I was finally able to make it to bass pro and cash in some gift cards. I've been looking at new boots for quite some time an thanks to some family property down that way, it was a fantastic excuse to pick them up. I've been looking at new boots since mid deer season, just never did find the funds at the time. My brother picked up a pair of mucks. They're great boots with great reviews, but I've never been that much of a fan. The under armour boots are nice but they are not insulated and according to the customer service people I talked to, they have no plans to manufacture any. This all brings me back to the rutmasters. They were my favorite since day one but didn't want to jump to conclusions. Well all that said... I love these things. They performed awesome. They are 800 grains so come winter time they should be just fine with 2 pair of socks. It's warm enough outside that I only wore 1 pair of regular socks, I like soccer socks actually as they are tall and wicking, plus I have a ton. They terrain I was in was muddy, with steep hills, and a rockbed creek (I wish I had pictures of that thinking about it). The boots performed great. They kept fantastic traction. My feet were warm but not sweating. The soles were comfortable. I would wear them all time if I could lol.
I'm curious as to how the hold up over time. I've beat my mucks and they've done well. I'm really considering switching for some reason.
I've had very very very very very good luck with my Irish Setters holding up over the long term. Red Wing makes some pretty good stuff. I've always been very happy and I think their value is hard to beat.
Whats the sole of the shoe like? I dont care for one's that are hord like a brick i like a soft sole boot
They're soft. I don't like them hard either. Brad brings up a good point. The boots are made by red wing who is one of the top manufacturers of work boots.
I have a pair of the Rutmaster 1200's and a pair of the Muck Woody Max's. The Rutmaster's are a better built boot IMHO than the Woody Max's but are a lot heavier. We do a lot of driving where I hunt up north, and typically put on literally 60-80 miles a season according to the GPS, and the Muck's end up with holes in the lower part of the boot in about 2 seasons. We have 16 guys in camp and probably 10+ of them have Muck's and it's pretty common there to get two seasons before they are leaking from a stick that poked through that lower part of the boot. With that said, I continue to hunt with the Muck's when I'm up north and covering lots of ground due to weight, I use the Rutmasters when I'm sitting and it's cold out or when I'm ice fishing. A couple of the guys at camp got the Woody Elite's last year and they aren't so soft on the bottom part of the boot and will likely last a bit longer, but none of them have had them long enough to prove that theory yet.
I did not know the Irish Setter's were made by Red Wing. That in itself is a good reason to look into the boots. Red wing makes the best work boots in my opinion. The next time I need cold weather boots I will look into the Rutmasters. Hope they do good for you Chris Thanks for the write up.