Hanwag Boot Review - "Yukon"
(Posted this over at CGN, thought I would share here too.)
Hey guys,
Thought I would do a quick write-up with my initial impressions. I've yet to put these boots through their paces, but will update once I have.
My old boots kicked the bucket on me, so I decided to look into new boots for this season. I've always heard good things about Hanwag boots, both from friends in the military as well as hardcore sheep hunters. So I figured I'd grab a pair and see how they worked out.
First things first, yes, they are expensive. Really expensive compared to what I'm used to. But from the opinions of guys who have had these boots before, they will survive a lot of hard use, with a lifespan of around 3-5 years, give or take. So the quality seems to be there.
I bought the Yukons because I prefer a full leather, uninsulated, non-goretex boot for all-around use. Goretex and insulation make my feet waaaaay too hot, and I've had too many synthetic boots shredded from scree on the side of a mountain. The "Yukon" boot fit this criteria nicely. And if my feet do get cold, I just put on a heavier sock. So I put in my order for these boots from Monod Sports in Banff.
My boots showed up, and I immediately swapped out the factory insoles for my custom orthodic insoles. LOTS of room in the boot for new insoles. Secondly, the boots fit true to size. I'm a US 10.5/UK 9.5, and the boot (size 9.5UK) fits true to this. If you have doubts, measure your foot using Monod's spec sheet on their website. Thirdly, I tend to have a narrow foot, generally within a D or an E size depending on the shoe/boot. EE work boots are much too wide on me, but the Hanwags fit me great. They have a narrow heel that tends to cradle your ankles solidly in place. These boots are heavy, and I could imagine they would get quite heavy if they were thoroughly soaked. The nice thing about all leather boots though is you can "walk" them dry fairly quickly compared to their goretex counterparts, so I'm hoping that holds true with these boots.
Regarding socks, I use a polypro liner sock, with a regular wool rag-type sock over them. Nothing fancy, just the regular old-school wool-with-red-stripe-on-top that your grandfather probably wears. If it gets really cold, I use a fairly heavy army surplus wool sock. So with that said, the way the lacing system is on this boot, you can use either sock with no problem. The boot will still fit nicely, and not feel too tight on your foot.
I went for a walk, and the first thing I noticed was how stiff these boots are. Yes, the mountaineers here will laugh at me, but I've generally had fairly flexible boots when it comes to hiking boots. These guys are certainly a lot stiffer. They may loosen up a bit over time however. This stiffness will make the boots great for side-hilling and should stop you from rolling your ankles. They should perform really well in difficult terrain in keeping your foot nice and stable.
Unfortunately this test tonight was taking the dog for a walk on a pavement path, so with regards to that, the boots felt a little "clunky". When I took a few detours onto the grass or bush, they felt a lot better. The tread is a hefty vibram design, and grabs nicely. The leather "glove" boot linings are SUPER comfy, and I really, really, like them.
So my initial impressions are pretty good with this boot. They will definitely need some breaking in to loosen them up, as my right ankle felt a little achey once I got home. That most likely is my own fauly though, through a combination of taking a brand new stiff boot on pavement, as well as not being used to the weight of the boot. I'll wear them for the rest of the week and hopefully will get things sorted out. Remember though, I'm not a big guy (6', 160lbs), so they might feel a bit softer to you bigger guys.
I've got a 5 day backpack hunt coming up, so will report how they do on that. From all the good things I've heard though, they should do really well.
Cheers!
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