Irish SetterElk Tracker, Men’s, 12", Waterproof, Insulated 1000g, Hunting Boot

Bought these for my husband as his previous pair had worn out after 20 years of use. At first he noticed they were snug on his feet but they have since worn in to fitting nice. His only complaint is the feeling of the tag in the inside when wearing socks that might move down or aren't super tall as it irritates his leg. Otherwise I hope these last another 20 years!

Great boots warm

13W. Perfect fit. No crunched toes or sliding forward foot. No heel slip. No width crunch. Comfort is litterly UNBELEIVABLE. Wore inside, 75 degrees, for 15 minutes walking. Feet stayed a comfortable temp. Went outside in minus 10 degree for one hour. Feet stayed same temp. That's impressive. Very little break in. So worth the money. I've spent so much money trying to get boots that fit and don't hurt, the price for these is so worth it. I'm 65 so I'd say these are lifetime boots for me. These are like my feet are still home in my fleece slippers by the fire. I am so impressed and happy. Happy birthday and Christmas to me. I also bought the 10" uninsulated Irish Setter elk trackers too. I say the same about them too. Excelent. Everything Red Wing, Irish Setter and the reviewers say about these boots is true.

Exactly what they say they are. Very satisfied

These boots look great, and fit perfectly upon arrival. They are a deep, dark red, and the shafts go up to a little higher than mid-shin on my legs. It is a rather snug fit, so there is little movement between the feet and legs, and the boots themselves, making the boots feel comfortable and like an extension of my own legs, rather than footwear.The first thing I noticed when I received these boots is that they are BIG. Each boot is massive. The soles go down about another one to two inches, so when you wear it, you are an inch or two taller than you would otherwise normally be, which helps your stature, and also makes you, in a subtle way, appear bigger to others.The second thing I noticed about these boots is that they are silent. By this I mean the boots, when walking on a solid hardwood floor, will make no sound as you tread across the surface. The soles have a unique padded design to them, and softens each step by dissipating the force of your step into the sole itself.Of course, these are hunter's boots, so a hunter has little use for a boot that is silent on hardwood floor - it has to be silent out in the woods. Well, on my own ventures out in the woods, I notice that as long as you watch where you are treading, and that you bend your knees and move with a softer step, you can become very silent, indeed. In fact, there have been multiple times where I could walk behind someone for five or ten minutes where they would not even notice my arrival, so be prepared to properly announce your arrival before passing them on the road (out of courtesy, if not out of a sense of safety). The bottom line here though is, that in the woods, you will have to sometimes make an effort to walk softly on uneven or leaf-littered paths if you want to maintain covert travel.I've walked many miles in these boots already, and I daresay they are rather comfortable to hike in. I noticed a little discomfort at first, but I think that has to do with being used to walk in such high boots in general, and I've since gotten used to the feel of the boots when going on long hikes.One more thing: these boots are fantastic at keeping the water out. I've stood on the shoreline where the ocean water would come in waves and submerge my feet well up above my ankles, and I noticed that no moisture made its way into the boot. The gore-tex seal is superb. People would warn me not to stand so close to the ocean waves, to which I would laugh heartily at their worries that my boots would somehow be ruined by the seawater as it came flooding around my feet.

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.

Extremely high quality.

I've had a pair of these in the past. Finally tossed em after years of use. Took advantage of a sale and got another pair. Super comfy , no break in needed. I work for UPS and they were on my truck this morning so I opened up the box and put them on and wore them all day through the fresh wet snow. Feet never touch cold. Waterproof. I don't know why you even have boots when I have boots like this. Don't hesitate.