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There are four things on your body that you are a priority to protect - in order to function halfway decently in a SHTF scenario:
1) Hands (by extension, arms)
2) Feet (by extension, legs)
3) Eyes
4) Ears
In this thread I want to share some of my thoughts and solicit some of yours of footwear.
Besides socks, shoes/boots are important. In almost any SHTF scenario, survivors need to be ambulatory (able to walk). To that end, a survivor needs footwear that will protect his/her feet, regardless of the environment (wet, cold, hot, rocky, glass and other things that might puncture footwear) and to be comfortable for long distances.
Over the decades I have tried a lot of different brands of footwear due to my jobs (manual and outdoors labor) and pastimes (hunting, hiking, etc.). I struggled with finding footwear (primarily boots) that were comfortable walking long distances and protected my feet. I tried many brands, such as Danner, etc. - typical consumer work boots. I've worn caulks (as a choker setter) and other purpose made work boots. I've worn XC ski boots, hiking boots, MX/Dual Sport boots.
I haven't worn every brand of work boots, but I have found most of what I call consumer work boots (Danner, Red Wing, etc.) to not work for me. The Danners I got were ill fitting and not waterproof as advertised. Others were made more for standing around on a work site, protecting your feet from impacts, etc., than tromping around in the woods, over rough terrain.
I found hiking boots, both domestic and foreign made to be more comfortable, usually more protective (except maybe where you needed steel toes, etc), and usually more resistant to water ingress, and warmer in the cold.
When I was younger, I seemed to have more problems with keep my feet dry and warm - primarily warm. Of course, keeping them dry helps keep your feet warm. Over the years my feet have grown from about size 10.5 in my twenties, to now (at 66) they are about 13.5-14. Not sure if that is due to weight gain or just normal or a little of both. But I have much less problems with keeping my feet warm.
Anyway, over the years I have had some boots that worked well - like Vasque and Keen. I used to be a believer in Merrell footwear, but the company was sold to Karhu and then Wolverine. Manufacturing was moved to Asia. Quality went down, and size 13 show would fit tight when a different size 13 shoe would fit loose. I discovered Keen - much of their footwear is made in Portland, OR with the materials/etc. coming from Asia. I like them, but they are not perfect.
I just got thru repairing some Merrell boots I wore while burning my slash piles; the heat from the piles melted the glue holding the sole to the upper, about a third of the sole, at the front, eventually came completely unglued - not surprising as this wasn't a work boot, more of a hiking boot. A lot of footwear today do not have soles that are stitched - instead they are glued to the upper. I bought some shoe goo and used that to reglue the soles, and to seal them up. We'll see how that works and holds up. I also used some of the Shoe Goo to try to water proof some of the boot at the front; from the outset, these "waterproof" boots were anything but waterproof. Anymore I try to not get boots that have any non-leather fabric exposed as that seems to be where water and dirt get into the boot.
I used to have a pair of Vasque Sundowner GTX boots I bought in Alaska - I loved those boots and wore them for about ten years almost every day, until they were falling apart - the last year or so held together by duct tape. I have a similar pair now.
My main complaint about these kinds of boots is that they are "mid-length" coming up to just above or even with my ankle. That is mostly ok until I get out in the grass/snow/etc. and then all kinds of crap gets into the boot at the top. Gaiters are the answer, but gaiters are inconvenient to use and while they work against snow/etc., most are not good when walking thru a creek.
1) Hands (by extension, arms)
2) Feet (by extension, legs)
3) Eyes
4) Ears
In this thread I want to share some of my thoughts and solicit some of yours of footwear.
Besides socks, shoes/boots are important. In almost any SHTF scenario, survivors need to be ambulatory (able to walk). To that end, a survivor needs footwear that will protect his/her feet, regardless of the environment (wet, cold, hot, rocky, glass and other things that might puncture footwear) and to be comfortable for long distances.
Over the decades I have tried a lot of different brands of footwear due to my jobs (manual and outdoors labor) and pastimes (hunting, hiking, etc.). I struggled with finding footwear (primarily boots) that were comfortable walking long distances and protected my feet. I tried many brands, such as Danner, etc. - typical consumer work boots. I've worn caulks (as a choker setter) and other purpose made work boots. I've worn XC ski boots, hiking boots, MX/Dual Sport boots.
I haven't worn every brand of work boots, but I have found most of what I call consumer work boots (Danner, Red Wing, etc.) to not work for me. The Danners I got were ill fitting and not waterproof as advertised. Others were made more for standing around on a work site, protecting your feet from impacts, etc., than tromping around in the woods, over rough terrain.
I found hiking boots, both domestic and foreign made to be more comfortable, usually more protective (except maybe where you needed steel toes, etc), and usually more resistant to water ingress, and warmer in the cold.
When I was younger, I seemed to have more problems with keep my feet dry and warm - primarily warm. Of course, keeping them dry helps keep your feet warm. Over the years my feet have grown from about size 10.5 in my twenties, to now (at 66) they are about 13.5-14. Not sure if that is due to weight gain or just normal or a little of both. But I have much less problems with keeping my feet warm.
Anyway, over the years I have had some boots that worked well - like Vasque and Keen. I used to be a believer in Merrell footwear, but the company was sold to Karhu and then Wolverine. Manufacturing was moved to Asia. Quality went down, and size 13 show would fit tight when a different size 13 shoe would fit loose. I discovered Keen - much of their footwear is made in Portland, OR with the materials/etc. coming from Asia. I like them, but they are not perfect.
I just got thru repairing some Merrell boots I wore while burning my slash piles; the heat from the piles melted the glue holding the sole to the upper, about a third of the sole, at the front, eventually came completely unglued - not surprising as this wasn't a work boot, more of a hiking boot. A lot of footwear today do not have soles that are stitched - instead they are glued to the upper. I bought some shoe goo and used that to reglue the soles, and to seal them up. We'll see how that works and holds up. I also used some of the Shoe Goo to try to water proof some of the boot at the front; from the outset, these "waterproof" boots were anything but waterproof. Anymore I try to not get boots that have any non-leather fabric exposed as that seems to be where water and dirt get into the boot.
I used to have a pair of Vasque Sundowner GTX boots I bought in Alaska - I loved those boots and wore them for about ten years almost every day, until they were falling apart - the last year or so held together by duct tape. I have a similar pair now.
My main complaint about these kinds of boots is that they are "mid-length" coming up to just above or even with my ankle. That is mostly ok until I get out in the grass/snow/etc. and then all kinds of crap gets into the boot at the top. Gaiters are the answer, but gaiters are inconvenient to use and while they work against snow/etc., most are not good when walking thru a creek.
