Kenetrek Men's Mountain Extreme Non-Insulated Hiking Boots

I'm a US wildlife/nature photographer photographing animals in secluded wilderness areas. I've owned these boots for about a year. They have ingested all kinds of terrain including coastal marshland and barrier islands, woodland forests and mountains and a couple snow trips. These came in the form of hiking, camping, backpacking, boating, and kayak trips. Over the years I have slowly acquired a small stable of boots that I have for different situations and conditions. This is the boot I wear when I'm not sure what I'll be dealing. By that I mean it doesn't matter what the conditions are, I'm confident these will get me through. They are very durable/versatile, with great ankle support, are nicely waterproofed and well reinforced. They are pretty much the Navy SEALs of my boot collection. The cons are that the entire sole is chunky and stiff. There is a little break-in period and it does get a little better over time, but it's just built like a tank. This is advantageous in many conditions, but can start to get uncomfortable when idle for long periods (like driving or sitting). They feel the best when you're moving/standing and are not something you'd wear to lounge around in, obviously. Since these boots lace all the way up the shin, getting them on/off can take longer than other styles of boots. However, the tradeoff is that the laces provide excellent ankle support and protection. Overall I'm very happy with these boots. I would recommend spending the money on these if you work in treacherous or versatile terrain, like construction, farming, military, mining, oil & gas, park ranger, linesmen, disaster relief, etc or if you are an avid outdoorsmen spending more time outside than inside, like hunting, fishing, guiding, wildlife & adventure photography, hiking, backpacking, camping, etc

In the past, I have always worn a different brand due to their price point. Recently I needed new hunting boots and purchased my same brand but the quality is just not the same. I figured I would try and give them a chance, but after a couple of weeks I returned them. Then I decided I should just take that leap of going to a higher end boot....the Kenetreks. I was very apprehensive to purchase a boot like the Kenetrek due to the price range. However, I tried on a pair and was thrilled at how comfortable, supportive, and well-made they are. Kenetreks are the real deal when it comes to a solid boot - heres why... Once I put them on, laced them up, I noticed the tongue did not cram up or bunch up under the lacing. The tongue just folded up neatly all the way up along my ankle and shins. I never felt any of the eyelets digging into my skin or shins. During the lacing up, I noticed that I did not have to mess with putting the tongue in place, folding it, or aligning it up as I laced the boot. The arch support, at first, seems just a tad high. The support around the sides of feet were snug. My foot basically felt as if it was glued to the sole and would not at all slide around, such as my other lower-quality boots that I returned. I still have wiggle room for my toes. I am wearing a light wool sock and at first, they are a little too snug, but immediately as I start walking around in them it's like the boot loosens up just perfect to where my feet are perfect. I noticed now, that the arch support is just fine. Its probably because my other boots arch supports are worn out. I noticed with these Kenetreks, each time at first when I put them on that I noticed the arch, but then after 10 minutes, either the arch support forms to my arch or my feet get use to it. I used the regular shoe size measuring device, and one foot is a 8.5 and the other is 9. And of course you are suppose to go with the bigger size foot. But even when I tried on both sizes, I felt I could wear either size. That I couldn't believe, because all the other shoes and boots that I've tried on in the past, there was a noticeable difference between the 8.5 and 9. With the Kenetreks, it was hardly noticeable. I opted to go with the larger size 9, that way if I could wear a thicker wool sock and allow for that extra wiggle room for my toes. I believe these boots a true to size. I've worn these on several training hikes in preparation for my hunt. I've gone on 2.5 mile hikes each time to start breaking them in. I noticed the soles have great traction. The soles grip the gravel, sandy, rocky, dirty, muddy, grassy, etc.. terrain very well. The support in these shoes are awesome. When I walked through a Sam's Club on the concrete surface, they felt a tad hard and I felt that it was much better to be worn on dirt/rocks. Seemed like these boots are definitely for the outdoors. Now the awesome part. I've come to notice the following as I have been putting on and taking these boots off several times now. When taking these boots off, talk about easy. You just unlace all the speed laces down to the eyelets, and then with a gentle nudge at the heel, these boots just slip off with no work at all. None of this having to kick hard, or pull hard, to yank your boots off, or having to unlace even more to loosen the boot laces down to its toes just to fight to get the boots off!! And now to put them on.... easy! I can have the boot standing on its own, without me holding the boot up, no hands, just slip my foot in and step down into the boot, and my foot goes right in! I dont have to do the pulling the sides of the boot up or fight and shove my foot down into the boot to get these on. Lace them up, and I'm ready. So my first impression of these are that they are a solid, boot and are the real deal for a hunting/mountaineering boot. I've got two hunts, deer and elk, coming up. I hope these last for a reasonably long time based on normal wear and tear. The construction of the boot seems of high quality. We'll see how these do in the next couple of years.

