The sole on my Danner boots is starting to separate from the leather in a couple places. I’m not sure if I should be concerned so I figured I’d check here before going into REI. These are Mountain 600 Leaf boots that I just purchased in November, so I should still be covered.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think that should be happening. My Danner hunting boots lasted ten years of hard use. Finally the leather got ripped up by hopping over too many barb wire fences (well obviously not always getting all the way over if my boot is ripping ??).
Seems like boots and shoes are more cheaply made and more expensive than even 10 years ago. Maybe using cheaper glue/adhesive. Frustrating.

T

I see this a lot on the boots with a softer midsole, but I would 100% return for another pair. Worst they can say is no, and if they do, go straight to Mfg since they have a 1 year warranty. I would expect that from a $30 pair of Walmart shoes, not $200+ hiking boots. Their "re-craftable" technology they're putting in boots seems like a copout to make a lower quality boot and disguise it as a feature, but who knows. They seem highly rated and maybe your case is isolated.

I'm on year 2 with a pair of Lowas for Summer and Oboz for winter, both with probably 500 really hard and gross miles each, and neither are showing any separation yet.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I’ll bring em in, I just didn’t want to be the whiny guy over reacting to a non-issue.

I will also admit that I don’t love the boots! Just not quite as comfortable as I would like. After a full day in them the feet aren’t feeling great. So if REI will honor their 365 day return promise for members I will likely try something else.

Please let us know how this return works out.

deerfoot: "Please let us know how this return works out."

Will do, but I’ve decided to wait til May for the anniversary sale. I bought them during the November sale, so if I’m going to get value out of my store credit it makes sense to do so during another sale period. This is my everyday boot so I can’t afford to be without it in the meantime.

I took care of this today. I had forgotten about the member sale with 20% off 1 full price item, so didn’t need to wait til May.

REI accepted the return with zero questions. Sales guy agreed this wasn’t acceptable in a $200 pair of boots.

I ended up getting a pair of Altra Timp GTX. Very different boot in one sense, but still goretex with a vibram sole so also comparable. They are significantly lighter weight than the Danners. I’m not totally sure how I feel about moving away from leather but I think it’s worth a try. They feel incredible on my feet.

Thanks for the update.