Need a boot recommendation

[E4 No More]

I am looking for hiking/hunting boots. I like lightweight but supportive shoes since I have a collapsed arch and Morton's Neuroma in my left foot. While on a camping weekend I discovered that I also needed something better suited for supporting my ankles while on such outings, hence the search for a good boot.

Suggestions on a lightweight but supportive boot?

[Guest hawkeye10]

I wear Red Wings and have for years. Don

[peejman]

Best suggestion is to just go visit somewhere that carries a reasonable variety of hiking boots and try a bunch on. I have a pair of Hi-Tec hiking boots I've been happy with. They're reasonably light for hiking boots and mostly water-proof. Great for the price, IMO. The biggest driver for comfort and fit in hiking boots I've found is good footbeds (insoles). Seems like even the high-end boots come with terrible footbeds.

[ls3_kid]

My dad has feet problems and he wears Rockport. Hope this helps.

[Guest packingheat]

I swear by Vasque Sundowner. It is a full leather and is Gore-tex lined. They really don't require much breaking in. The only drawback is the price.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

I swear by Vasque Sundowner. It is a full leather and is Gore-tex lined. They really don't require much breaking in. The only drawback is the price.

I'll second these! I've had my pair for almost 15 years, and they still serve me quite well. Maybe a bit scratched up, but they still do their job admirably.

[LagerHead]

I don't know if it will help with your foot problems, but I see a lot of folks, myself included, wearing Merrill Moabs.

[E4 No More]

ANybody hear of Magnum Boots? They are coming out with a Spider 8.1 HPi in Multicam that look like an athletic shoe with a boot upper.

Men's Magnum 8" Spider 8.1 HPi @ MilitaryBoots.com

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

Never heard of them, but they look... interesting. Probably would not be my choice for most applications.

[E4 No More]

Never heard of them, but they look... interesting. Probably would not be my choice for most applications.

My logic is that a higher end military boot would be better made and comfortable.

[laktrash]

My dad has feet problems and he wears Rockport. Hope this helps.

I wore Rockports for years doing delivery work and on feet all day best boot I everhad wore out three pairs and they lasted along time. They discontinued the style I liked and never found another pair I liked as well . This was years ago so I'm sure alot more options now. Also had a pair of Hi-tecs they were cheap and light liked them alot but took awhile to break them in.

[Mike.357]

Thorogood boots. Made in wisconsin.

Google it and there are a lot of options available.

Very happy with the pair i have had for about a year.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Have had some made in usa Thorogood 7" boots a couple years. Well made and comfortable. And they make em in 4e wide which a lot of companies do not nowadays. Dunno if they would be considered light weight.

The ones I have are more construction type boots and don't have quite as grippy/knobby a sole as would be desirable for walking on a slope in the woods. I walk on slopes in em, but carefully.

Have some old made in usa 6" Dunham hiking boots that still work great and are comfortable, with a good knobby sole. When I got the Thorogoods was first looking for some taller Dunhams, but didn't find any made in usa at the time I was looking.

[chuck]

Danner is all I wear they are as tough a boot as I can find and are very comfy after they break in. Go to the Danner web site pick your boot and buy from Cabelas hope this helps. They even have some made in USA LOL

[gunrunner32]

If you're looking for a military styled boot you should check out a company called OTB. I have a pair of OTBs and they are a great lightweight boot, no goretex or insulation in the ones I have though so they can get a little cold. I've had the Merrell Moabs and they are good but felt more like a gym shoe to me. Two of my favorite boots are La Sportiva FC ECO 4.0 GTX and Salomon Explorer GTX. I put quite a bit of miles on all of my boots and I go through some pretty tough terrain so I wear them out pretty quickly. I personally haven't been impressed my Merrells quality here for the last few years, I see more of their pairs of boots fall apart than I'd like to. Good luck with the boot search, I just went on one for a pair of winter boots...only took me a month of looking and compairing.

[jeremiah]

Have you ever tried support inserts for your shoes? Powerstep inserts solved my arch problems. You can get them on-line or at New Balance stores.

[E4 No More]

Unfortunately, Merrells only go up to size 14 wide. I have a pair of their Mocs, but I can only wear them for short periods before they hurt my middle toe. Unfortunately, I wear a 15 because my foot is a 14 but my first three toes are the same length. This requires either a large toe box, (which is impossible to find unless you can afford custom boots/shoes), or wearing size 15. The latter means I rarely get a shoe that fits well. I can remember only one pair of Nike running mocs that I absolutely wore everywhere until my wife made me get ride of them because my toes were poking through the tops.

[E4 No More]

Have you ever tried support inserts for your shoes? Powerstep inserts solved my arch problems. You can get them on-line or at New Balance stores.

Thanks. That's my alternate plan if whatever I buy doesn't fit my feet too well. Orthotics tend to be pricey, but I can't afford to get lame in the field. No one's going to carry my 300 lbs butt back to camp.