Seven months ago, I received a pair of Irish Setter Wingshooter waterproof leather 7-inch hunting boots. I needed them for an upland hunt that was fast approaching.
To break them in, I wore the boots throughout the NASGW Expo in Kansas City, Missouri, followed by a Mossberg media event at Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona. Despite that effort, I still got a blister walking through the waterlogged fields of Iowa.
Soft, I know.
The boots held up well and were, as advertised, waterproof. They just weren’t sweat-proof. Thanks to warmer-than-expected temperatures, high humidity, and rain, I ended up drenched from the inside out.
Not the most comfortable test-drive of a high-end hunting boot — but they survived and outperformed, while I underperformed.
Since then, I’ve worn them off and on, but decided to put them to the test again by wearing them daily at the NRA Show in Atlanta. The only days I didn’t wear them were the travel days — because who wants to deal with pulling off lace-up boots at airport security?
After being on my feet all day at the show—constantly walking up and down the aisles—I was surprised at how comfortable the boots were. And that’s despite some booths skipping the under-carpet padding. (If you know, you know.)
I thought for sure that my “dogs would be barking” after that kind of use, but that just wasn’t the case. To see if this was a trade show fluke or the real deal, I decided to put them through one more test.
Last week, while Arizona temperatures hadn’t yet hit triple digits, I wore the Wingshooters throughout the day. Not exactly a huge sacrifice when you work from home — I get it. But my days also included walking a second grader to and from school. A school that’s a mile from my house.
Over two days, I walked more than six miles on cement sidewalks in these boots. And these are hunting boots — not designed, or soled, for daily pavement pounding. Yet, they felt great. Better than some sneakers I own.
Seven months in, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Wingshooter 7-inch boot is pretty much the perfect boot — at least for me. And I think that’ll hold true for many others looking for a dependable hunting boot.
The comfort comes down to quality materials and construction. The upper is full-grain leather, waterproofed at the company’s own tannery (they own two), and it wraps around Irish Setter’s UltraDry™ waterproof membrane. The boot also features a moisture-wicking nylon lining and a removable polyurethane footbed, supported by a steel shank.
One of the main reasons I wanted this boot was the Goodyear welt. What’s a Goodyear welt, you ask? It’s a construction method that uses a strip of leather stitched around the edge of the boot — where the upper meets the sole. In this case, it’s a 360-degree welt stitched to both the upper and the insole, then to the outsole.
Most high-end boots and shoes use this construction because it’s stronger and more repairable.
That last part — repairable — is what interested me most. If you’ve ever worn boots with soles glued on, you know how quickly they become useless. Technically, you can repair them, but why bother? You’re better off just buying a new pair rather than hoping fresh glue holds over time.
With a Goodyear welt, you can resole and recraft the boots repeatedly (within reason). Take care of them, and they can last a lifetime. That means with a boot like the Irish Setter Wingshooter, you get your money’s worth.
And the best part of resoling? The upper retains that worn-in comfort and character you’ve come to love. Your boots stay your boots.
While browsing the Irish Setter website, I couldn’t find any info about factory resoling — but they do offer it. I contacted customer service to confirm. (By the way, excellent support. The woman I spoke with had answers for all my rapid-fire questions.) She pointed me to the Red Wing Shoes website, since Red Wing owns Irish Setter.
You can choose to have the boots resoled by the factory, or go with a local cobbler — just make sure they’re experienced with high-end footwear. You can find some great examples, and level up your footwear knowledge, by searching YouTube. I recommend Trenton & Heath — they have solid content on boot and shoe construction, as well as restoration.
One final note, and this is about the sole itself. You will find some less than positive reviews on the longevity of the sole on the Wingshooter boot. These come from customers who chose to wear them as their daily work boots. The sole on these is not for 40-hour work weeks on concrete floors. It’s for hunting in fields. Irish Setter offers boots with sturdier soles specifically for the work place, you just need to chose the right style.
If it were me, and the boots were comfortable enough as my daily work boot, then I’d simply resole them with a sole better suited for that purpose.
– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network