Upland hunting boots are one of the best looking pair of hunting boots. They look like a crossover between long neck leather hunting boots and sneakers. It’s up to your personal preference, but I like this type of boots.
When you search for upland hunting boots, there will be tons of options available to purchase. How do you find the best among them? That’s why you clicked this review. Don’t worry about this review. I will give you guys plenty of options to choose from and find the best upland hunting boots for you.
You shouldn’t take them as your sub-zero weather shoes. They are good as regular hunting, hiking, commute boots. But they often lack any good amount of insulation, that’s why refer to our best cold weather hunting boots if you are looking for winter hunting boots.
All you have to do is keep reading and enjoy.
Top 7 Best Upland Hunting Boots Reviews & Buying Guide
1. Irish Setter 838 Wingshooter Upland Hunting Boot
The first contender on today’s list is from Irish Setter. They are one of the best manufacturers of upland hunting boots. The work they do with their leather is highly praiseworthy.
Made out of 100% imported leather, Irish Setter 838 can steal the hearts of the hunters.
The soles are made out of synthetic material. Many might question their decision why not rubber. The sole here is quite good and should last you more than regular synthetic boot soles.
Irish Setter uses their UltraDry technology on this pair of boots. Multiple layers of moisture controlling material and waterproof materials stacked together to make the boot dry and comfortable always.
Due to this, without featuring a steel toe the toe of this pair of boot is quite strong and durable.
The overall build quality of this boot is just simply excellent. What makes it even sweeter is the pricing. It will cost you less than $300, even if you choose the largest size available.
Whether you go hunting or go out with your friends wearing these boots, it will look classy in both scenarios.
As for waterproofing, they are completely waterproof. The shaft height is not that much, refrain from submerging them completely. Or else water will go through from the top of the boots.
In case you didn’t know, Irish Setter 838 is one of the most sold upland hunting boots on Amazon. That should speak volumes of this boot. You know you can trust it when 1000+ people share the same opinion.
2. Rocky Ranger Outdoor Boot Soft Toe
Rocky Ranger is another excellent pair of upland hunting boots.
Ranger Outdoor Boot is made out of synthetic and leather material. Best of both worlds. The sole is however made out of rubber. We all know how good rubber soles are when it comes to hunting.
Rocky uses Gore-Tex to make their boots waterproof. It’s 100% water and rainproof. As long as you don’t submerge the boots, no water should go inside. If you submerge the top remains a bit open water can go through that space.
There is no way for me to question their durability. The build quality is quite good. I was skeptical about a mixture of two materials. It was pleasantly surprising to prove myself wrong.
The LX footbed of this boot is memory foam supported and you can easily change it to your comfort.
I briefly mentioned the sole of Ranger is made out of rubber. A lot of low-quality rubber soles suffer when it contacts oil. But thankfully Rocky thought that through and made sure their rubber soles are completely resistant to oils.
You won’t embarrass yourself from random slips on camping or hunting trips that’s for sure.
They are a bit longer than Irish Setter 838. Yes, you can totally rock them (pun intended) as a regular pair of commuting boots. But you can’t deny the fact they were born for the wild. Even if you don’t do hunting this boot provides excellent value to regular users too.
3. Irish Setter 807 Wingshooter Upland Hunting Boot
Irish Setter is dominating the upland hunting boots scene. There is no denying that fact. Irish Setter 807 Wingshooter is another excellent proof of that.
It’s the budget offering from Irish Setter. While not being too expensive, it remains almost most of the qualities from the 838.
Like the 838 this one is also made out of 100% imported leather. Irish Setter imports leather from Canada and many other countries.
There is something about 100% leather boots. They look better than most synthetic boots. The 800 series from Irish Setter has some of the best build-quality available. All of them share UltrDry technology.
It serves as the alternative of Gore-Tex. UltraDry keeps the moisture out of the boot and locks in the warmth inside. It also makes the boot waterproof. Multiple layers of material together also act as strong toe support.No matter which size you pick, it will cost you around $160. 807 provides a crazy amount of value if you ask me.
The shaft measurement is also short. The height is just 6.5” from the arch. You can just wear them as regular sneakers and they will protect your feet comfortably from any type of surface.
4. Rocky Retraction 800G Hunting Boot
Rocky Retraction is an insulated pair of upland hunting boots. If you have read the full review thus far, you know I mentioned “most” upland hunting boots do not feature any insulation. Rocky Retraction is an exception in that case.
