Footwear - some thoughts

[P7M13]

Comfortable, warm and dry. Ever heard of Mukluks? Those, with mink oil.

 

[HaveGun]

A lot of the performance you get out of a good pair of boots depends on maintenance of them. I found this stuff a couple of years ago and love it. It keeps my leather waterproof, pliable, and looking like new.

 

[Leslie Shaw]

There is a third choice?

This is what I wear for working with a chain saw or with equipment like my flail mower:

View attachment 714143

Keen Wenatchee steel toe insulated waterproof work boot - size 14. I bought and installed a steel insole into them to protect my feet from anything that might puncture the sole. I have to wear thick socks to fit correctly, and to protect my foot from the steel toe (which isn't very comfortable.

Too heavy, stiff and not comfortable enough for tromping around in the woods. I walk around behind the flail mower with them though and use them when cutting firewood (to protect my feet from the chainsaw). These will probably last me the rest of my life.

I love my Keen hiking boots.

 

[The Heretic]

I had the same thing happen on an older Vasque boot. Several miles down a rocky trail half the sole flopped off. Had it come completely off I would have been screwed getting back. I checked the other boot back at the trailhead and its sole also separated when pulled on. I believe this was an age issue with the glue used. I stuck them back on with shoe goo but only trust them for city walks now. I have been happy with the Danners I replaced them with.

So far, the Shoe Goo works.

If you ever sit around a campfire with your boots towards the fire to get your feet warm or you stomp on the fire to put it out, or something like that, then that can cause the glue they use to melt/etc., and then you will have problems. My Merells did that because I was pouring water onto slash piles and walking thru the ashes/etc. while it was all still very hot (it was hot for months) and that destroyed the glue.

Those boots are just for working on the property, I have other boots for long walks - which I will probably never take due to my heart condition - but they stay in my daily driver just in case.

 

[The Heretic]

Comfortable, warm and dry. Ever heard of Mukluks? Those, with mink oil.

Some say mink oil will cause problems with leather over the long term - not sure that is true. I switched to Snoseal which is wax based. I used to XC ski a lot and that is what all the skiers used.

 

[P7M13]

Some say mink oil will cause problems with leather over the long term - not sure that is true. I switched to Snoseal which is wax based. I used to XC ski a lot and that is what all the skiers used.

Used to have mukluks that I treated with mink oil. I could stand in water. I wore them heavily for four years and wore them out. It was the stitching that gave out.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Guys, there is a big difference between hiking boots (particularly "light hikers," which are mostly good high top tennis shoes with lug treads) and work boots. Hikers want to save weight on their feet. Workers need day long support and durability. Interestingly, this was brought home to me In the 1990's when I would spend all day standing on concrete at Washington Arms Collectors shows.

My favorite boots would be a pair of Buffalo that I bought in early 1988, before Buffalo was acquired by White's. They have been rebuilt a time or two, but I love 'em. I've had White's, and I have Hell's Canyon made-to-measure from the 1990's, and my greatest Value Village score was a $5 pair for $3.85 with coupon - Nick's Boots! Getting $500 boots for $3.85 made me feel just fine about dropping $30 to the Cobbler to put hooks and eyelets into top shape. Wore 'em yesterday to work around the place, and my feet & ankles felt great. Yes they weigh more than hikers, but I was working not hiking.

Splitting the difference, I have a pair of military issue desert boots, found new at Value Village for $20, and I was lucky enough to buy a nearly identical pair of Belleville boots with Lamilite lining from Wiggy's, just as Jerry was closing out his Lamilite lined boots. I can work in these, yet they are light enough for hiking.

Pull-on boots like Engineer boots or Wellingtons are handy, and they are fine for a drive to town to shop, but they do not provide much more support than my "Romeo" slippers, and it is easy to turn your ankle if you try to hike in them.

 

[The Heretic]

Well it depends on the usage.

If you are going to stand at a lathe or drill press, or a welding station all day, yeah, a heavy boot that can resist oil and sparks, etc., is fine.

If you are packing a 40-60 pound pack, not including a rifle and pistol and ammo, hiking thru the woods over rough terrain, then yes, you probably want a hiking boot that was made for that kind of usage. And no, they are not high top tennis shoes. "Hiking boots" are available in a range of styles meant for light hiking (with little or no weight - maybe a hydration pack and an energy bar) to heavy hiking where you are packing a tent, sleeping bag, FAK, other gear, etc. and a week or two worth of food over really rough terrain.

I have heavy steel toed insulated work boots I posted earlier in this thread, for protecting my feet from power machinery, and I have lighter weight hiking boots, and boots in between.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

I made the mistake of generalizing. You are right, there are decent hikers out there. I should have said that many (not all) "light hikers" are little more than high top tennis shoes with lug soles. The cheap Chinese import companies have been doing this for at least 35 years that I've noticed (yep, had Nike "light hikers" in 1985 that were basically tennie runners).

i do think people need to make that distinction between hiking and working. My Nick's boots weigh too much to be accepted by a modern backpacker, but they are great work boots. I just wish we had more American companies making good footwear. Maybe some of our manufacturing will come back home after this Chinese Communist Party virus business.

