I’m in the market for a new pair of deck boots. I saw the new Grundens Deck Boss boots at the Miami boat show this year and they looked impressive - well built, durable, strong sole - but the booth was totally sold out so I wasn’t able to get a pair. I know a lot of guys also swear by the Xtratuf offshore boots for working on deck.
Has anyone tried the Grundens boots? Or is there something you like better than the Xtratuf boots? Any other considerations I should make?
I’d, or course, like to bring these offshore but also like to wear them in the snow and mud at my new New England home.
I much prefer the Boggs Boots or Muck boots. The Grundrens look ok at the boat shows, but I have not tried them. I hate the Xtratuf boot. The best thing about xtratufs is that the non-skid soles are exceptionally effective. If you really need good “safety” boots, the chainsaw boots are the best.
Haven’t heard anything about the grunden boots but I can say the xtratuff boots are decent. The quality went down when they moved production to china. I have had a pair for 8 years and they are still holding up. Might be able to find a pair on eBay that were made in America. Should be stamped on the front of the boot near the top.
Having lived & worked for many years in Alaska I can tell you that if you wear anything other than Xtratuf 15" Alaskan fishing boots you are looked at as a newbie greenhorn & probably your ancestry/ heritage would be questioned.
Almost every one in SE Alaska wears them as it is so wet all the time. Store clerks, moms, bar tenders loggers, fishermen, tug men, and bush pilots all wear them. We called them Ketchikan sneakers. Some guys cut them off just above the ankle for more of a shoe.
They also make an insulated boot that looks the same that I would wear while loading logs onto my barge in Haines, Ak at down around 0 degrees. Keep moving around and your feet stayed reasonably warm.
Put an insole of your choice in and not to bad for comfort.
Xtratuf is my choice.
I agree that Xtratufs are “the boot” in Alaska, and you may have trouble finding anything else. The only good thing about them is the excellent non-skid soles. I’ve worn them a lot, but that does not mean that I like them.
I’ve never seen steel toe safety Xtratufs and they are too floppy to provide any ankle support. They are also easy to puncture. If you have to wear safety boots and/or need to protect your feet - you cannot beat chainsaw boots.
Again, I find the Muck and Bogg boots a lot more comfortable for my purposes (I don’t work on deck), but they do not last long doing serious work on deck. I definitely would not wear them for commercial fishing.
Grundens does a hell of a job marketing. They have those stickers. They have hoodies. They take out ads in commercial fisherman. I’ve never seen a Xtratuff sticker or ad, Xtratuffs sell because they are good boots.
…but they’re made of closed-cell foam so they’re very warm, very comfortable and very well made. I have a pair at home and have used them primarily for winter chores in real cold, during the less-than-frequent periods that I still see what I consider to be “real” cold in the coastal Northeast region. As in, low-20’s and below. The tread design is superior by far for use on land/mud/snow, etc. compared to the Xtratuf boots, which I also have used for many years and generally like (more so when they were still USA-made).
Another benefit of the foam is that they float. Why would that matter? I dunno. Maybe ask a commercial fisherman in Montauk, NY, one John Aldridge, why.
I bought my Dunlops after reading a gear review in National Fisherman a couple of years before Mr. Aldridge had his “adventure.” I hope never to replicate his experience. It’s a hell of a sea story to be able to tell, though. Especially because it’s true.
Yeah those are cheap and foam , not comfortable. I still have s pair of extrauf from 2013 last batch of American made, comfortable durable , keep your feet dry and they have held up good on non skid decks, pretty sure you can get them insulated and steel toe, tons of different stuff on their website
