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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Gear Forum Footwear |
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10/06/2018 08:36PM (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I have worn Chotas for quite a few years. My current pair developed the onset of toe sole separation (sounds like a medical condition.) I will want to replace them by next early summer.
I have always liked them but I have to admit they get very heavy since I always wet foot. I am looking for something that has the support and stability of the Chotas but something that might weigh a few pounds less and still drain well.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
I have always liked them but I have to admit they get very heavy since I always wet foot. I am looking for something that has the support and stability of the Chotas but something that might weigh a few pounds less and still drain well.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
10/07/2018 12:40AM
chota hybrid review
These are very light and not a lot of absorbent material. They run narrow so I used lighter socks which also helps to keep the wet weight down. When I took them out of the box and walked around the house and yard I didn't like them. After the first portage I loved them.
These are very light and not a lot of absorbent material. They run narrow so I used lighter socks which also helps to keep the wet weight down. When I took them out of the box and walked around the house and yard I didn't like them. After the first portage I loved them.
10/07/2018 09:00AM
I used these for the first time on my Sept. trip this year. I had six days of portaging travel where I used them. I developed an aggravating hot spot on my right outer ankle bone after the 2nd day. I bandaged it up but it was still painful walking.
I bought an extra set of those bungee laces from Piragis before my trip. I'm not a big fan of these either but they worked fine. The shoes overall are excellent and perfect on the trail for wet footing. Very light with exceptional traction. A big improvement over the Trekkers which I used in the past and did not like.
But - that said, when I got home and was rinsing them off to be put away I noticed that right boot had developed a little bit of separation of the sole at the toe. Very disappointing. I'm going to take them to my "shoe guy" and see what he says.
Lightweight Portage Hiker
I bought an extra set of those bungee laces from Piragis before my trip. I'm not a big fan of these either but they worked fine. The shoes overall are excellent and perfect on the trail for wet footing. Very light with exceptional traction. A big improvement over the Trekkers which I used in the past and did not like.
But - that said, when I got home and was rinsing them off to be put away I noticed that right boot had developed a little bit of separation of the sole at the toe. Very disappointing. I'm going to take them to my "shoe guy" and see what he says.
Lightweight Portage Hiker
"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
10/07/2018 09:54AM
I 've tried several different boots, but keep coming back to the LL Bean Maine hunting boot. I recommend the original boot with leather uppers and gum rubber sole. They offer a model with a goretex insulated liner, but if they get wet, which mine always do, they take forever to dry out and really stink! I'm getting a new pair this year without the liner (which is what I used before). Great traction and ankle support and relatively lightweight. I treat the leather several times a year so they are relatively waterproof.....until you step in that hole....
Mike
LL Bean Maine Hunting boot
Mike
LL Bean Maine Hunting boot
10/07/2018 01:17PM
I have used different combinations for the past few years. Since I'm only tripping in September these days I switched from wet footing in my Keen Newport H2O's to Chota Hippies and Chota Caney Fork boots. I thought I had the perfect combination. As I was getting ready for my trip just a few weeks ago, I decided at the last minute to ditch the set-up. I'm talking like 30 minutes before pushing off at the EP. I don't know why I did this. I grabbed a pair of thin, lightweight wool socks and my Keen's. My feet never felt wet or cold. I hate wet feet worth than anything else in life. In the past I had always wore a mid-weight wool sock, evidently they hold water longer than the lightweight ones which makes sense. The thinner lightweight ones don't hold water at all. Even when I reached camp I didn't take them off because they were already dry in the 20 minute paddle from the last portage to the campsite. I just slipped my camp shoes on. The newer Chota Hybrids look appealing put I have a pair of Caney Forks that I only wore on one trip and it's hard to justify getting a new pair already. It's also discerning to see that they aren't holding up well.
10/07/2018 05:38PM
JATFOMike: "I 've tried several different boots, but keep coming back to the LL Bean Maine hunting boot. I recommend the original boot with leather uppers and gum rubber sole. They offer a model with a goretex insulated liner, but if they get wet, which mine always do, they take forever to dry out and really stink! I'm getting a new pair this year without the liner (which is what I used before). Great traction and ankle support and relatively lightweight. I treat the leather several times a year so they are relatively waterproof.....until you step in that hole....
I know you say that you wet-foot, but I gotta agree with Mike. I just finished a week in my new 11" Bean Cruiser boots and my buddy wore his old 10" Buffalo hide Bean Boots. We worked some neatsfoot oil and sno-seal into them before we went, and we both agreed they were the perfect shoe for all the reasons mike said, plus exactly the right amount of warmth for fall. We mostly wet footed in 6" or less, I overtopped once, but they dried out overnight. We had all kinds of terrain from rocks to muck and they provided the right mix of traction on the rock and muck-proof-ness.
