Irish SetterTrophy Trackers
Insulation: Uninsulated
Available: Discontinued
I bought my Irish Setter Trophy Trackers somewhere around 2004, and they were my mainstay hunting boots until I managed to snag a pair of Irish Setter Tamaracks on sale. From then on, Tamaracks were about the only boots I wore.
However, the Tamaracks have been discontinued, so until I hear from Irish Setter which of their new styles are most like the Tamaracks, I’m back to the Trophy Trackers.
Which isn’t a hardship. These are a nice little pair of boots: not too heavy, but they support my feet well. They are waterproof, but seem to vent sweat well. And they were very reasonably priced. I think I paid less than $50 for them.
The uppers are leather with Cordura ballistic nylon panels; the toe & heel caps seem to be leather with some sort of plastic coating that resists scuffs well. I’ve worn these boots through some nasty stuff over the years, and they still look nearly new.
The Trophy Trackers feature Irish Setter’s waterproof and venting-breathable Ultra Dry construction; I wore them on an October day that started about 30 degrees and by the time I finished the day, temps had hit the high 50s. I had a pair of Cabela’s polypropylene sock liners and a pair of Cabela’s mid-weight merino wool socks under them, and my feet were warm in the morning, and not overheating in the afternoon. Even with the temperature change, and walking through acres of frost-wet undergrowth, my feet were dry when I took off the boots.
Irish Setter advertised the Trophy Trackers as having a “self-cleaning Bull’s Eye BOB carbon rubber outsole (that) offers excellent traction,” but from my experience, they don’t self-clean when in the sandy-clay mud common along rivers in West Michigan. They do, however, offer excellent traction, and stay unclogged when hunting in more sandy, loamy soil.
I’ve always liked Irish Setter’s use of their removable, moisture-wicking EVA comfort footbed. They definitely help keep your feet dry, and if you step in deep enough water to go over the top of the boot, being removeable dramatically reduces boot dry time.
The tongue is gussetted three-quarters of its length to keep water and debris at bay; lacing features four D-rings and four speed hooks for quick lacing. I don’t remember what camo pattern is on the nylon panels, but never worry about things like that, as I don’t think most deer give a crap if your camo patterns match.
All in all, these are a great pair of boots for the price, and would have been even at their suggested retail price, which I think was about $80 at the time.
I’ll update this entry when I hear back from Irish Setter about their new boot styles.