Best Boot for the Buck??

[Dman]

 I LIKE IRISH SETTER BOOTS, DON'T THINK I'LL EVER BUY ANOTHER BRAND!! 

[Curly]

I like the Lowa brand.

[jackelope]

my backpack boots are raichles, the boots i wear to work are red wings. i've always liked red wings and irish setters, and  i would really like to get a pair of lowa's if my raichles ever wear out.

[Dman]

 I haven't heard of Iowa, who sells them??

[huntnfmly]

I love my danners had them for twelve yrs still going strong
jim

[jackelope]

not Iowa...Lowa...sorry i used a lower case L, lowa.
you can find them at cabelas for sure, schnees, and i'm sure lots of other places
they make the mountain hunter, sheep hunter, boots.
http://www.schnees.com/catalog/brands/cat_lowa-boots.html?products_begin=0

[Krusty]

Lowa, a very old an well respected German company that has been making top class climbing and hiking boots forever, and has recently branched out to other "user groups".

REI is a Lowa distributor, though they may not have all the models in stock.

Krusty

[Dman]

 I just bought the Irish Setter Aero Tracker this Winter, nice weight and real dry. Traction is the best of any boot I've owned including Danner's. The Lowa's look pretty good too from what I can tell, but it looks like the Irish Setter's are much cheaper at $100 vs. $180.

[jackelope]

I have foot/ankle/knee issues because of the way i grew as a kid(grew 11 inches in one year) and can only get certain boots to fit right and stay comfortable without causing pain over time. i have only had good luck with  those raichles for long hikes, pack on my back, etc, and they were in the $200.00 range. because of that i have tried a lot of different less expensive boots, most of which go relatively unused, sit in the garage on a shelf a while and eventually get donated to goodwill. i am way more comfortable in boots than sneakers because of the added support. i own a pair of sneakers, but have had them for 2 years probably and they still look brand new.
sometimes it's nice being a big guy, other times it sucks.

[bowpredator]

I just wore out my Rocky's last year after 11yrs service. Just picked up a new pair of irish setters last month un-insulated,gore-tex at GI JOES on sale $99 from $149. these are for early season. late season if its cool I use my other insulated danners.

[Ray]

I've always liked the Lowa boots but they never seem to fit my narrow feet well.

Sometimes I have noticed that I gravitate towards certain shoe brands because they simply seem to fit my feet better.

[sisu]

Whites and Danner for hunting boots and any ankle high boot for hiking, scrambling etc.

[boneaddict]

Whites for winter use.  I use Meindles Hunting Boots.

[Krusty]

Huntwa,

You said it all, you will gravitate to certain brands because they fit your feet.

Shoes and boots are built on a "last", it's the mocked up shape of a foot in the various sizes in a production run.
Companies will use that last over and over.
Some companies play to a wider market group, and have lasts of several "foot types", while others never seem to make a boot "your shape".

Danner, and Red Wing are the best in this regard, with five widths of lasts per size, or more.

Some other compaines like Rocky, never seem to use a last twice... "dangit I used to like their boots?"
That's because they subcontract out the manufacture, so they never really do use the same form.

Oh, I am not a shoe freak, I worked in the climbing and boot depts. at REI so they filled my head with otherwise useless information, and it wanted out.

Krusty

[ICEMAN]

Redwing for rugged backcountry boots. For lightweight, I am sold on Cabelas Speed Hunter boots, more of a rugged h20proof sneaker, but awesome. Very comfy in any condition I have tried them in and only 100 bucks.