The boot is perfect for what it’s supposed to be. First off - there is a waterproof lining but you will want to waterproof the leather using the waterproofing paste THAT COMES FROM KENETREK. It will protect the leather, make it supple and eliminate it getting heavier with moisture. DONT USE ANYTHING ELSE - it can void the warranty. They use different glues that can dissolve with things like mink oil or petrol based solutions. If you use their stuff, it is perfect and sheds water like a ducks back side. Second - the boot is built like a tank. I see these lasting me 8 years or better. It’s foot bed is stiff as a board with no flex. They are perfect for hard terrain where foot flex can get you in trouble. They are not perfect for light day trips, on even trails that are dry and well maintained. If you take them out there, you are just wearing stiff ankle weights. They want to get muddy and be abused so your feet won’t be. Lastly, they fit like a glove. That last statement is often overused but not in this case. Right out of the box they wrap your foot perfectly with no hot spots. You still need to break them in but the break in is short and completely painless. I absolutely love these things. I have amazing confidence that my feet are protected and my footing secure. They are in fact, perfect but… use them how and where they were meant to be used.

$450 for a pair of boots is a lot, I won't lie. These boots, however, are well worth it. These boots are unbelievably comfortable, durable and rebuildable, lightweight, waterproof, and good looking to boot (yay puns). They meet EVERY standard I look for in a boot, but what really sold me on these is the customer service. I work for the forest service and I hike up and down and across mountains everyday. These gave me NO blisters when I switched to them. These boots tighten extremely well so my feet don't move around in the boot. It would be a challenge to roll an ankle in these things. 10 inches high and waterproof mean my feet stay dry as the f***ing Sierra desert walking through streams all day. These boots are tough! Seemingly no amount of sticks and rocks can damage them. Not to mention you can resole them when needed. My boss told me a pair will last him 2 years working fire. To the layman this sounds rather unimpressive. However, working fire is the absolute hardest thing for a boot. Not to mention this guy spends the other half of his life hunting. When they do wear out, he buys another pair, because no other boot provides this level of comfort and durability. All that is well and good but Kenetreks customer service is what sealed the deal. Kenetrek offers pro deals to the forest service for 25% off. You should contact them and see if you can get a pro deal for whatever job you have. On top of that the FS reimbursed up to $300 for work boots. I paid $50 out of pocket for the best boots in the world and they arrived THE DAY AFTER I ordered them. My co-worker also got his the day after he ordered them. Easily the best purchase i'v ever made. I will buy another pair when/if I wear these out. Best boot on the market hands down. Treat yourself, they are freaking awesome!

1. I am size 11, received size 11 and fit was perfect. 2. These boots provide excellent support from the balls of my feet, through the arch, ankle , and up onto the lower calf. In addition, the toe box was very comfortable (I could easily wiggle my toes) even going down steep inclines. 3. All materials appear to by top quality, and durable. 4. The boots were initially a bit stiff, but with about two weeks of wearing them first around the house, and then on short outdoor walks, they became more flexible, while still maintaining the strong support. After this break-in period I used them on a 2 week hiking trip in the Bears Ear/four corners area of New Mexico, Arizona , Utah, Colorado. We typically did day trips hiking 4 to 9 miles each day. These trips were over moderately difficult terrain (elevation changes, rocks, etc.) and the boots were a substantial help due to their strong support, comfort/good fit, & fairly rigid sole. These are in short, the best boots I've had in the past 77 years (old codger here!). BTW, I have the non-insulated version and temps ranged from low 30's to high 70's. I was very comfortable in any weather. 5. The only concern I have in recommending these boots is that their foot support overall is fairly rigid, and best suited for rocky terrain. They would not be my first choice low/flat land such as Midwest grassland or woods. On the other hand, if I could have only one pair of boots, these would be my first choice. 6. I have gone through water 6"-8" deep and absolutely no leakage. Feet stayed totally dry even after sustained wet trail. 7. Overall, these are EXCELLENT boots, and I recommend them without reservation.

