What boots are PH's wearing these days?

[Clodo Ferreira]

Or this other one. May be the best shoe maker still in operation

Calzados Correa

www.calzadoscorrea.com.ar

 

[Kharn]

Boots and breeches, the clothing of a traditional PH.

I share your taste in both boots & breeches but what breeches are yours?

 

[grand veneur]

This is a very old model, that are original german riding breeches from the thirties. I wear them extremely rarely to preserve them.

 

[Kharn]

This is a very old model, that are original german riding breeches from the thirties. I wear them extremely rarely to preserve them.

The only breeches I own are a pair of Deerhunter Marseille Leather Mix Breeks which are for cooler climates.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I got a new pair of Merrill MOAB waterproof boots last year for use in South Africa this year. I hiked in them for weeks up to 5mi/day and hunted in them last fall. They are very water resistant and comfortable. I use Smartwool heavy or extra-heavy socks with them. They are mainly used by hikers. Warm in the cold and cooler in the heat.

In RSA on Safari they performed well scrambling over the ancient rocks, trudging up sandy hills and since I had tweaked one of my ankles two weeks prior to the trip they also turned out to be more comfortable than my other shoes which were used for travel and evening wear. They came home permanently coated with that rust red dust from Limpopo. I chose them because they were some of the lighter options and were as comfortable as a pair of sneakers. On the way to the airport my PH bought a new pair of Courtneys in Joburg. If I had more room in my bags, I might have gotten a pair also. The Courtneys looked cool but honestly, they also looked very crude. That may not be a bad thing as old mentor friends always said a good tough pair of well broken in basic boots is all that is needed. The Courtneys reminded me of an old old pair of green Browning boots that I had as a young man which were made from Kangaroo skin. Those were great!

 

[Philip Glass]

I know there are a million threads on here about what proper footwear for hunting in Africa is, but was curious what most PH's are wearing for footwear since they are almost ALWAYS out in the bush. Besides Courteney's, I have heard of Blundstone and Redback being in use, as well as many different forms of vellies. Anyone know if there is a strong preference towards any one of these in particular? Looking for a leather boot I can use for work as a test bed (lots of walking) and if they come in black, that is even better. Looking towards Tanzania, Zim and Mozambique for a future hunt for reference if there is any particular forms of footwear that work better depending on location.

Charles

You will get plenty of answers here and most will be traditional and of course terrain dependent. There is a new trend among some mountain hunters and PH's toward lighter weight shoes/boots. Traditionally long wearing leather boots have been the norm and that will not change for many. I've seen Ph's in Zim wearing trail running shoes such as Solomon and I have followed that myself. They are great in many circumstances but the professionals will only get a season or so out of them. I had been hearing about lighter hikers from the Hunt The Backcountry Podcast for some time but never paid too much attention until I saw their theory out into practice in Zim. One benefit to the lighter shoes is that there is virtually no break in period versus the more traditional leather.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi,

To me, always a leather boot for everything!! There are many light all leather ones. Much better, more so for the bush.

 

[Hunt anything]

@JG26Irish_2 , I agree on those old Browning kangaroo leather boots, I had a pair for about 10 years but they got wet in Mozambique and I left them outside my tent in the sun to dry and an opportunistic hyena decided to make a meal of them.

 

[Nyati]

During all my hunts in SA I must have met over 30 PH´s, none wore Courtneys.

I saw a mixture of locally made boots.

 

[Kharn]

During all my hunts in SA I must have met over 30 PH´s, none wore Courtneys.

I saw a mixture of locally made boots.

Courteney Boots have fallen into a bit of a stupidstitious area..... Is it the boot or is it the brand...

A good example but outside of the hunting scene is my industry (manufacturing), to the untrained / inexperienced when someone tells them this CNC machine is a "HAAS" the untrained / inexperienced often jump to the conclusion that HAAS sounds GERMAN thus HAAS is a GERMAN machine tool manufacturer (It's American).

But my point is Brand names can be (deliberately?) misleading?

 

[mdwest]

Courtneys are a quality boot, appropriate for most southern africa terrain… there’s no denying that..

But much of the appeal is also tied to nostalgia, tradition, and style..

Much like a Rigby… sure, there are plenty of $500 bolt action 30-06 options out there that will hunt plains game just fine… but none of them will carry the same allure, or scream “safari” like a Rigby..

There are also plenty of $49 Walmart knock off hunting boots that will work just fine.. they’re lightweight, have a soft sole, are reasonably quiet, etc…

But they wont have the same appeal or history or legacy, etc etc as a pair of corteneys …

Of course it’s “the brand”…

But the brand brings value to certain people…

While the quality and practicality are undeniably present as well..

 

[VertigoBE]

While the quality and practicality are undeniably present as well..

… and you can get them made in your own ele leather. Not many other brands offer that.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

@JG26Irish_2 , I agree on those old Browning kangaroo leather boots, I had a pair for about 10 years but they got wet in Mozambique and I left them outside my tent in the sun to dry and an opportunistic hyena decided to make a meal of them.

Daaaamn - That would make a grown man cry. To this day, my Brownings were the lightest, toughest, best hunting boots I ever had. Unfortunately, the influence of the greenies caused the mental midgets in the halls of DC to ban future shipment of kangaroo leather products to the USA. I later got a cowhide pair of Brownings but they paled in comparison to the Roos that came before them.