LL Bean Maine Cruiser boot "
Here they are after our trip.
10/08/2018 02:37AM
sedges: " chota hybrid review
These are very light and not a lot of absorbent material. They run narrow so I used lighter socks which also helps to keep the wet weight down. When I took them out of the box and walked around the house and yard I didn't like them. After the first portage I loved them."
I have these as well. Love them. Very light and drain really fast. I dont wet foot in shoulder seasons and pair these with Chota Hippies and love them.
10/09/2018 12:31PM
The astral shoes look interesting, on my last trip i walked alot of portages and i usually just have trail tennis shoe, i was feeling it through the sole after a few days, and wished i had something abit more on the bottom, not sure if astral would give me that, simms boot is something else to consider.
10/11/2018 07:28PM
Might consider trying the Merrell Moab 2 Vent mid-hiker. They run $110 retail. I've used them for 2 seasons now, 6 Quetico trips (avg about 12 nights per trip), and have found them to be excellent portage boots for wet-footing. Used to have the Abyss and the Moab is much more comfortable, Vibram soles for good traction, better support, a bit longer to dry, but still fairly quick.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -- Teddy Roosevelt
10/12/2018 05:41AM
MisterKrabs: "JATFOMike: "I 've tried several different boots, but keep coming back to the LL Bean Maine hunting boot. I recommend the original boot with leather uppers and gum rubber sole. They offer a model with a goretex insulated liner, but if they get wet, which mine always do, they take forever to dry out and really stink! I'm getting a new pair this year without the liner (which is what I used before). Great traction and ankle support and relatively lightweight. I treat the leather several times a year so they are relatively waterproof.....until you step in that hole....
I know you say that you wet-foot, but I gotta agree with Mike. I just finished a week in my new 11" Bean Cruiser boots and my buddy wore his old 10" Buffalo hide Bean Boots. We worked some neatsfoot oil and sno-seal into them before we went, and we both agreed they were the perfect shoe for all the reasons mike said, plus exactly the right amount of warmth for fall. We mostly wet footed in 6" or less, I overtopped once, but they dried out overnight. We had all kinds of terrain from rocks to muck and they provided the right mix of traction on the rock and muck-proof-ness.
LL Bean Maine Cruiser boot "
Here they are after our trip.
"
i tried a pair a few years ago. first time in the water, leaked like a faucet. i even sealed the stitching. any ideas's.
10/12/2018 08:05PM
PineKnot: "Might consider trying the Merrell Moab 2 Vent mid-hiker. They run $110 retail. I've used them for 2 seasons now, 6 Quetico trips (avg about 12 nights per trip), and have found them to be excellent portage boots for wet-footing. Used to have the Abyss and the Moab is much more comfortable, Vibram soles for good traction, better support, a bit longer to dry, but still fairly quick.
"
I tried these on at REI today. I didn't buy them but liked the feel of the boot a lot. I think they will be on my Christmas list this year. Hopefully, they will not weigh as much as my Chota Questicos when wet.
10/30/2018 08:44PM
BobDobbs: "jungle boots"
I used jungle boots my first several trips (late '70s and early '80s), then used some canvas-topped portage boots (don't even remember the brand). For 2017, I bought a new pair of Rothco jungle boots. First day I had all the drainage and quick drying I remembered from those early trips. I started seeing cracking of the leather across the toes on day 2, and sole delamination on day 4. I did a MacGyver to keep the things together on day 5:
I deposited the boots in a Dumpster in Ely the afternoon of day 10. When back home, I contacted Rothco and provided photos of the boots--they suggested I return the boots to the vendor. Right...
For 2018 I bought a pair of NRS Work Boot Wetshoes and love them--good traction on wet rocks and steep climbs, and weren't pulled off my feet even in the suckiest muck. They'll be on my feet next summer's trip, too.
If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African Proverb
10/31/2018 11:07AM
bwcasolo
i tried a pair a few years ago. first time in the water, leaked like a faucet. i even sealed the stitching. any ideas's."
Sorry it took so long to see this. I'm pretty sure that without the sno-seal treatment they would have leaked along the seam between the leather and the rubber. With the sno-seal, it was waterproof for the short amount of time that the seam was under water. I don't think it would have held up for more than a few minutes, but I'm generally just stepping in water, not wading.
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