This is my second pair of Kenetreks (I bought a pair of Hardscrable Lights, but they were a size too small, so my toes were not liking it and I had to go larger) and I opted to go with the high tops this time around. If you don't want to end up spending a lot on hiking boots, don't try these on, because from the get-go, you will be able to tell that they are going to be a comfortable, quick-to-break-in, high-mileage, and foot-and-ankle-defending boot. I had a buddy try on my prior pair and then go with a more budget oriented boot. It took him a while before he stopped defending his choice of not spending the $$ to get the boot that would truly support his ability to do high mileage across rough terrain with a heavy pack while hunting . . . he knew he was settling for second best and had to keep telling me why. Funny how that works. Anyway . . . I could go on and on about the all-day, 10-12 miles per consecutive days, with a hunting pack on my back comfort, the waterproofing, the support, light weight, the traction and more, but maybe consider this instead: I was fortunate enough to fill my archery elk tag a few weeks ago and ended up packing the first load out in the dark. I was side-hilling down the last hill on my thousand-foot descent from the ridge that I had got my elk on the other side of and was within site of the truck, wading through the waist-high shrubs and bushes, tired (it had been an 18-hour day at that point, with the last three hours of it hiking with a heavy pack on my back) and within 50 yards, managed to step into three different holes that I never saw coming. My ankles rolled in each of them and I know from prior experience that a shorter or lesser boot would have left me with at least sprained and maybe a broken ankle. The Mountain Extremes provided the support to have those missteps not be a detrimental event. To my hunting brethren (and sistren) out there who put on big miles to ridiculous places in ridiculous conditions to fill their hunting tags . . . check out this boot.

These boots are almost perfect. They fit great! They are waterproof, lightweight, and comfortable except for the heel. It rubs and there is a seam that joins right behind the heel. I have to wear Leuko tape on my heel to wear them. I still do because they are so great and a mortgaged my first born to purchase them but I would go different direction at this point. I have about 100 miles on them and they still are broken in on the heel. But you could kick a rock hard and they will be undamaged and so will you but they need to stitch around the cup of the heel. See photos:they show before and after the kenetrek wax is applied, the heels stitching on these boots, and the last one is a double H western roper and that’s how the heel needs to be stitched on these kenetreks.

This is my second pair of Kenetrek's Mountain Extreme boots. I purchased my original pair on the advice of a guide who had extensive experience with this brand and spoke of them glowingly. I can see why. I had been exclusively wearing my old standby brand for over thirty years but the last two caused very painful heel blisters. That problem has disappeared since switching to Kenetreks. Each fall, I hunt very hard in the Sierra Nevada mountains, then fish remote streams and lakes each summer. This is very steep, rocky terrain and these boots provide the best protection for my feet of any boot I have ever worn. They are fairly light weight, offer excellent traction as well as terrific heel and arch support. I have also found the waterproof membrane used in Kenetrek boots to be superior to gore-tex because it is more breathable, yet water-proof, so my feet do not sweat like my old gore-tex boots. These boots are non-insulated but I must say even this non-insulated model is warmer than the pair of Danners with 200 grams of insulation that I own. I have hunted in weather down into the low twenties and been perfectly comfortable. Kenetreks come treated with a waterproofing wax that is very good; water simply beads up and rolls off. If there is a downside they are a bit stiff and can require a bit more break in period than other brands. This can be shortened if you treat the boots periodically with Kenetrek boot wax. I figure I have over 800 rough miles on my original pair and they are still serviceable. This experience makes it easy for me to highly recommend these boots.