Thread: Good light(er)weight boot for river flats/private land?

Hi guys, I have a pair of Lowa Tibets atm which suit me well for most of my hunting on the tops and above the bush line in the South Island. However, occasionally I will be doing trips on private land or public land trips but just sticking to river flats and the Tibets are a bit overkill as they are heavy and have a long shank. Wondering if anyone has some lighter, more flexible boots that they would recommend? Not looking to break the bank and would buy 2nd hand but would like some guidance on decent models to look out for. Cheers

Lace up Ashley gummies.under $200 for a pair.... You won't know if you don't try lol

Meindel Desert Fox

$150 plus postage from Ebay.co.uk

red bands cant go wrong

I’ve been using a pair of la sportiva TX5 for about a year now, I really rate them I only use my Scarpas now for winter hunts as they are warmer when wet and crampon compatible.

Salomon Quest 4D GTX were recommended on here...so I got some. Very comfy. Not cheap though, and I really don't like the laces - they don't tie well, and once wet they are very difficult to undo. But overall they are good and worth considering.

Always tough to recommend boots but if I was going really light I would probably look at something like La Sportiva Ultra Raptors. Weigh next to nothing but have the right ingredients for clambering etc. I was looking at them when I was boot shopping recently but couldn't find anywhere to try them on. It's all synthetic which keeps the weight down.

Also tried the Salomon Quests mentioned above, weren't a fit for my feet but they are nice boots. Someone is selling a pair on here depending on your size. Maybe even the Ultra 4 which is a good bit cheaper would do for the use you want. Salewa Mountain Trainers, which I settled on, are good too -- although a little stiffer in the sole, slightly heavier than the Salomons (not much in it). Still about 400gm lighter than your Tibets.

My cheap-ish synthetic Hi-tec "hill walking" shoes have seen more miles in the hills (not alpine or mountains - hills) than my current full leather "proper" boots... the Hi-tecs aren't perfect and not in the same league of Salomon/La Sportiva/Salewa etc but they fit well, lightweight, comfortable for a day's walking with a daypack, provide sufficient grip and stability etc and work well for me for the price. Sadly they're now falling apart and I've reached the limits of my DIY cobbler's skills with glue so I need to replace them with something else as they don't make that model anymore. I look for synthetic with a wide toe box and no waterproof lining.

I really want to try these aye, if they make boots as tough as their skate shoes they could be a goer

https://www.vans.co.nz/ultrarange-ex...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

“Keen “ brand of boots are pretty good.

Originally Posted by Gibo

I really want to try these aye, if they make boots as tough as their skate shoes they could be a goer

https://www.vans.co.nz/ultrarange-ex...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Gibo Hawk over here ...

Originally Posted by The bomb

“Keen “ brand of boots are pretty good.

These come up in Macpac all the time on clearance too, can usually get them at a good price

Originally Posted by norsk

Meindel Desert Fox

$150 plus postage from Ebay.co.uk

I'll second the desert fox, although I found them a bit narrow for my feet. Great stalking boot for bush and river flats, I used mine a lot in the Kaimanawas. Dry out fairly quickly too. Not like the tibets which take 3 days.

The keen are a wide fitting boot too,has Salomon’s but they were to narrow for me.

Salomon quests but not the top model mentioned above but the Element model.

Keen Thargee, three quarter boots are good paddock creepers too.


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Lowa Renegades i’ve been using lately have gone well.