Issues with my Kenetreks

[bigeasygator]

I've worn my Kenetrek Desert Safaris for two seasons now, including two elk hunts and two mule deer hunts. I imagine I put a total of 100 miles on them -- and never had a blister. My thoughts are fit is important, but as important are sock choice. With my liner socks (I use Kenetrek) and my outer socks (I've used both Kenetrek socks matched to the season and this last year used mainly Darn Toughs). May want to revisit your sock choice as well. Not sure what else to tell you...my Kenetreks are the greatest boots I've ever owned!

 

[Carrion Carrier]

IMO insulated boots are only good for weather that is <15°F and deep snows.Sweat will cause blisters.

 

[JohnDeereGreen]

IMHO, that kind of boot is way too hot for early season hunts. I have a pair of the Asolo PowerMatic 200s that I have worn since '09 which I love. They are a great boot on their own but when you pair them up with a good pair of goretex gaiters, they are damn near invincible. You can stomp through snow mud rain with them and your feet don't get wet. I don't bust out insulated boots til there is 3-4 inches of snow on the ground. I also got a pair of the Asolo FSN 95s for early season stuff. They are much lighter, but are not a boot I would want to wear with a heavy pack on my back tho. One other thing you might try is changing your socks a couple times per day.

 

[DWarcher]

Find the boot that fits your foot best and wear them in the car, around the house, down the street, mowing the lawn etc etc and when its time to climb you hopefully wont have any issues if you have chosen wisely.

This^

And if they don't work, take 'em back...

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

Thanks for all the great advice guys! Damn, a lot of boot experience here. It's weird, last year and the year before I didn't have a single issue and this year was a total disaster. I use Smartwools (hiking version) and I think they are too heavy still with the Smartwool liner. Anyway, I'll start trying on boots and find a light alternative for early season. I agree about saving the insulated boots for the snow as well. I've just never had an issue where it mattered before. Asolo, Lowa, etc. the list of options goes on. This should be fun.

 

[1_pointer]

Is the liner sock wool? If so, maybe try a synthetic liner. I wear a synthetic liner under med weight wool sock in my K-treks to fend off the blisters.

If you are shopping for boots, I'd give Lathrop and Sons a look.

 

[Khunter]

I have worn a Meindl for over 15 years. Second pair. I have a back up pair of Danner mountain lites but they never get much use. Might give either of those a try for early season.
I think lacing and terrain may have a played a part? Certain you wear a good sock, but a great sock is critical too. Anyway, one false move with a re-tie after you air dry from hiking 5 miles or so and ya might have trouble.
> Was maybe gonna buy a pair of those from someone here? How is the sizing on those Kennetreks? true to size? Do you wear a thinner sock? My running shoe is an asics kahana or some flavor in 13, boot for sale is a 12? please advise.

i would never buy a boot that was broken in to fit someone elses boot. that could be a real problem for your feet. gotts be other ways to save some cash to get a new boot. biugth kenetreks fro 20 or so percnt off at shoebuy.com

 

[wyoming556]

Ive had the same problem with mine which are uninsulated. I tried liners, insoles, lacing patterns and everything else. Nothing worked. I get blisters the very instant I start hiking up hill. I did a 8 mile hike this spring bear hunting and by the 3rd mile the kenetreks were tied to my pack and I did the remaining 5mi in my socks. I never plan on wearing the damn things again! Maybe I can throw them in for a package deal with Cushmans

Now that's funny. Surprised you didn't leave them for dead on the side of the trail. Had similar experiences with my kenetreks. Mine propably have several hundred miles on them by now and nothing I have tried fixes the heel rub problem when doing any uphill walking. Now I just wear them around the house when I don't walk very far. From my experience if you try these out and have heel issues I would return them ASAP and try another brand of boots out instead of wasting more money on insoles and sock combinations to try and make a $400 pair of boots fit properly. I propably have $500+ in the kenetrek boots, insoles, and sock combinations and wear my $100 rockys when I actually go out and walk more than a couple of miles. I would never buy another Kenetrek product as they simply don't fit my feet.

 

[Bambistew]

Reading this thread makes me grateful that I have 'tough' feet. I've had blisters one time, and it was because of wet feet in leather lined boots.

I love how so many have the "answer" to boot problems. "Lacing them up right"... LOL

It has noting to do with the fact that boot manufactures try to make a one size fits all when everyone has different feet... lacing isn't the problem. If you have to hold your tounge just right, and tie your laces underwater, just to make sure the boot fits... throw the POSs away (or sell them in the classifieds). Like any gear the more cash you part with doesn't necessarily mean you going to get better performance.

No help with Kentreks, but know I'll never buy a pair going on reviews, and friends experiences with them.

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

If I didn't get such a good deal on Kenetreks I wouldn't own them. I've had a few pairs now and for them being a mass produced boot I've had different problems with each pair. If I was paying retail at $400 dollars a pair I wouldn't even consider them after the track record I've had with them. $400 dollars is a chunk of money that led me to expect a higher quality product. What I found was quite the opposite.

I've had a few pairs of cabelas brand boots, danners, etc over the years that are a 1/4 the price when found on sale that last just as long, if not longer then Kennetreks. And a whole hell of a lot more comfortable.

I did go on a short hike this year to kill a sheep and didn't have any issues with blisters etc. But like I said it was a short hike.

