucky (for once).

 

[cem rona ergin]

I also have the Meindl boots. Very comfortable.

+1

 

[Adrian]

Another vote for Lowa.
I wear their mountain combat boots for work and they don't require breaking in and are incredibly comfortable.
I walk a lot of miles in them and have had absolutely no issues or problems.
I get them resoled once a year.
I also have Lowa Rangers, Lowa Stirlings that have hunted in Africa with me and Lowa trekking shoes.
Very good brand of footwear.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@RogerHeintzman Will your ibex hunt be cold weather and snow involved? This will obviously impact your boot selection.

I have two types of Kenetreks: The Hardscrabble (https://kenetrek.com/collections/hiking-boots/products/hardscrabble-hiker) are my favorite, but at 7 inches and non-insulated, these are not cold weather boots. I've used them on my Yukon dall sheep hunt, in August warm weather, and Montana early season elk hunts and they work great. Wearing gaiters with these boots extends the season a bit. Prior to these boots, I had a pair of Cabela's Perfekt Hikers, which are a Meindl made boots. These boots were much stiffer than the Kenetreks and ran a little on the small side for a given size.

The other Kenetreks I have are the 10" Grizzly pac boots. https://kenetrek.com/collections/pac-boots/products/10-grizzly. These are my late season, cold weather boots. Okay for hiking, but I would not want to do a lot of climbing or hiking with them.

In between the Hardscrabbles and Grizzy Pac boots, I have a pair of Danner 10 inch, 600 gram insulated leather boot. These are similar to the current model Canadian (https://www.danner.com/men/hunt/canadian-10-brown-600g.html ) Great boots! The air bob soles are the best.

 

[RogerHeintzman]

Hi Roger, congrats on your upcoming trip to Kyrg! I hope you make it to Kodiak as well.
I currently have both Miendl and Kennetrek boots, as well as a pair of Danners. I like all of them, however the Kennetrek’s are without question the best of the three. For a mountain boot the Kennetreks are the best choice in my opinion. Also, if you look at what guides and outfitters in mountain country are wearing you will see almost exclusively Kennetreks.
Having said that, be aware that Kennetrek has had some problems with delamination of the sole to the leather, particularly on the toe. I personally know four people that have had this happen and I did as well. Several of those friends of mine sent their boots back to Kennetrek with mixed results. I repaired my own with no further issues. That was a few years ago. I cleaned the crap out of the leather and rubber then used alcohol to further clean both surfaces and then used Shoe Goo to bond them back together. They have seen hard use since then with no hint of delam.
I’m telling you all that because if you buy Kennetreks you will very likely need to know this.
https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-GOO-110212-Adhesive-Black/dp/B004PBOJE8

Despite this frustration I must admit that I will be buying another pair one of these days. They are just that good. If there were an equal alternative I would choose them because I am unhappy with the way Kennetrek has handled this common and known issue. But alas, there is not. Kyrg or Kodiak, Kennetreks are the way to go.
Just my opinion, YMMV
Happy hunting!

Thanks IdaRam,
My reasoning for Kenetrek is they are a mountain boot and not flat land hunting or working boot. They bite and wear very well in steep, sharp, rocky sheep terrain. Meindl's from those I talked do not hold up under sheep hunting conditions.
Kenetrek has a new K-73 outsole, deep relief, open tread pattern and 360 degree of traction teeth and lugs onto the one piece vulcanized rubber sole.
Kenetrek sent me a foot sizing chart for proper width and length. They have many new boots for 2019, visit, www.kenetrek.com

 

[Pondoro]

+1 for Lowa...I love mine..

 

[BnC 04]

I have a pair of Kenetreks and have had no issues with them when out chasing goat and sheep in the Talkeetna and Wrangell ranges. Try them, don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

When I was looking at Alaska and Yukon outfitters for Dall Sheep, one of the Alaskan outfitters was adamant about hunters getting real mountain climbing boots.

This is direct from their equipment list:

PLASTIC MOUNTAINEERING BOOTS. Brand names: Scarpa, Koflach, Lowa and others. Our country is extremely harsh. We require these boots as leather will be torn apart on our glaciers and you need serious ankle support for side hilling. Our guides all wear plastics. Plus the plastic outers can come off and you have a camp boot.​

I decided that I didn't need to hunt such an extreme area, so I went to the Yukon. My leather Kenetreks and I, both lived to hunt another day.

 

[BC.Pat]

These are similar to the current model Canadian (https://www.danner.com/men/hunt/canadian-10-brown-600g.html ) Great boots! The air bob soles are the best.

yup these are my mixed terrain boots, excellent, but insufficient support for mountain operations. The stiffest leather boot I could find was the Hanwags ( built like a tank) . I like my Scrapa phantom guide boots that my Son & I both own for ice climbing, but I would never wear them on a hunting trip.
cheers
Pat

 

[Rick Cox]

When I was looking at Alaska and Yukon outfitters for Dall Sheep, one of the Alaskan outfitters was adamant about hunters getting real mountain climbing boots.

This is direct from their equipment list:

PLASTIC MOUNTAINEERING BOOTS. Brand names: Scarpa, Koflach, Lowa and others. Our country is extremely harsh. We require these boots as leather will be torn apart on our glaciers and you need serious ankle support for side hilling. Our guides all wear plastics. Plus the plastic outers can come off and you have a camp boot.​

I decided that I didn't need to hunt such an extreme area, so I went to the Yukon. My leather Kenetreks and I, both lived to hunt another day.

I've climbed quite a bit in British Columbia, and a little in Peru and Nepal. Most people I know are using modern leather/synthetics. Now, I'm not talking about extreme altitude here, say under 20,000' or so depending on latitude. I really the question the need for plastics over top shelf leather mountaineering boots from such companies as Scarpa, La Sportiva, Han Wag etc. They are light, comfortable, and offer more dexterity than plastics.

 

[Travis2282]

I wear meindle now but my next purchase will be Kenetrek mountain extreme 400. I tried these on at DSC and really liked them.

 

[Philip Glass]

I am looking to purchase a new pair of mountain boots for a Mid-Asian Ibex hunt in Kyrgyzstan this October. I hope to do a Mt. Goat on Kodiak Island next year.
I would like input from members for which boot they own.
Kenetrek is my first choice as of now.
March is our RMEF Banquet and they always have Kenetrek on silent auction and thought I would try to win them.
Hunters I know who have Kenetrek say nothing but good.

I’ve hunted Kyrgyzstan and believe you can’t go wrong with Kenetrek or Meindle. I wore Meindle that were pretty heavy boots with deployable spikes that came in handy on several occasions whether it be snow or shale. Kinda felt like James Bond hitting a switch and having steel spikes come out of my boots. Kyrgyzstan is still one of my favorite adventures! Best of luck.
Philip