I had the Zamberlan Sawtooths and hated them. Ended up giving them to my brother. They were wide last because they figured you'd use a two sock system with them and needed the extra width for room. Except, they gave it one of the tightest narrowest toe boxes I ever used so that was impossible. Doesn't mean Zamberlans are bad but that was a bad model imo

 

No experience with that new model. I tend to shy away from insulated versions.

I have a pair of 980gtx that wore the hell out of and the are going strong. For that matter so have my 11ich cougars that took me on MT goat hunt, Mt caribou and whole bunch of other high county bow hunts.

I also have a Lynx GTX and couple pairs of Viozs as well. The wider toe box in Zams tend to work well for me. Pretty much them and couple pair of Crispi are all I own anymore

 

I personally didn't like the zams I have but my feet hurt easily I'm 100% crispy guy for boots now. Everyone feet are different and the zams are great at lasting a long time tho just not for my feet.

The boa system I love but will say if your going to travel out of state a back pack in somewhere or out of the country hunting or mountain hunts get the lace style. If the boa system breaks your pretty much screwed to get boots tied as Paracord won't fit in the spots the metal cord goes in. Lucky I had duct tape and wrapped the boot tight fto finish the hunt.

 

I have 4 pair and my wife has 2 of zamberlans, I think they are the best boots made for long lasting. I have not used the boots you are looking at, and don’t know your use for them.

I like the boa system for certain applications, but on a hunting boot it makes me nervous. I think for many things it would be fine, but if I was hiking a lot of steep country I wouldn’t consider them because I want many options for lacing to make sure I can get the fit dialed in, different boots call for different lacing techniques… I don’t have 2 boots I lace the same, and rely on versatility for lacing.

one example, the trail lite evo gtx, if I snug everything up evenly, it would chew my heel off on inclines, and get narrow in the toe box, if I leave the front of the boot loose and trap it that way and make the top 2 snug, they are incredibly comfortable… almost all boots are that way for me, just evenly snugged up is rarely comfortable, and that’s the only option you have with boas… the boots you are looking at have 2 sets on each boot which probably helps, I just want complete control over the lacing on any boots

if you are using them for stand hunting, they will probably be a kick ass boot

 

Thanks for your input, guys! I appreciate it. I hadn't thought about those potential issues with the BOA system but it makes sense. My main purpose will be for late season saddle hunting when it's 20* or less. I've been wearing my Keens with 600g insulation the last couple years and they're just not warm enough, even with 2 pairs of thick merino socks. I'm also looking at the Irish Setter Icetreks and the Crispi Briksdal Pros. I have two other pairs of Crispis and I love them but my concern going that route is Crispi doesn't really offer any models with a lot of insulation. I'm open to other suggestions, or even some suggestions for some good socks that I may not know about to keep my feet warm.

 

Might want to try the boot blanket route with your crispis before spending a few hundred.

 

They beat me to it. I’d give that a go. Other than the awkwardness I’ve never heard anyone complain about cold feet

 

Update: I was able to get a pretty good discount so I went ahead and ordered a pair of the Zamberlans. I thought about it and these are going to be used for late season saddle hunting. At most, I will only be hiking about a mile from my truck. I'm not too concerned about the BOA system breaking. If it does Zamberlan will fix it and I do have other boots I can wear if need be. I've never owned any Zamberlans before so I'm interested to try them out.

Sidenote: I have a few pairs of Crispis. I know I like them. Any of you have experience with the Wild Rock Plus?

 

If you are concerned, you can order a spare boa kit from zamberlan, but the boa system has been pretty reliable on my couple pairs of wading boots I’ve had them on and put a lot of miles on

I do think zamberlan makes the best boots if they fit you well, mine have been reliably the most waterproof for the longest time

 

I guess I am a relatively cheap boot guy.......as I like insulated Irish Setter and Keen boots....plus have a pair of Merrill Moab for turkey season and an insulated pair of Danner for early whitetail season. Clearly I am not hiking up mountains elk or sheep hunting, but the BOA system on my Irish Setters have hung in there pretty well. I've heard Zamberlans were pretty stiff and needed some significant break-in, which is not needed where I typically hunt. Get them early, wear them during the summer when suitable to get some miles in and see how it goes.

 

I have a pair of Keens that I'm not too fond of. Those are actually the ones I'm replacing with these Zamberlans. Good to know about your BOAs. I'm confident I won't have any issues out of them. I definitely plan to break them in before season gets here.

 

Keens don’t last for me and the sole is flat and formless.

I like my crispi thors a lot.

I have zam Lynx- huge fan and love the all leather mono piece construction for wear.

Zam has a larger toe box imo


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I've never tried Crispi boots, so let us know how they work out for you. Sounds like your feet will be "well covered" this fall.

 

Will do. I know I love Crispis. This is my 3rd pair. They're by far the best boots I've owned. I'll soon find out how these Zamberlans compare.

 

Never heard of em'....but I have heard of Mucks.....but I hunt a lot of wetland.

 

A couple friends of mine rave about their Muck boots. I don't hunt any wetland so I don't really have a need for them.

 

Did your Zams show up yet? Wondering about your first impressions and trial run with them.

 

Not yet. I was actually just tracking shipping. They were supposed to be delivered today but UPS tracking hasn't updated.

 

I got them today. First impressions: stiffer than I expected, pretty comfortable out of the box, easy on and off with the boa system, and very warm!

 

So what was the verdict after using these this past season ?

 

Look good.....stiff seems to be the general concensus on Zams. Warm in June isn't the same as warm after a few hours in November.... Hope they work out for you.

 

Very true! Lol. We'll see how they do come late season.

 

I have an older pair of Zamerlin that are leather that must be over 6yr old. Boots look brand new inside and out. They did take a while to break in but after that they are super comfortable. one of my better hunting investments I made over the years

 

I had a pair of zamberlan 980 outfitter and though they seamed like great quality boots, they just didn't fit my feet right in the toe box so I ended up selling them.

 

The ones I've tried on never fit me right in my normal size 13. I'd probably need a 13 1/2, in Zamberlans, which isn't available.

I bought German made Meindl's instead. Very satisfied.