Irish Setter Elk Tracker Men's 12" Waterproof Insulated Hunting Boot Review

My husband has been wearing these boots for 10 years as his primary foot wear! I was looking for comfortable hiking boots for some time when we decided to order the smallest men’s size for my size 9 women’s feet. The footbed, heel, toe box are uncommonly amazing. The insulation of the boots make them comfortable even at the minus zero Arctic temps here. My husband wears them when it is hot outside too but when it is gets above 80 degrees I opt out for lighter footwear. We use them for some long walks sometimes on cement and this is not the best use for longevity. If you use them for work and you have to have steel toes, these won’t be acceptable even though the toes are very stiff.They seem to run very true to size. No need to size up. Also, these are made in Vietnam and they do a great job so if you buy them elsewhere you might check that.

I drive a forklift in a frozen food processing facility. My work environment ranges from 55 degrees to minus 25 degrees...80% of my day is spent in areas that range between 36 and minus 10. I love Red Wing boots and wore them for years before taking the forklift job. On a forklift, though, I don’t walk around or do as much physical labor as I had been doing and the Red Wing brand doesn’t offer a model with the amount of insulation I need. But Red Wing’s Irish Setter brand offers models with much more insulation.I went with the 860 Elk Tracker because it’s leather, can be re-soled, and it’s price point is similar to other brands of freezer specific boots which can not be re-soled when the soles wear out. They have lasted me almost four years now. My Red Wing size is 8.5D so, to account for the thickness of the insulation, I ordered the Elk Tracker 860 in size 9D. The fit was a tad snug for the first week or so but the insulation compacted somewhat (as expected) and the fit has been perfect since then. I have dropped pallets on them, scuffed them against pallets and metal storage racks while walking around, and the leather has held up well to the rigors of a work environment.Their weakness in my work environment is the soles. The Elk Tracker 860 is made for tromping around in the woods, not working on concrete. They wear out quicker when used “off label” the way I use them...but I expected that. After a year and a half, I had to have them re-soled. I took them to my local Red Wing dealer and he sent them to the Red Wing factory in Minnesota be re-soled. That was in October of 2018 and cost me $90. It gave my boots a second life.The other drawback for work use is that they don’t grip smooth, wet floors (i.e.: restroom floors) well. But again, they are made for the woods. I have slipped but have never fallen.These are good looking, durable boots that keep your feet warm, even when worn for a purpose they weren’t designed for and I can’t recommend them enough.

Great fitting boot well made. Extremely comfortable. Would definitely recommend.

These boots definitely feel like good quality. I've sat in below freezing temperatures for hours and my toes were still nice and warm. My only suggestion is to get them a half size bigger than you normally wear as the insulation can cause a tight fit ( especially with thick socks.) Other than that I love them.

The boots are warmer and more comfortable than I expected.