 

[The Heretic]

Today I am cutting up logs for firewood so I am wearing kevlar/etc. chaps and my steel toed heavy work boots.

 

[Hawaiian]

For summer.

 

[MannyGlocks]

TH,

Those are some great looking boots - non-chinese or...?

 

[Geardo]

I have been walking or running 2-4 mi a day for years. I have found a running shoe I really like, saucony. Found a good deal a bought 2 last time. They are consistant enough i can buy new pairs online.

For boots, I really like my Salamons. They are like a tall water resistant running shoe. My only issue is they have great arch support and I have flat feet, so after a day of wear l get a little sore. But They are great for a day of training or a day hike.

Make sure to carry a SAM splint and sports wrap whenever you are off pavement!

My every day boot is a steel toe HH! Which are insanely comfortable to me.

 

[The Heretic]

TH,

Those are some great looking boots - non-chinese or...?

Keen is made mostly in Portland, Oregon. Where they get their materials from varies, but they manufacture most of their footwear here.

 

[Mike7b]

For me, I usually buy what I can find in my size, 15 or 16 depending on the boot maker. I just got a pair of danner flashpoints in 15ee. I wanted 16 but waited to long, I figured I'd take a chance since they offer free shipping and returns. Very comfortable boot, all leather, no gortex bubblegum. I used to wear them but when the price went to $400.00, I said no mas, not worth it. Now that our dollar has lost a bit of buying power and they had them on sale for $300.00, I went for it. Unfortunately most of the danner line is Chinese bubblegum. There's a line of boots sold by Halls safety products, they sell lineman gear, the boots are made to their specs, go for around $300.00 and the ones I looked at came in size 15 and 16, the only drawback is the gortex lining.

 

[The Heretic]

Been wearing these big heavy Keen work boots all day and they are more comfortable than the Merell hiking boots I wore yesterday. For some reason those Merells hurt across the top of the arch of my feet.

 

[SparksFly]

Another Danner fanboy here, love my mountain 600s. Have worn them every day for the past year or so and love them, super comfortable, even when sitting in class for 7 hours a day. They have semi-elastic flat laces that worked well but wore out quickly so I got some stretchy round laces from Danner and they are awesome, even more so with boot socks. Love my 8" pronghorns too.

 

[The Heretic]

I tried some of those "Lock Laces" that are elastic cord and a locking mechanism.

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These might be good for shoes or low top boots where the laces are thru loops at all times, but not for boots that have hooks, or maybe not for boots that are high top or calf length. I tried them on my high top boots and while they seem to make them more comfortable because they stay tight they also are not too tight - both due to the elasticity of the laces.

Going to try them on my other lower top boots.

They don't seem to be worth $10 for a pair though. I am just going to buy some elastic cord (that is a larger diameter) and come locking mechanisms and make my own. Elastic cord is about 20 cents per foot, the shoe laces are about 8-9 feet long. For shoes you only need about 6 feet or less. Cord locks are 10-70 cents per lock depending on the kind you buy (IMO, get the ones that have two holes, one for each lace end). So you can make your own for a lot less, or not use the locks at all and just tie the laces normally.

IMO - the main benefits are the fact that the elastic cords seem to stay tight and tied, and the possible comfort increase (might be slight or major, depending on the footwear and your feet). I often have laces come untied no matter how tight I tie them and double knot them - that can be an issue when you are trying to cover ground to get away from a threat. Comfort is an issue too.

The locking mechanism by itself may be adequate without the elastic cord to reduce the chance of the laces coming untied.

FWIW - I tried Titan Cord (paracord that contains wire and jute {for fire making} and fishing line) on one boot. Found that the copper wire pokes thru the sheath on the end of the lace, and the cord is not flexible enough to make a good lace. Also, boot laces are probably the last cording I would want to give up in order to last something, although taking the wire out of it to make a snare would be good, the fishing line wouldn't be long enough for anything except a snare. I have the Titan Cord wrapped around several hatchets (British Belt Axes) to provide a better grip, and for emergency cording. Titan Cord with the wire still in it, is not good for knots - too stiff and it tends to come undone for that reason. In an emergency one would want to remove the wire and probably the fishing line, and then use the remaining cording for lashing/etc.

YMMV.

 

[Siglvr]

For me, I usually buy what I can find in my size, 15 or 16 depending on the boot maker.

My brother wears a large shoe/boot. Mom always said maybe he should simply stick each foot up a cows bubblegum and it would be cheaper and fit better. I will note that in your size range it's either absurdly expensive or absurdly cheap. Glad I'm a size 9.

For water/swamps: Mucks. I can walk a long way in them, fully waterproof to just below the knee. Otherwise I'm a sale or discount milspec guy. The Afgan mid-weather boots posted on NWFA as a great deal are fine craftsmanship and inexpensive.

 

[The Heretic]