“Here I stand in the light of day / Let the storm rage on / The cold never bothered me anyway.”
The singer of that song is delusional. Or, she doesn’t live in Western New York. Here, the cold is brutal — and the storms can even be deadly as we found out this past Christmas.
Single-digit temperatures, sub-zero wind chill, and lake-effect snow that just keeps on coming and coming and coming. But for a few days, I think we had at least a foot of snow on the ground for the entire month of December.
Winter is no joke around these parts. It’s impossible to be unbothered by it. As such, you want to make sure you have the proper attire to keep you warm.
About a year and a half ago, I picked up a pair of Irish Setter Pinnacle Insulated Waterproof Hunting Boots (2710). I’ve had ‘em now for almost two full winters. Before I get into the pros and cons, check out this rather robust list of impressive features:
Irish Setter Pinnacle 2710 Features
- Field Camo leather uppers
- Full leather gusset overlay construction
- Armatec toe rands and medial heel counters
- UltraDry waterproof/breathable technology
- 800-gram PrimaLoft Insulation helps keep feet warm
- Tempsens temperature regulating technology
- Odor-controlling ScentBan treatments
- Dual density polyurethane and memory foam footbeds
- EnerG high-rebound EVA midsoles
- Ground-gripping ATC rubber outsoles
- D-rings for gator attachment
Cons
I’ll lead off with the cons. The laces are a bit short, the boots puff out around the calf and they have a rather stiff fit, as to make it feel like you’re wearing ski boots.
They’re also not a quick on/off boot. There is no slipping ‘em on and off like the Danner boots I reviewed last year.
SEE ALSO: Lace-Free, Slip-On Boots from Danner: The Bull Run Chelsea
Those are the drawbacks in a nutshell. Obviously, none are a deal-breaker. With respect to the laces being short, you can always purchase longer laces. Or, quite frankly, do a better job lacing them up than I did.
As for the puffed-out look, given that these 2710 Pinnacles are 11 inches high, there’s no doubt that they’re going to come up around your calf. If you don’t like that appearance, you can simply purchase shorter boots. Irish Setter has a bunch of options in the 9-inch range.
However, I purposely wanted the longer, 11-inch variety because of the deep snow we get around these parts. So, you can say, I traded style points for added warmth and protection.
Lastly, the ski-boot stiffness takes a little getting used to. While it’s not uncomfortable, you just don’t have the flexibility that you do in a lower-profile boot. I’m not as quick or nimble in the Pinnacle 2710s as I am in other footwear. Again, that’s more of a function of the design, and a worthwhile trade-off given the pros. Speaking of which…
Pros
They are as advertised. Extremely warm and waterproof. Whether I’m wading into snow drifts out in the hills behind camp or snow-blowing the driveway, the Irish Setter Pinnacles keep my tootsies toasty and dry.
Passing that test is critical. You want your deep winter hunting boots to keep your feet warm and dry in any environment you are likely to encounter, all day long.
That includes not being sweaty. And to me, this is where the boots really shine. The Tempsens temp regulating technology, which I profess not to know exactly how it works, coupled with the breathability feature strikes the perfect balance between insulation and airflow. My feet stay warm but they do not sweat. Pretty remarkable.
Comfort-wise, as mentioned, they can feel a little stiff. That said, the arch support is adequate. I have flat feet, so that’s important. I’ve seen other purchasers complain that the standard version (as opposed to the wide version) runs narrow but I have wide feet and they fit quite nicely.
They’re also very durable. Again, I’ve had them for almost two full winters and they still look brand new. We get a lot of road salt around here from the snowplows, and that can do a number on boots. But mine are no worse for the wear. I can confidently say that I’ve had no durability issues with the Irish Setters.
Conclusion
On the Irish Setter website, the Pinnacle 2710s are listed for $259.99. That’s a bit pricey, one can argue. However, I’ve seen them listed elsewhere (Bass Pro, Cabela’s) for a much more approachable $175.