First impression: these boots are well-built and absolutely massive. They're comfortable, heavy, and fit snugly without any pressure points on my extra wide, relatively flat feet (size 14W). The arch support is present, but not to the point of causing aches. Cushioning is adequate, but not great. They seem to be incredibly warm and hold up well in wet environments, although I haven't had them submerged yet - I'll try to update my review after spending some time in the woods and snow. The boots come with a small piece of leather that runs under the laces. There are two places where the laces can be run through this piece. The lower slots had the laces threaded through them out of the box and I didn't bother to lace the top slots (just tightening the laces seems to hold the leather piece in place well enough). I don't yet know if leaving them unlaced compromises the waterproof design.The boots handle most natural surfaces well, but they felt a bit awkward on stairs, especially whereas my feet are typically twice as long as a stair tread is deep. They lace about 1/3 of the way up my calf and don't cause much pressure when fully and tightly laced - the limited flexibility allows my ankle to flex more naturally and doesn't cause chaffing on my lower leg. They certainly don't need to be fully laced to wear comfortably, though.Two complaints: The laces seem as though they're going to wear out quickly and the material they're made of is a bit stiff and awkward to tie at first. Sometimes when I tie them I feel like I'm going to snap them. Save yourself some potential trouble and buy an extra set of laces if you order these. Also, the right boot makes a loud popping sound while I'm walking; I can also feel the pop in the arch of my foot. The noise doesn't happen when stalking or when staying mostly on my toes, but it is definitely annoying and could be a problem while hunting. However, I read another review that mentioned the same issue with another style of Irish Setter boots, and the customer said that the sound went away after a 3-month break-in period.[Update: 10.22.15]The popping noise has gone away in the right boot, but a slightly quieter pop has started happening in the left boot. The temperature here in Maine still hasn't dropped yet, and I've found that these boots and a thin pair of crew socks are more than adequate for 30-50 degrees, especially if I spend any amount of time generating friction by walking.[Update: 11.21.15]Both boots now make a scrunching/squishing sound whenever I walk. They're still comfortable, but are by far the noisiest boots I have ever owned. I've heard at least 4 different sounds come out of these boots and I've only owned them for a couple months. Hopefully the sound goes away soon.[Update 12.30.15]Both boots have quieted, and no longer pop or make scrunching noises. I chose to (very gently) warm them in an oven to about 100 degrees about a month ago, then applied Sno Seal beeswax waterproofing as an added measure of protection. The leather soaked it up easily, but I'm going to clean the boots and reapply the Sno Seal again and again for as long as I own these boots. They are warm and comfortable so long as they stay dry. I stood in 8" of 35 degree running water for 20 minutes and my feet never got wet, but they began to get the slightest bit cold. My feet stayed warm while hunting/stalking during the Maine deer season - the only time they got cold was after my feet began to sweat from miles of walking and then settled into a spot to sit for awhile. No moisture ever entered from the outside. I am buying a boot dryer to make sure they have a chance to dry overnight. If they are not completely dry, your feet will likely be cold. The materials seem to be holding up very well - no complaints thus far.[Update 1.2.16]The soles of both boots have begun to crack and separate. The soles are made up of three parts, a bottom, mid, and upper. The uppers are separating from the mid. These boots have hardly been used outdoors save for a few days of hunting. We didn't even get snow here in Maine until a week or two ago. Very disappointed that they are splitting apart already, as I've had a pair of Colombia boots that lasted me nearly 10 years, and I've had these a little over two months. They're still comfortable and warm, but that won't do me any good if the bottoms aren't intact and start leaking. I will contact Irish Setter customer service and post an update on their response. $200 boots should not split like this after mild use over two months, period.[Update 1.11.16]I contacted Irish Setter customer service via email. I received a confirmation email telling me that I would get a formal response from a rep within two business days. In my email I requested that they send me a pair of replacement boots, whereas they are currently my only pair of winter boots and I cannot wait several (wintry) weeks for a repair. I also told them that once I received my replacement pair that I would gladly ship them the damaged pair so long as they covered the shipping costs on both ends. I received an email three days later that informed me that I would not only receive a pair of replacement boots, but could also keep the damaged pair if I chose. Needless to say, I am very impressed with their customer service. I should receive the replacement pair of boots tomorrow or the next day, which is about 1 week after I filed my complaint.[Update 1.19.16]My replacement boots were delivered via UPS last night. They would have arrived sooner, but UPS will not deliver to a PO box so they had to be re-routed. I got to keep both pairs of boots, which was beyond my expectations as far as customer service. I really hope customers continue to be honest about product defects so that Irish Setter can afford to maintain quality customer service like this. I strongly recommend that buyers get some sort of waterproofing material that doesn't negatively affect the rubber and stitching of the soles, as my first pair of boots also have started to leak at the outside edges near my toe joints, but only when snow sticks to the area - I walked through a river a few days ago and my feet never chilled or got wet from the water, only when snow builds up near the seams. Warmed leather will soak up alot of beeswax, so apply, re-apply, and re-apply again as needed or whenever you see the color start to lighten. It turns the leather a beautiful dark brown and helps prevent scuffs.

I wear my boots hunting 3 to 4 days a week and I wear them for doing chores every day. They are extremely comfortable. They were a little stiff when I first got them But after breaking them in for a few days, they are wonderful

These boots are great and require no break in