Rocky Retraction 800G is constructed from 100% synthetic material. The outer layer looks like leather, they did a good job imitating the looks. The sole is also synthetic, keeping the symmetry between the materials alive.
You will find 800g 3m Thinsulate insulation in this pair of boots. That makes it more durable against the cold and bad weather. You add in the 100% water-resistance on top, you have a killer combo.
The height from the arch is 8”. A bit taller than the other boots. That’s also a good thing. In cold weather, you want as much cover as possible.
Retraction will come with Realtree-Xtra camo. The camo is the nylon version. Nylon acts quite well with synthetic materials.
Rocky is a good brand with a good track record. Their after-sales service is also quite nice. If you want a good pair of upland hunting boots for a cheap price, this is the pair that you should go for. They go out of stock quite often, grab them while they are still hot.
5.Danner Vital Hunting Shoes
Danner Vital Hunting shoes are another pair of mixed materials. Instead of using 100% of one material, Danner uses a combination of leather and textile material. The textile material gives it a more regular looking shoes feeling.
That’s why Danner Vital comes in 3 different finishes. Brown, Realtree-Xtra green camo, Real tree-Edge camo. You can’t go wrong by choosing either of them.
The bottom half and the liners of the shoe uses Abrasion-resistant leather and the upper half with the texture uses the textile material.
Like all hunting boots, Danner Vital is also 100% waterproof. There aren’t any insulation involved in this shoe. But you can walk on the snow without feeling cold. I won’t recommend you to submerge it in sub-zero weather. The sole is made out of rubber.
For regular uses and hunting, this is an excellent choice. Even if you don’t hunt but looking for good off road shoes for your upcoming camping/hiking trip. Keep this bookmarked. You can buy this as your next travel companion.
6. Irish Setter Women’s 2881 Vaprtrek Hunting Boot
It wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t feature anything for the ladies. Don’t forget that most of the boots we featured so far are either unisex or made for males.
Irish Setter 2881 Vabtrek is a pair of upland hunting boot for women. Vaptrek is one of the most advanced series from Irish Setter. It includes technology like Scent Ban, RPM, UltrDry, all together. Let’s talk about them a bit.
The scent ban is exactly what it sounds like. The job of this feature is to eliminate any smell and bacterias. This way your feet will stay warm and healthy for a long time.
Vaptrek also features Irish Setter’s groundbreaking RPM technology.
It is a breakthrough composite material that cuts off the weight of the sole by half. Making it one of the lightest outsoles on the market.
It is engineered to provide the best comfort and traction. The flexible sole can grab on to things that other shoes can only imagine.
This is probably the best choice for the ladies out there. As for the gents, buy this and gift your partner, trust me they will love you for this.
7. Irish Setter 802 Havoc Upland Hunting Boot
The last boot in our list is once again from Irish Setter. I told you guys at the beginning, Irish Setter is the uncrowned king of upland hunting boots.
Havoc 802 is not a modern-day upland hunting boot that’s for sure. The reason why I say this is because of the looks. It doesn’t look like the sneaker hybrid that we noticed so far.
It rather packs the long-neck traditional hunting boots look. The brown color gives it a grumpy wooden look. I am sure it will look cool in the jungle.
As for performance, the 802 Havoc is 100% waterproof. Thanks to the long-neck design you can easily cross small puddles with this. You don’t need to worry about water going through the holes of the lace. Cause it won’t. You know why? There is no lace, to begin with.
To make their boots 100% waterproof. Irish Setter uses the Gore-Tex membrane. The most well-known waterproofing material for hunting boots.
That’s right 802 Havoc fits perfectly in your fit and you have a tightening belt to make it even for a comfy fit.
The Ultraflex Upland sole is comfortable, to say the least. It provides an incredible amount of fraction and comfort.
The pricing of this boot is a bit higher than regular upland hunting boots. The reason behind that is 802 Havoc provides insane build-quality, great waterproofing, no-lace design, snuggly fit, comfortable mid and outsole, good brand value. All of these for around $200 is not a bad deal in my opinion.
Conclusion
With that said, I need to end our sweet journey here. I hope my valiant effort didn’t go in vein and you found the best upland hunting boots for you. Like always make sure to leave a comment if you want to know anything or have a suggestion. Do come back again to find more interesting reviews about hunting equipment and gears.
