Irish Setter Men's 880 Elk Tracker Waterproof Hunting Boots - 200 Gram Insulation, 12" Height for Big Game Hunting - Perfect for Cold Weather, Rugged Terrains & Outdoor Adventures

These are my fourth or fifth pair of Elk Tracker Danner Boots made my Irish Setter. I get the same style, 880, which has 200 grams of insulation. These boots are warm enough in the winter with heavy socks, and cool enough in the summer with regular crew socks. The only thing I wear down in these boots is the soles and the laces. I usually get about 2-3 years of life from a pair of these boots, which may seem like a short life until you understand what I put these things through. I get my steps in at work, usually 10,000 steps or more each work day. I have worn these boots in the snow, the mud, ankle deep water, dirt, hot synthetic turf, rocky trails, and just about any kind of extreme condition imaginable. I've done logging and tree work in the mountains, hunting, ice fishing, and many other outdoor sports with these boots. They keep traction until the soles wear out and get flat (see my pictures of the last pair I had three years vs a pair fresh out of the box), and I need new laces about every 6 months. I keep my boots on a peet feet boot dryer each night after work, or let them air out when I am on the mountain. I don't want to shell out $5-600 for a high end pair of hunting boots that I'll also wear to work and get dirty, that will probably wear just as quickly as these for $240. I personally think Elk Tracker boots are a great boot for the price!Reviewing a pair that I have seen roughly 2-3 days of use per week for at least 6 months already.They are large but surprisingly comfortable. Cushioning is superb, and no break-in was needed from day 1. Effective at keeping water out thus far without conditioning applied on my part, and they have endured a number of times of heavy rain without wetty feet.Now something you might need to watch out for. If you indeed wear them on rainy days but not on rough terrain (e.g. walking into a house with tiles from rain outside), one needs to walk with extra care to avoid slipping. The problem is not likely specific to these boots and more on the nature of the sole tread design being more tailored for rough terrain, but that leaves the surface area too small for a firm grip on smooth surfaces.Also, the lining of the boots are rather rugged and rubbing against the calves could cause some minor skin bleeding. Needed to get boot socks.In my opinion, these boots are not heavy at all, but I am essentially a boot guy and wear work boots most of the time with lighter shoes like sneakers only sparingly, so I am mostly used to walking in boots. Despite the claim of 12 inches, they are more like 10 inch boots. They don't seem to stink much provided you keep a few sets of boots on rotation and avoid wearing a single pair every day. It is fine to wear them in hot summers and your feet would not get too hot.I love these boots this is my 5th pair of irish setter boots. I have several different pair for different activities. Work, play, hunting,etc. All have fit just right and have lasted a long time. I have a wide foot and the wide fits me perfect. Right out of the box it feels like these were made for my foot. Each pair is so comfortable I rarely take them off. I am on my feet 14 to 16 hours a day and my feet are tired but not sore. Customer service: I had some trouble with finding some replacement laces for a pair of older boots. I contacted Irish setter customer service and they helped me find exactly what I needed and shipped them to me quickly.Love themI haven't got to try these out in the mountains yet but right out of the box they look and feel like a great set of boots. I wore them around the yard to help break the man and so far they're super comfortable. I really like the tread construction. I was skeptical about a taller boots and that it might dig into my calf but these boots hug the calf very nice in the upper part of the boot is super padded. I order these in both a 10 1/2 and an 11 and glad I did because the 10 1/2 was a little tight. I normally wear a 10D but like to go up a half-size if I plan on wearing thicker or double socks. The 10 1/2 was pretty tight right at the base of the laces over my toes. The 11 feels great with both single tube sock and wool sock. I'll post a better review once I actually get in the snow. They can also use a really good polish before getting them to wetImpressed. My first time trying Irish Setters. Right out of the box they are the most comfortable boot I've ever worn. I've bought several boots in the $200 range, and a few in the $100 range, a couple more expensive than these and none were close to matching the comfort. I work physically hard in the mountains and put my boots to the test, I'll update later to comment on the durability and how water tight they are after a wet season. So far I'm incredibly happy with this boot.Bought the Elk Stalkers for hunting, first day out of the box I noticed they were tough to get on.The shaft is not sized correctly, so your pulling to much to get them on. I'm normally an 11 in Georgia boots the only size available in these were 11.5 but I bought them figuring 200 gram insulation should be ok, Wrong! Next out of the box a pull on loop breaks, very soft leather lots of stitch weakened it. other brands have corrected that issue by using a synthetic loop, they never break. Third the laces were 84" not even close , look at the add picture they do not lace to the last eyelet of the boot for a reason. Had to buynew set of laces 96". And 4th the boot when laced does not close up completely to the leather tongue.maybe it was designed that way. I kept them because I was in a pinch hunting season just started they are comfortable after I wear them for awhile, and maybe they will loosen up, but that boot will leak eventually, to much stretching at the seams.Upside is the boot itself looks and seems fairly heavy duty, but stitching looks a bit lightweight.I am 61 years old and have owned many pairs of hunting boots, these are expensive and poorly made.Intial impression - Appears to be a very good quality product.Fitment- Definatly order a size larger or 1.5 sizes larger if you want to wear a thicker sock. I usually wear size 11 and the 12s were tight. These boots fit similar to Nike shoes. One size larger than what you wear.Break in - upon fitment boots were alittle tight to my pinky toes. Decided not to go with a wide boot and hoping these stretch to fit my footWarmth/insulation- Im in canada and had these boots out on a mildish day. (-6° celcius) and my feet were burning hot. I was wearing a mid thickness Adidas athletic sock and my feet toasty. Submerged a few times in icey puddles and feet never got wetAll in all... good quality comfortable boots with decent fitment and nice insulation. At the end of the day you are buying boots online, you are rolling the dice on fitment.Update - Boots broke in beautifully and I couldn't be happier. Highly recommend these for hunting and cold weather.This is my second pair after a 5-year life span of the first pair. Wearing them from Oct to May every year in Canadian winters.Was thrilled to see they have not changed this boot since my last pair. No need to mess with a good thing!Light weight, comfortable (once broken in), warm and dry!Worth every pennySemelle craquées après seulement 4-5 jours de chasse. Désolant car les bottes sont très confortables et super étanches à l'eau avant de craquer. Les 2 bottes ont craqué et aucun espece de service après vente chez irish setter, aucume reponse a plusieurs courriel....service inexistant j'en racheterai pas certain...I really like the boot, fit as expected. I am 9.5 US I got a 10 so I fit my wool socks and I have plenty of wiggle room. Too bad they did not come with a extra plair of laces.Seems like a pretty good product.. But it felt super light, and I kinda feel that it won't last as long as a red wing boot, which feel way heavyer (sturdier).. My two cents, if not it is good quality