Danner Boots?

[txulrich]

Anyone have any experience with Danner Boots?

[TOW]

yeah, in the fall of 2001 i stopped into harpers ferry outfitters for a brand new pair of boots because the technicas i had purchased didn't last the four hundred mile trip from damascus, worse pair of boots i ever had by the way.

but anyhow since laura didn't have a size thirteen to fit my big ole flat feet in any shoe make, she did however have a size fourteen danners. laura says, "why don't you get these and just stuff some socks down them?"

having had danners one time before when i lived on the west coast for awhile and remembering how comfortable they were for being in the woods and being the impatient hiker i was at the time with no time to waste, ("i stayed in hf for two and a half months"), i bought them for a very discounted price.

i had four weeks to get ready to hike out of there and them damn techs along with the replacement trail runners they sent had upset me some, i broke them danners in.

now around town and on the C&O canal trail and lee and gretchen grieners farm them danners were very comfortable with a good old pair of marino wool socks stuffed into the toe section. i had to do some rearrainging and had got it perfected, i thought.

but being on the trail with a size too big for my mud flappers was another story all together. when i was descending on steep terrain, that's when i had my most trouble. my feet would slip forward so i got in the habit of walking downhill sideways, which really isn't too bad a way to go down, but still........

i retired them boots in mass because i got a deal on a pair of vasques.

i'll never forget one incident with them danners though. i was a hiking into southern penn and had just passed the first set of shelters, there was no water there, and was headed north when i came over a small roller coaster and on the second knoll as i was descending my right foot slipped forward and my boot slid under a root and i planted my face firmly into the trail along with my dana longbed that was packed to the hilt, 60 + lbs, helping accelerate the fall.

if you had of seen me, and a few did, i would have surely been trail named "basketball face." my whole face was swelled for some time. i still don't know how i did not break my glasses?

danners are a good hiking boot, but just wear the right size. well, as far as that goes, wear the right size no matter the make of the boot........

[Toolshed]

I owned a pair of Danner Mountain Lights that I picked up in 92. they were norwegian welt stitchdown boots.
I realized after 2 years, there were better boots out there and switched to Merrells.

[dla]

Anyone have any experience with Danner Boots?

Yes, and they are a good boot manufacturer. I've only used mine (full leather, 8" high, Goretex lined, uninsulated) for backcountry mud, dirt and brush. I probably only have 100miles on mine, but half that has been tough, no-trail miles. Good boots.

I don't know if they're multi-hundred mile flat trail shoes.

[overmywaders]

I have a pair of Danner 6490s. They preceded the Mountain Lights and were acclaimed by Backpacker magazine in field tests and reviews in both 1973 and 1980. Mine have the leather lining, Norwegian welt construction. In the early '80s Danner switched to Goretex -- don't go there.

I love my boots but I would not take them off-trail, not because they aren't sturdy enough, they are, but because they are too low to provide good ankle support. As around-town boots and flat trail boots they are great, but I switch to Pivetta 8's for the rough stuff.

Best regards,
Reed

[speyguy]

I live in Portland about 2 miles from the Danner factory and the adjoining outlet store. Over the last 15 years I've purchased many pair of Danners from the outlet store because there were such good deals on the seconds. Over the years they have expanded into the lightweight boot market and I believe most of that segment is made in Asia like everything else. I would venture to guess that most of their upper end leather boots are still made in the USA. I have always been happy with their boots but that has usually been a heavier all leather work type of boot. Every so often they have a tent sale in the parking lot and bring out boxes and boxes of great deals on tons of boots.

[ABR]

I have a pair of leather Danner hiking boots I bought almost 20 years ago. (Yikes, getting old!) Only used for a trip or two a year plus day-hiking, but many of these were week-long hard-scrabble trips through varied rock, snow, sand, etc.. They've held up wonderfully. Also nearly the same weight as many so-called "lightweight" suede/mesh boots today. Only complaint is they have these funny tongues that fold over on one side, and they always end up slipping over to the opposite side. Never seems to affect the stability, but annoying. If they've fixed that, get them.

[Tim Rich]

I owned a pair of Danner Mountain Lights that I picked up in 92. they were norwegian welt stitchdown boots.
I realized after 2 years, there were better boots out there and switched to Merrells.

I had a pair of Danner Mountain Lights as well, and hiked about 300 miles in them in 1989 and 1990. They fit well, but were too heavy and uncomfortable for the AT. I switched to Vasque Sundowners in 1990 and two pairs of them got me to Katahdin. Pair number two has another 600-800 miles in them, I'd guess.

[1step@atime]

I own a pair of hunting boots made by Danner, antelope leather. They provide great support, protection and they are very comfortable and light for being so big. Oh and great traction as well. They were well worth the $.