Mountain hunting boots tend to be stiff. That can be great in near vertical terrain, but for slightly less aggressive hiking and hunting scenarios, a sole with just a little flex makes the going much more comfortable. The Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 Hiker hits a nice compromise between stiffness and flex for use on both trails and steep off-trail hiking.

Spoiler — these are great boots with a steep but competitive price. I tested them through 10 long days of mostly off-trail hiking while elk hunting in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

In short: The Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 Hiker are premier-level hiking boots, which are entirely capable for use off trail for hunting or modest mountaineering. The sole is slightly softer than many mountain-oriented hunting boots, but they retain a burly leather upper and excellent traction. The lacing system offers great versatility for many foot shapes, and even kept my feet happy in boots that were a little too large.

Shopping around? Check out our guide to the best hunting boots here.

Note on sizing: The Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 runs large. I tested a size 9.5, my usual shoe size, and they were at least a half-size too large. Amazingly, they still did a great job and kept my feet happy over thousands of feet of daily climbing and dozens of off-trail miles covered. I don’t recommend that, though; shop down at least half a size.

The Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 Review

I’d made a rookie mistake. As I laced my feet into the Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 boots, I realized they were, indeed, a half-size big. But here I was, hours from home, tent pitched, and ready to hunt. Sure, I had another pair of boots, but I was here in part to test gear.

So, I did my best to lace up the boots in a way that locked my heel in place and at least cradled my forefoot. A few steps down the trail and I was confident I’d be OK, at least for a few hours that evening.

Well, in a testament to the boot’s excellent design, I was still wearing them 10 days later. And even though I’d climbed and descended thousands of vertical feet and taken tens of thousands of steps in that time, my feet were still happy.

Meindl’s Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 are excellent boots.

Starting at the bottom, the boots build on Vibram Multigrain 3 Outsoles. These proved incredibly grippy on everything from dry steep rock to wet rotten logs. I took these boots over some really dicey terrain and never slipped. Well done, Vibram.

Next, Meindl adds a stiff, but not too stiff, midsole and insole. This is where a lot of the magic happened for me, with the boots being stiff enough to support me on really steep terrain where edging was critical.

But, they’re still soft enough to allow smooth walking on trails. It’s a sweet spot that not many boots hit. They tend to be too stiff and clop down trails, or too soft and slip out on steep terrain.

Meindl built an exceptional hybrid hunting-hiking boot here, and the sole is at the core.

Above this excellent sole, you’ll find a burly and complex outsole with a very useful fit system (not my sizing snafu above). Let’s dive into it more.

Meindl’s Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 ‘Climate Control’

Meindl calls out the Air Revolution Technology in its marketing material. It claims that it allows warm air to escape and cool air to enter, expanding the boots capability to handle a broad range of temperatures.

It’s a pretty obvious addition with a two-layer tongue. Interestingly, the inner layer is even removable via Velcro. The pitch is that it compresses and expands with each step, forcing air in and out of the boot for ventilation.

I’m not sure I buy all the hype, but I did notice that the boots are comfortable in relatively warm temperatures, at least at low humidity. In sunny weather with highs in the mid-70s, my feet didn’t feel clammy or overly hot. For example, after wearing the boots for a few hours of a morning hunt, I never felt I needed to rush to take them off for lunchtime at camp. Given that these are pretty burly boots, that’s impressive.

So yes, this system does seem to work, and comes with the bonus that the tongue is removable if you need to dry it out in a pinch. Beyond this “climate control,” the heavy leather uppers have Meindl’s DiGAZx lacing system with ball-bearing eyelets.

This unique lacing system proved itself in my circumstances, allowing me to use boots that were a little too big and still lock in my heels for long days on my feet.

The rest of the specs on these boots read “top-tier,” and my testing proved they’re right at home among the best boots I’ve tested. The GORE-TEX liner kept my feet bone dry even when slogging through mud and streams.

The Vibram Multigrain 4 outsoles provided exceptional traction. I climbed steep mountain faces several times, and even scampered down one super-steep face that made me pucker. These boots locked my feet onto the ground as well as any I’ve tested, so kudos to Vibram for a well-made sole!

With a durable leather upper and overall quality manufacturing and components, I would put the Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 reviewed here as one of the top-shelf hunting boots on the market.

Who Should Buy Them?

The Meindl treads the line between mountain hunting and rugged hiking boots. For hunting high mountains, these are on the lighter and softer end of the spectrum but still a very burly boot. For hikers, this is a very rugged boot and likely overkill on trails. However, for those who hike with heavier packs or want a more supportive boot for rough trails, the Alpine 4.1 checks many boxes.

The ideal buyer for the Meindl Air Revolution Alpine 4.1 is a hunter who covers big miles right at or below treeline in temperate weather. While these boots should be able to handle modest cold, they thrive in early-season hunting when temperatures range from the 20s to 60s. So, if these conditions sound like your normal day of hunting, don’t hesitate to consider them.

Just make sure to size down a half-size and try this boot on well in advance of the season. Fortunately for me, it’s such a good boot that, even a little big, it handled a long hunt with no problems at all.