Safari boots and brands !!!

[thriller]

Courtney's Jim Greens neither fit my Fat Feet

How fat are your feet? I have a triple e and the Courtney wides are almost too wide for me. Count me impressed I refer to my shoes as cinder block covers

 

[CamoManJ]

Wore my Jim greens today to the range & grocery store, plus my walk. They are getting more comfortable by the mile…loving it!

 

[Lancaster]

It was interesting in a recent podcast Guav Johnson and another PH (I forget which one but on TIA podcast) said any shoes with a cushioned sole like Merrells make too much noise, you need a solid rubber sole like the Courteneys etc. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because you can’t feel the twig you are about to step on?

I have worn Meindl walking trainers/sneakers that are like Merrells hunting and can’t say I noticed them as noisy.

I’d wear the Meindls again but if I was hunting rocky, steep ground like we did last year in the Zambezi valley I’d wear my Lowa desert boots with ankle support. I figured that if you badly sprain your ankle on day one of your hunt it’s an expensive week sat in camp waiting for it to heal.

 

[WI-2021]

I wore a pair of the old model Under Armour Valsetz in Limpopo this summer. I got them on clearance when the updated version came out and wasn't expecting much, but I found them to be really comfortable so I took them along and ended up wearing them for all of the hunting.

These are the version where the lower portion of the boot is leather and I hunted in long pants so I didn't notice the noise of grass brushing against the nylon that another poster mentioned. The soles are soft, flexible, and quiet. They aren't too warm. They're a pretty lightly constructed boot, so ankle support isn't great, but that really isn't necessary where we were hunting. Every day I had to pull thorns out of the soles with a pliers, but nothing made it all the way through.

While they worked well for me, I don't think the soles would hold up for very long. Mine are already pretty shredded after one trip due to the thorns. The current version of the Valsetz is all nylon and I can't see myself buying them. I have been wanting to try the GoRucks, but I have this aversion to buying shoes or boots online. Maybe once the current boots are worn out I'll bite the bullet on that.

 

[wyosteve]

I'm going to profess my ignorance, so can someone explain why so-called 'safari boots' are any different than the boots I typically wear for big game hunting elsewhere? I mean, you're walking on dirt, rocks and maybe cactus just like in the U.S. so why can't Danners, Salomons, Crispis etc. work just as well. Or is it just part of the African mystique that guys think they need?

 

[Hififile324]

I am very satisfied with Zamberlan brand boots. I have a 1 pair of Wasatch, 1 pair of guides and a low cut sneaker/hiker. The boots are incredibly comfortable yet give me excellent support and traction.

 

[Bill J H]

WyoSteve;

It seems to me that safari style boots like Courtney, Jim Green, Russell PH boots, etc., are generally leather and non insulated. Further, they don't contain as many man-made materials, like you find in a great deal of American style boots. They are pretty simple, generally not waterproof or even very water resistant.

Further, they are usually at or just over ankle high vice a lot of boots you see here that are 7-8" high.

I wear JGs or Courtneys almost everyday as they are comfortable and I like leather.

Now, if its 20 degrees or snowing or extremely wet or I'm in the mountains - I'll adjust my boots accordingly.

 

[Rifleman97]

Courtney's Jim Greens neither fit my Fat Feet

Jim green barefoot ranger, or wait 6-9 months. In that time they're going to release a version even wider than the barefoot, it'll be called the Jim Green Anatomical Ranger. Go a size up if you need to

 

[slam8031]

The Jim Green's have worked well for me and fits my D width foot. I have worn two pairs of Solomons--speed forces and don't remember the other with good success in the Eastern Cape and my most recent hunt for the tiny 10 in the mountains. I don't think the Solomons will last as long as the Rangers.

 

[Lancaster]

I'm going to profess my ignorance, so can someone explain why so-called 'safari boots' are any different than the boots I typically wear for big game hunting elsewhere? I mean, you're walking on dirt, rocks and maybe cactus just like in the U.S. so why can't Danners, Salomons, Crispis etc. work just as well. Or is it just part of the African mystique that guys think they need?

I think it's partly re my post above regarding 'soft/foam' soles, partly the heat aspect (although I appreciate parts of the US are as hot) and yes, partly tradition where leather and rubber sole boots have dominated in Africa