Northern Tier Boot Suppliers

[JamesKLowe]

I'm going on the OA Voyager adventure in June and they recommend getting jungle boots. I see lots available form online military stores. But I want to shop in person. Does anyone have a recommendation for boots available from BassPro or Cabelas? I can get to both and would rather shop in person than order from a miltary supplier over the net.

[Mooseman]

Hi

I personally use Altama jungle boots and in my experience they work the best but if you don't have an army surplus store near you here are some things you should look for.

 

A boot with minimal padding, padding is like a sponge and if have padding it will track that much more water into the canoe, and keep your feet wetter.

 

a good tred, you will be walking on dirt paths, rock faces, gravel, fallen slippery rotting trees ext. basically every kind of surface you can thing of, with a 70-90 lbs pack, if you don't have good traction you could hurt your self.

 

a strong toe and heal box, when you are walking with this said 70-90 lbs you might not beable to see exactly where your foot is put down or be tiered and bump your feet against rocks, if you do not have a good toe box then there is a high probability that you will hurt your self.

 

decent ankle support, very few of the portage trails are smooth and flat, especially the one that you will be working on, this creates a high risk for rolling your ankle or getting it caught between two rocks, if you don't have good ankle support then there is more risk or hurting your self some how.

 

Drain holes in the bottom or on the side are good as well, if the shoe does not come with some you could drill them your self, I have known many people who have done that. if you get waders or something in that line you will be picking up a couple of pounds of water in your boot every time you get in the canoe, this water might fill the canoe or just keep your foot uncomfortably wet all day.

 

and finally as a summery, you will be stepping into water ranging from ankle to knee deep all day, you might not be able to see the bottom, and the portage trails are rougher and steeper than many hiking trails, and oh you should make sure they don't slide off, if you get into some moosemuck it is possible that your boot might get suctioned off.

 

I hope that this has been helpful and not too lengthy, when are you going up?

Happy Trails

 

MooSeman

 

P.S. dont get water shoes, I saw some one step on a stick and have it go right through the sole.

 

[SR540Beaver]

James,

 

Our troop is taking 2 crews to Northern Tier this summer. The Altama jungle boots are highly recommended by our SM based on his previous experiences at NT. He basically has said the same things to our boys that Mooseman has said here. I picked up a pair of Altama jungle boots for my son at one of the local military surplus stores this past weekend for $59. Altama was the company that made boots for the US military until recently. They lost their contract when they moved their factory to China. There are questions about what kind of compromises in quality may have been made when the factory moved and they no longer supply the military. I'm sure the older inventory is still out there in the surplus stores. Beware of cheap imitation jungle boots. Our SM has seen imitations fall apart in a couple of days at NT.

[JamesKLowe]

Mooseman thanks for your reply it's the most helpful information I've run across. I'm going up June 21- July 4. Thanks for your input.

[eaglebeader]

IMHO the best shoe for the BWCAW is avaible thru Nat. Paddlers supply it is a wet shoe/boot designed for navy seal. Has a Vibram sole with nylon type uppers. I ahve tried many differnet things on my 12 trips up to the BWCAW after purchased these 2 years ago. They are great and I would never go w/o them again. The area full boot, so plenty of ankle support ( I have glass ankles, light weight, quick drying. I then bring a pair of canvas tennis for in camp use.

[SR540Beaver]

Eagle,

 

Do you have an internet link and what did they set you back?

[JamesKLowe]

Eaglebeader, do you have an internet site or contact place for the boots you recommend?

[beaver1onit]

The best advice I can give you is get a good pair of boots, the trails are tough on your feet and ankles. NRS outfitting has a good selection. The last time I was to Northern Tier I bought a pair of river workboot, it was the best investment I made. Might be a bit expensive for some people at $69.95 but well worth it. They have a web site www.nrsweb.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eaglebeader]

Sorry for the delay - I had a quick unplanned trip away from home for work. The above post has the correct website for the boots I recommended.

They are wonderfull. I use mine when putting the boat dock in and any other time I am fishing, etc. Great for the portages because of the sole also.

[johnmbowen]

Here is the URL for the NRS Storm Boot, which is a neoprene/combat style boot.

 

http://nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2339&deptid=1169

 

As a whitewater outfitter, I recommended these to a Northern Tier "Guide" who used them all summer and absoltuely swears by them. They provide all the support, have soles that are designed to be non-slippery in the water and as his feet were wet most of the time they kept his feet warm and he could take them off when in camp.

 

I use mine in big or cold water when rescue might be needed, and have always been impressed. NRS says that the Seals like these too.

 

Anyway, try them out.

 

JB

[purcelce]

If you are on a budget and looking for jungle boots, head to a local army surplus store. They may carry used jungle boots, I've seen them priced at 20 bucks. Just make sure they fit well and the soles are in decent shape. I'm headed to BW this summer and that is my plan.