I first slid into a set of Irish Setter Elk Tracker XD Boots in July of 2023. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as they were my first pair of Irish Setters. I’m no stranger to the parent brand of Irish Setter, Red Wing, I’ve been wearing their work boots for about a decade and a half. When I had an opportunity to do some testing and evaluation on the XDs, I said, “Why not?” The real question was where is a guy from suburban Jersey going to track Elk?
The Elk Tracker XDs are an improvement to the popular Elk Tracker line of boots.
Prior to the introduction of Elk Tracker XD boots, Irish Setter has a line of boots they’re based on. The wildly popular Elk Trackers are constructed out of full-grain waterproof leather. Depending on the model, you could get them insulated. Building on that design, the XD version includes the same features as the original and has a proprietary Vibram® Outsole, “extra durable features,” and utilizes a TempSens Temperature Regulation Lining.
There are three models of Elk Tracker XD’s:
- Style 3982 10 inch
- Style 3980 8 inch
- Style 3981 8 inch with 200g PrimaLoft® insulation
The set that I got were the 8 inch insulated ones.
First time in the field
The first time I put my Elk Tracker XDs on I wore them around the house with the thought I had to break them in. My prancing around the home did not last long before I decided to put them to task.
Lacing up, wearing quality wool blend socks, I headed on a camping trip with my roommates. We were not deep into the bush, but we did sleep in a tent. As far as the camping extravaganza went, it rained most of the five days we were out, we had one camp fire, and cooked zero meals at our site. Pretty much we used the location as a low tech hotel.
Spoiler alert, we found some elk!
Where we went from our site varied. We ended up at a couple of different animal preserves and even ventured into an underground river in a cave. While at one of the attractions, I found myself on a safari style tour of the property. It was cool. You brought along some food and got to feed the critters. My junior roommate really seemed to get a kick out of it.
Lo and behold, what do we stumble upon? A small herd of elk. Some of the animals that we got to see included these majestic ungulates in summer velvet. I’m not going to say it was my Elk Tracker XDs, but my worries about not seeing elk quickly dissipated after our encounter.
The five days of camping did not wear on my feet at all. There was some moderate hiking and lots of walking. Having quality boots on such trips is paramount, just as important as having other crucial outdoor equipment like quality flashlights or pocket knives.
I wore them for a fortnight straight
The following weekend – and in between – I was pretty much in my boots the whole time as well. On the Thursday after the Fourth of July, I headed to the shooting range with a buddy. It was a sweltering day therefore my shooting companion and I did not spend too much time there. I was on my feet. My feet were comfortable, but my sweat beads were creating their own sweat beads. We tapped out early.
In the evening, it cooled down enough and a contingent of us headed to a Jersey Shore boardwalk. While there, we tackled one of those big steel four story climbing courses. This was a place the boots were really put to task. I’m not going to say it was my Elk Trackers XDs, but I did dominate on the structure, hitting every obstacle they had from bottom to top, and then top to bottom. The aggressively lugged soles did grip on the rotating steel log path, as well as clung to the rope bridges and plastic steps of the different trails.
The verdict?
I pretty much was in my boots for the first two weeks having them and without feeling any type of fatigue in my feet. I have rather wide feet therefore I got this pair to size in wide. There really was no breaking in period. They felt good from day one, which is not something I’d say is very common.
I’ve now had the opportunity to use the Elk Tracker XDs for over eight months and I really dig them. I’ve gone on a couple short day hikes in them, hit up the sporting clays course a couple of times, went on two camping trips in them, and laced them up to hit both a trap field and the pistol range multiple times.
While these boots are marketed to be hunting boots for seriously rough terrain, I have to say, they went beyond my needs as an all around outdoor camping/hiking boot. The ankle support was more than enough as well as the arch support.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Comfortable, stable, and waterproof. Held up to the abuses of hiking trails and steel climbing towers. Come in a variety of insulation possibilities. Handsome camo leather design. Moderately priced.
Minuses: Boots might be too pricey for some customers, but these are high quality boots and that’s what you’re paying for.
Overall, I am pleased with these boots. I’m a leather boot kind of guy, and while I can appreciate some of the lighter weight synthetic hiking/outdoor footwear, nothing beats a solid set of sturdy leather boots. The Elk Tracker XDs can make themselves at home being used on the big hunt through rocky terrain, in the field, or while on all sorts of outdoor adventures.
The Elk Tracker XD line of boots can be purchased from Amazon:
- Style 3982 10 inch
- Style 3980 8 inch
- Style 3981 8 inch insulated
For a sneak peak at some of Irish Setter’s new releases in 2024, check out our booth-side interview from the 2024 Great American Outdoor Show HERE or in the embed below.
