I've been broke too many times to suffer trash purchases, which is why I tend not to spend money on things unless it's the best out there. It's why I'll go months without buying anything, all to then spend $1,000 on a single piece of gear that inevitably triggers my bank's fraud detection.
And for that money, I want whatever I buy to work across multiple situations. I want a pocket knife that'll not only do all my EDC needs, but if I needed to break a car window, break down an animal, gut a fish, or slice a nice steak, it can do that. I want a satellite messenger that'll survive being run over by a truck, UTV, or ATV, and still also tell me the latest weather forecasts in my area. And I want a motorcycle helmet I could conceivably wear across all the powersport disciplines.
But these demands are also why I've had a truly Sisyphean experience finding a good pair of do-it-all boots.
I've tried boots from Corcoran, from Danner, from Crispi, from LaCrosse, and countless others. I've tried low-tops, high-tops, and calf-length boots. And I've put them all through absolute hell, only to find something wrong with them when you finally get down to brass tacks. The closest I've come to finding a great boot was the LaCrosses, as they broke in quick, were super comfortable, had a reasonable price, worked across riding ATVs, UTVs, and electric dirt bikes, but they too saw my ire in that they weren't repairable. Good, but not great, and if I'm spending nearly $300 on a pair of boots, I want to break them in, use them to within an inch of their lives, and then send them back to the factory to get some new tread.
Well, folks, after years of testing boots, I think I might've found the Goldilocks of boots in the form of Meindl's Eurolight Hunters. A possibly perfect boot that'll do it all and, when you inevitably wear them out, can be sent back in to be rejuvenated. They aren't that expensive, either.
Weighing in at only three pounds for the pair, the boot upon first holding feels incredibly light. And that's despite being full-grain leather with a pretty aggressive tread pattern. It's also water-proof, but the membrane and construction of the boot is designed for hotter weather and whicking moisture away from your foot, allowing the boot to breathe so you don't get sores while on tough hikes.
Meindl calls these boots their EDCs, as they're designed for everything, stating, "Think upland, pronghorn, mule deer, tree stand hunting and more. Trail, off-trail, rocky, grassy, timbered, open, dry, wet, snowy - these are your boots."
Now, obviously, they're designed to be hunting and hiking boots. And that doesn't always translate well to using them as powersport boots, i.e. how my Crispi's are utterly too stiff to feel comfortable while driving a UTV. Furthermore, a light boot could conceivably translate too much vibration through them fatiguing your foot while riding an ATV. That, however, hasn't been my experience with these boots.
I've had the Meindl Eurolight Hunters for a number of months now and, like the LaCrosse Ursas, I've put them through my normal test regimen as the leader of this merry band of misfit powersport enthusiasts. I've also been using them to get ready for this year's hunting season by hiking with 60-pound packs. All that's to say is that they've now been subjected to around 400 miles of hikes, countless miles spent behind the wheel of UTVs and ATVs, one trip to Huntin' Fool and Outdoor Solutions' "Built to Hunt" summit—more on that soon—a number of times heading into the backcountry to shoot my rifle long range, and a couple fishing trips where they got very wet.
So yeah, they've been used and abused and put away wet, dry, dirty, dusty, muddy, and more. And I've had the time to really contemplate their strengths, faults, and coalesce my thoughts around them over the course of that time. And my opinion and review of these boots come from a place of using the hell out of these boots. So let's break those thoughts down so I can show you how I've come to the conclusion that these are possibly the best boots around. Especially for those like me who like a lighter, more flexible boot.
First, I want to note that these boots took a minute to break in. I think I clocked about 20 miles in the woods before the relaxed, formed around my foot and ankle, and felt more like a second skin than a boot. That was a lot, for sure, and many won't like that particular aspect of the boot. But once they broke in, I haven't had a single issue with foot pain, ankle strain, or any sort of weird rubbing even on the hottest, more sweat-inducing days—I was out the day before I wrote this with my fully weighted pack in 93-degree heat and climbing literal mountains without issue.
But even in those early days, I could tell they'd be something special as the Eurolight Hunters had the right sort of flexibility I enjoy.
Having stability on a heavily canted hillside, working across the looseness of a scree field, bracing against some roots alongside a mountain, all while having the flexibility to pivot my ankle to properly drive a UTV or ride an ATV is the name of the game to me. Again, I want a boot to do it all. And that's where these boots shine, as being the more flexible style of boot that they are, you can easily go from one discipline to another without issue. That's not the case with other boots, as I recall in past cases with other boots going from my Can-Am UTV to a long hike and having to stretch out my ankle for a second before proceeding as it got all cramped up while driving. These you can just hop out and get going.
What I found surprising about that nature is how well they take the abuse, as lighter, more flexible boots often have the issue of faster wear. These, apart from some small blemishes from some sharp rocks and tree branches, still look fairly new. And that's with me neglecting to condition them in the manner and frequency I really should be conditioning them. But this brings me to the Meindl feature that caused the LaCrosse Ursa's to get knocked down a peg: repairability.
Listen, hiking, hunting, and off-road boots are expensive. And for the vast majority of people, they don't have the cold-hard cash to just drop on a new pair of boots every season or even every other year. Sure, most folks aren't going to put as many miles on their boots or treat them with the sort of disdain I do, but something with staying power is going to give your dollar that much more power. And Meindl knows that, which is why you can send your boots in to be repaired when you inevitably wear them down.
I applaud this, as if I've invested my money, if I've invested my time breaking in my boots, why would I want to do that all over again if only a portion of the boot is worn down? If they can be fixed, repaired, or otherwise rejuvenated, why shouldn't I do that? It's not only good for the environment and conspicuous consumption, but it's good for my wallet, too. To that end, we can't not talk price.
After experiencing the Eurolight Hunters, I can't quite figure out how Meindl can get away with a price tag of $295 for the uninsulated version, and only $315 for the insulateds. I've spent so, so, so much more on worse boots that now sit idle underneath my office workbench. And for them to be repairable, to be fixable when I finally wear them down to nubs, that feels like a loss leader. Yet, I'll take it, as that's a heck of a price for something that just works as well as these boots do across so many disciplines.
After all these months of testing and rigor, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better boot on the market that's light, flexible, durable, fixable, and as relatively inexpensive as the Meindl Eurolight Hunter. So if you're in the market for a new do-it-all boot, these need to be at the top of your list.
I can't wait to use mine to go elk and deer hunting this year.
