Kenetrek: A Boot for Every Adventure

Kenetrek was originally founded by Jim Winjum in 2005. As a passionate sheep hunter, he wanted to fill the need of boots that wouldn’t cause foot pain on long excursions, but could also last through the tough terrain. He had more than 18 years of experience working for Schnee’s boot company, designing and developing boots. Anyone who knew Jim knew he was passionate about his job and encouraged him to start his own company, but he was content for the time being. Schnee sold in 2005, and the new ownership wasn’t able to offer the security he needed, and so finally set about starting his own business.

Jim Winjum with a Stone Sheep

Starting the company were its first line of pack boots, available in six different models. It was slow going, however, and the company didn’t register a single sale until 2006. Admittedly, the few sales that year were friends and family.

Jim Winjum on a Hike

Jim was an avid hunter, and always had problems with footwear due to his hunting style, which involved covering rugged terrain and mountainous regions. He invested in boots that were advertised as being ‘high quality’ but they massacred his feet with blisters that developed into “freakish gashes”. This experience greatly influenced the release of Kenetrek’s first high-performance back country hunting boot, the Mountain Extreme, in 2007. The recession hit in 2008, and brought more trials for the new company. As with most things, sales on boots went down. This caused Italian boot manufacturers to become hungry for work and willing to produce boots in small batches, and thus a partnership with Kenetrek was born. Being able to purchase small batches allowed Kenetrek to build a small inventory without bankrupting the company.

Kenetrek HQ in Bozeman, Montana

Since then, Winjum has maintained his partnerships with Italian boot manufacturers, and continues to produce top-of-the-line hunting boots. His company has come a long way from the turbulent beginnings which it was born from, yet continues to keep consumers at the forefront and actively listens to customer requests. Their main facility is located in Bozeman, Montana.