# Boot Review, Salomon 4D 2 GTX--chukar hunt



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I've had a pair of Columbia Diablo Pass boots for 6 or 7 years. They've been great, but the soles are starting to come apart and the Gore Tex is starting to leak a little. I've been trying on boots for the last few months. I tried Danner, Kennetrek, Lowa, Meindl, and Salomon. I finally narrowed it down to the Meindl Ultimate Hunter and the Salomon 4D 2 GTX. I bought them both and wore one on each foot around the house for a couple of hours. Decided on the Salomons and took them out on a chukar hunt today. 

Man, I am impressed! These are fantastic boots! In fact, I like them so much I'm going to tell you all about them. I hiked up/down/sidehill for 3-4 miles, no hot spots, no pressure points, no break in. Here's my assessment:

Pro--Firm, supportive, rugged rubberized toe, stiff chassis, light weight, ample toe box but not so big your foot slides around, reasonably priced (I got mine on sale at Cabelas for $172). These would make great backpacking/big game boots. They're comfy, but definitely stiff enough and supportive enough to sustain a heavy load. 

Cons--No wide size (not an issue for me), not all leather (personal preference), lame factory insoles (I replaced mine with SuperFeet insoles, which are amazing). 

Most importantly, these boots are lucky. I've been chukar hunting several times, but with no dog it is usually just an armed hike. Today, I flushed three chukars. The first one, I was like, 'what the h*** is that?', the second caught me gasping for air with my gun at my side, I was ready for the third. Needless to say, I love the boots and I really, really want to get a dog now.  Merry Early Christmas to me


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

so they're pretty waterproof right? how's the breathability?


----------



## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Cool, thanks for the review on those AF. They look like good sturdy boots. I'm in the market for a pair of boots myself and that price is what I would be pretty much maxing out at. Curious on the waterproofing as well


----------



## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

I bought a pair this summer based on a number of good recommendations. The waterproofing in the boots has held up great for me so far. Everything from soaked vegetation in the early season to slushy snow in the last few weeks. No moisture inside the boot. I'm interested to see how the gore-tex waterproofing holds up in the long run, but so far so good.

Breathability is much better than the Danner's that these boots replaced. They are a much more comfortable boot that seems to hold up pretty well in the conditions I've tested them out in so far.


----------



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

utahgolf said:


> so they're pretty waterproof right? how's the breathability?


It was mostly dry where I hiked today, so I don't have any firsthand experience with the waterproofing, though they are lined with gore tex. It sounds like Kwalk3's boots have withstood the elements so I would go off his experience.

As far as breathability, I thought they were very breathable.


----------

