Mucks anyone?

Q

Quirt

Joined
Oct 10, 2005
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I must live in a traditional sheltered world and just don't know much about modern gear! i just got back from a week long simulated survival exercise. I faired well which is a testament to me learning from all my past blunders and mistakes and training hard religiously to get things dialed in and locked down tight.

However by the second day my H2O lined boots just could not keep up with the amount of moisture in the ground and I lived with wet feet for four days. One person had a pair of Muck Boots and was literally a happy camper. Never heard of these as on the ranch we just wore poorly fitted, sweaty, hot cheap rubber boots that give your feet blisters.

Anyone familiar with these high-in rubber/neopreme boots? Will they work for hiking, brush busting and off trail wilderness camping and survival training??? I need something all day & night comfortable, which don't tear up my feet with wear-spots and blisters and can regulate heat/ cold and sweaty feet. Thoughts-experiences?
 
No experience my self, so this may not help out to much. But my friend has a pair and swears by them. He uses them for hunting, ice fishing and just out in the back yard when its wet out. I think they would be to warm for summer time use though, but I don't know for certain.

Best thing for foot wear though IMO, is to buy them and try them! Just cause they work on someone else's feet doesn't mean they will work on yours!
 
Quirt said:
I must live in a traditional sheltered world and just don't know much about modern gear! i just got back from a week long simulated survival exercise. I faired well which is a testament to me learning from all my past blunders and mistakes and training hard religiously to get things dialed in and locked down tight.

However by the second day my H2O lined boots just could not keep up with the amount of moisture in the ground and I lived with wet feet for four days. One person had a pair of Muck Boots and was literally a happy camper. Never heard of these as on the ranch we just wore poorly fitted, sweaty, hot cheap rubber boots that give your feet blisters.

Anyone familiar with these high-in rubber/neopreme boots? Will they work for hiking, brush busting and off trail wilderness camping and survival training??? I need something all day & night comfortable, which don't tear up my feet with wear-spots and blisters and can regulate heat/ cold and sweaty feet. Thoughts-experiences?
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I've used Muck boots plenty. Skip those and go for some of the new stuff by Boggs. I just got some of their Food Pro boots (they were made for the food processing industry apparently) and while they aren't as padded as Mucks they have a wicking interior, the fit is nicer, and the whole exterior is rubberized--the neoprene of Mucks and similar boots gets ripped up over time.

I wouldn't last a day around the homestead without good boots.
 
I love my Muck boots. The neoprene is tear prone, but it provides insulation value that the rubberized material just cant. I use mine hunting in 20 deg days sitting in tree stands to 50 degree days when its raining. The beautiful part is that you can add thicker socks to add insulation to them as well- just size a half size up. I thought they would cause blisters, but havent as long as I'm not traveling up steep inclines for sustained miles. I havent used them here because of where I hike (Cascade and Olympic mountains). It just makes more sense to have better fitting boots and live with wet feet or because I need a crampon compatible boot. Anyways what works for one, certainly doesnt for all. The good news is that they are a relitively cheap gear experiment. A good pair of Boggs or Muck boots will run you about the same cost as a running shoe.
 
The people I most come into contact with here don't use Mucks because they can't take a beating. They tend to use standard Wellies, close to the Hunter style for reduced flap, and then don the Welligogs / Toggi / Chiruca type things for trade shows.............................The best boot I've owned for actually walking about in and carrying load in the wet was undoubtedly the Lundhags. Sure, not wading waterproof like a Wellington, but for puddles and particularly saturated spongy moss they are brilliant. It's been a quite a while since I had mine and I paid through the nose for them at the time. For all I know there could be products that are every bit as good now for a lot less, and I suffered a penalty for being an early adopted. That said, sticking to what I know, these would be my Alpha choice...............................At this point I don't need anything like that. I'll either go for a full rubber boot for relatively static activities and load up on warmth [Skee-Tex]. Sweaty feet and blisters isn't really an issue then. And if it is especially wet in the mornings I've got a couple of cheap pairs of rubber boots, and even a pair of old “Guy” Derri boots somewhere, that are good for up to about 5 miles before I wish I brought something else. In truth though that's mostly about laziness. Washing your Gore-Tex boots down from mud every day just from a couple of hours of dog walking gets tedious after a while. I've been tempted for quite a while to snag up a pair of Grubs Ptarmigan for this niche because I think they'll be much easier to fine tune. But I'm torn there 'cos I've seen the Hi-Tec “Para”, and they could be ideal for me, but the design means I really need to try them on.....................In short, if I had to roll all this up into one – walking boot that's incredibly water resistant and tough, that I could have the liner out of to dry the foot juice out over night, I'd go back to the Lundhags. No non-breathable boot is going to be great for sweaty feet but these are the best compromise I've found that still work and fit like a proper lace up boot.
 
Got a pair of Muck Woody Bayous that I wear hunting in the swamp. They have roll up water proof gaiters on them so they'll work as hip boots in real wet areas. I find them really comfortable, tough, and dry. I love those boots. The only thing is they're way too hot for temps above around 70. Never had blister problems with them, but never hiked a great distance in them either. They were worth their weight in gold when it flooded here earlier in the year and the back yard and our boat dock were under ankle to thigh deep water for over a week.
 
I have been using MUCK Chores for about a month, intensively. I walk for hours then use them with a shovel to dig up coins\relics etc. I find this style to be tough but comfortable. The foam foot liner is thick and I am not crippled after a few days, like I was with other boots. The neopreme is also very flexible. I really like these boots a lot. A bit of a down side is that they get warm on warmer windless days. But I have also considered them as a casual\light winter boot. And the uppers have a rough texture that is a tick magnet. I will be wearing smooth rubber boots for the next month or so until tick season is over around here.

 
I'm tellin' ya', you want to get a pair of these:

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Boggs Food Pro Tall Extremes
 
Are they very narrow? The Ranchers I tried on seemed very tight for the foot length. And I was trying em on with thin cotton socks. Might try em for the price.
 
They seem pretty normal for me but I hear they run a little small? I'm a 9 & 1/2 and the 10's are a nice fit.
 
I have two pairs of Muck boots. The short camp boot type without an aggressive sole to wear around the camp and a knee high pair for hunting. They are as others have said very comfortable for all day wear. The only draw backs that I have noticed are the soles are soft rubber and prone to wear on the trail if covering hard terrain. They really excell in the mud or swamp ( I live in south Louisiana ) and in temps above 70 or so degrees your feet will sweat. I have wore them for days on end and have never had blisters wet or dry.
 
Wearing my Boggs Food Pro Tall Extremes right now. Super comfy. Still lovin' the full-height rubber exterior and reinforcements.
 
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