Cabela's Bog Buster Hip Boots

[smarion]

Do any of you have experience good or bad with these? I have a Kodiak bear hunt this spring and my Lacross ankle fit hippers are 15 years old and started to leak a bit last year which will not do for this hunt. I love walking in these boots but hate putting them on and off. I also love the durability. Anyway, a guide on Kodiak recommends these from Cabela's on his suggested gear list. I am not using a guide but am always checking out the gear lists of others looking for better ideas. These are rubber up to the ankle and neoprene from the ankle up with a strap around the ankle that you can cinch down when walking but loosen when putting on or off. Overall, they have very good ratings on the Cabela's website. However, the few not so good ratings often came from people in Alaska which raised a red flag with me. I am also cautious about the neoprene getting torn in the brush of Kodiak.

I have read many of the archived threads on this forum and have seen the arguements for and against products like the Neo River trekers and chest waders etc... I have kind of decided on the hip boots as a compromise between the two but wanted to see if there is a better option than my LaCrosse.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[mainer_in_ak]

Do any of you have experience good or bad with these? I have a Kodiak bear hunt this spring and my Lacross ankle fit hippers are 15 years old and started to leak a bit last year which will not do for this hunt. I love walking in these boots but hate putting them on and off. I also love the durability. Anyway, a guide on Kodiak recommends these from Cabela's on his suggested gear list. I am not using a guide but am always checking out the gear lists of others looking for better ideas. These are rubber up to the ankle and neoprene from the ankle up with a strap around the ankle that you can cinch down when walking but loosen when putting on or off. Overall, they have very good ratings on the Cabela's website. However, the few not so good ratings often came from people in Alaska which raised a red flag with me. I am also cautious about the neoprene getting torn in the brush of Kodiak.

I have read many of the archived threads on this forum and have seen the arguements for and against products like the Neo River trekers and chest waders etc... I have kind of decided on the hip boots as a compromise between the two but wanted to see if there is a better option than my LaCrosse.

Thanks,
Scott

Ankle fit hippers with the air bob sole are about as good as it gets. I fell into a sharp/jagged tree stump this past moose season and tore a hole through my Lacorsse hip boots! I've worn the soles bald on them, too. If it weren't for that heavy duty rubber, I'd have sliced my entire knee open. I had a bruise the size of a soft ball on my knee and shin. A few shots of whiskey that night by the campfire, and a patch using seam sealer (the glue) and I was good to go the next day. Let me take a picture of the patch, it's held up really well.

 

[chico99645]

I personally am not a fan of spending a day hunting in Hip Boots. I did find the Alaska Sourdough Slipper that makes alot of sense. Slip them over your hunting boots, do what you gotta do, then take them off and walk in comfort. If your space/weight limited, you could stash them at your crossing point and use them when you return. http://www.barneyssports.com/ I don't own a pair, but may in the future.

 

[mmusashi2k]

I've hunted deer on Kodiak for the last 6 years with xtra tuff's on soggy days and Lowa's on nice days. I would never take a pair of hip-waders there but I spend most of my time up high.

Good luck with the bear hunt.