 

[DWarcher]

i would never buy a boot that was broken in to fit someone elses boot. that could be a real problem for your feet. gotts be other ways to save some cash to get a new boot. biugth kenetreks fro 20 or so percnt off at shoebuy.com

Hey, no texting and driving!

 

[Big Fin]

Interesting to read these comments. I get a lot of emails about the boots, given I wear them in the show and have worn them before we started the show. Most are questions about my opinions of the boots and a very few have been asking if I have ever had a blister issue.

I have concluded that fit is the biggest issue. I am lucky/unlucky to have Fred Flinstone feet. They are flat and wide. Every pair of boots I ever owned gave me blisters, until I started wearing Kenetreks, and some of those were supposedly the top tier category of the great mountain boots. Maybe those other boots were good boots, but they did not fit me well and thus did not work out for me. Since finding Kenetrek boots in 2007, not one blister and I have hunted more days, with heavier packs, over some uglier terrain, than when I wore boots that did give me blisters on easy terrain.

When I do hear a concern it is often a heel issue. I have wide heels. Maybe that is why the fit is so good for me.

As far as durability, I have the 400 Mountain Extremes that I bought in 2007. I have worn them for every late season hunt since then. In those six seasons I would guess they have well over 25 hunts on them, probably all at least 5 day hunts, with 8 mile per day average. What's that for miles? 25 X 5 X 8 = 1,000 miles. Most with at least 25# pack and rifle. Some with heavier loads. Never had a blister. Still wearing them with no problems. Changed laces once. Will probably get them resoled over the summer.

I have a pair of Hardscrabbles I got in early 2010. In the last three seasons, they have over 15 week-long hunts on them, with those being my boot of choice for the archery hunts in lava rocks of AZ and NM. Those early archery elk hunts probably average 9 miles per day. Again, never a blister or failure. Had them resoled this year.

Last winter I got a pair of non-insulated Mountain Extremes and hunted with them for all but two hunts this year. Never even bothered to break these in before going on a spring bear hunt. Again, never any blister issues. They look brand new after at least 300 miles this year.

As far as ankle support, they provide the best I have found. A stiff boot makes life much easier for legs/knees/feet when carrying heavy loads over rocky ground.

Wish everyone found them to fit as good as they fit for me. Not sure what the issues are, but I suspect it is fit, more than anything.

And yeah, I use them in the show. I was using them before the show, when I had to pay for them out of my own pocket. They work extremely well for me and that is why I continue to use them. I have been approached by many other boot companies and some of them have very large checkbooks to spend on TV shows. I continue to wear what has worked best for me, Kenetreks, believing that if I did not have a quality boot on my feet for four straight months of hunting the west, there is no way my feet would hold up for that many miles, over that terrain, with loaded packs.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I have some nasty toe fungus, crusty skinned up feet. But……………….

The last time I remember getting a blister was 15 years ago when I thought I was smart and had sock liners + socks. Not sure why that is so recommended? Just another surface to slip.

Wearing 400 grams in the early season? I could clear out a Super Dome with my foot stank if I wore that.

 

[MHMT]

I use Smartwools (hiking version)

Ahhh this is your problem. you have to use the hunting version if you are hunting.

I always found it funny how there is hiking, climbing, hunting versions of smartwool socks.

 

[dustinf]

"Lacing them up right"... LOL

Whatever.

Like I said in my first post, fit and feel, not brand is most important. I wear boots 10-12 hours a day, and have done so for the past 17 years(never a blister). For me, lacing can make a good fit, great.

This pic is a pair of Danners, I wore out in less than 4 months at work:

 

[mdhunter]

I have to give props...if your boots look like that after four months, you are working way harder than me! Wow!

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Im with Dinkshooter in the sock liner team, i have never used them or seen the need for them if your boot or shoe fits you correctly from the start. I have probably had a few thousand days in the field on the hunt in many different locations and worn a lot of different footwear and couldn't remember the last time i had a blister from an incorrect fitted boot that was a result of terrain, moisture or bad selection on my behalf. Steep stuff and river crossings are sure to test out your boot choice and i would pay more attention to the fit then how the fine print on the marketing spiel reads..

 

[Bambistew]

Whatever.

Those Danner's obviously aren't laced right.

Danner's are POS, I'll never own another pair. I wore out a pair in 2 weeks of elk hunting about ten years ago.

Sorry if i hurt your feelers... lacing your boots "right" is like wiping your ass... it ain't rocket science.

 

[dustinf]

Ahhh this is your problem. you have to use the hunting version if you are hunting.

I always found it funny how there is hiking, climbing, hunting versions of smartwool socks.

It's more about where, than how hard...

 

[zfountaine55]

I had a similar problem with kenetreks, fought heel blisters for the last 2 years. Tried every sock trick in the book. Tried every insole combination out there. No change. Boots were great on flat ground, but as soon as I started up a hill, it felt like there was glass in my heels. I admit I have a difficult foot to fit, but unlike randy, mine is long, flat, and narrow. Fortunately I had the option to play with sizing after all else failed. Depending on shoe or brand I wear a 11.5 or 12, usually in a narrow size. The first several pairs of kenetreks that I had were 11.5. The 12's just felt loose every time I tried them on. What finally fixed my heel issues was going to a size 12. My feet are now the most comfortable they have ever been. So I would really recommend working to get the right size, and certainly not erring on the small side. In my personal experience, when you get the fit figured out, kenetreks have been awesome!