For me, a pack boot is very utilitarian. It needs to keep me warm, dry, have decent traction, and be able to be dried out easily and quickly because when the weather dictates pack boots, the weather dictates pack boots, every day, day after day, until the weather changes.

I have always found Schnee’s pack boots to be the very best. I’ve owned them for years. The Hunter II, in particular, is my favorite of those I’ve owned. They are built to last many years under constant use, perhaps decades under occasional use. I use the Hunter II on the ranch, around the house, on the trapline, sometimes in the duck blind, and in a December tree stand. This winter I used them on a long Montana hunt where we experienced three feet of snow in three days. They were in and out of snowshoes, constantly buried in knee-to-crotch deep snow and constantly going from the wet and cold outside to the warm and dry inside of my snow crawler. The Hunter II, unlike a lot of the sloppy packs that I’ve seen is built to hunt. It laces up firmly giving you better support. The sole is the right size and offers good traction when you need to hike a ways. If you need to cover miles, you can cover miles. I highly recommend the Hunter II for anyone needing a pack boot that is active. If it is cold outside and you need to be out there but moving around it’s the best choice that I am aware of. If it gets extremely cold or your outside activities require more sitting and less walking then you might prefer a pack with more insulation, such as Schnee’s Extreme pack boot.