Footwear

300Six said:
Anyway the unfortunate part of all this is that natural rubber dries out and becomes brittle with age.
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I usually end up buying a new pair of Sorels every two years. By then they're cracked and leaky -- still good for a quick trip out to the woodshed or a chore when it's just cold, but worthless in slush and mud. Oddly enough, they're STILL about $125.
 
I bought Kamik brand pack boots to replace the worn out Sorels. The Kamiks are made in Canada or the US, but the Sorels are now made in China, and don't have the quality of the old Sorels. I like the Kamiks so far. I like leather boots made by Russell Moccasin Co. They are expensive since they are custom made. The boots last several years and can be rebuilt. I like my feet to be comfortable.
 
Chignecto Woodsman, I only wear them in the snow. In Mass that was pretty common, then it was back to Okinawa (85-88) and to Washington State in 1988. Not much snow here, so they will probably last another 30 years. John
 
I spend a lot of time outdoors in the wet Northwest winter. When it's crappy out I wear a pair of Schnee's pac boots (Hunter II, 10"). For backpacking I go with a lighter gore-tex boot, usually Vasques.

The Schnee's have been a godsend for me. When I put those on I never think of my feet again that day. Perfectly comfortable, completely warm and dry no matter what Mother Nature throws at me. I come home from a day doing trail work and I'm wet and muddy and miserable. First thing I want to do is get out of everything I was wearing except my socks. They are always warm and dry like they just came out of the drawer.

I work the heck out of these Schnee's boots. I've had them resoled twice and the leather uppers still look great. I've had this pair for 10 years. I grease the leathers with Huberds. Obenauf's is good, too. Use either one. I treat the rubber bottoms with Lacrosse rubber conditioner. Then I daub the seams with silicone sealer. I do this once in the fall and once in late winter. I can wade through 9" of water with no concern. Wet muddy snow all day long - no problem. Love these boots. Absolutely love them. Made in Bozeman Montana.

I would also highly recommend White's boots from Spokane, WA. Most of the NW loggers are wearing these (calks). White's pac boots are equivalent to Schnee's.

Oh, and don't forget the 'Darn Tough' socks. None better.
 
retired01 said:
Yeah,Sorel's are great,but with one downside,half-day wearing them the felt liners get soaked.
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I have no experience with them, but I can see that. Better than frozen toes though.

I'll primarily be using them for three situations. Shoveling my driveway, for a 4 mile walk in the woods on cold winter days, and if I have to stand around on a cold day for any amount of time. No plans for mountain hiking in them. If I'm working enough to be sweating, my hiking boots and good socks are fine.

I went to a Patriots (night) game two seasons ago where it was forecast to be about 18-20 degrees with a good constant wind. We we sitting/standing on an outdoor concrete floor. We were dressed for life on the tundra, yet with those hiking boots and two pair of warm socks my toes reached the point of agony. Never again.

Side note- Our beers were frozen. In this game the Pats were getting stomped in the first half and it was so cold that we left at halftime. This ended up being the second or third greatest comeback in the entire history of the NFL. Think about how many games that is. And we missed. The cold was so bad (it was the wind) that we decided that even if we knew what was going to happen we would probably have left anyway.
 
Anyone else here use aluminized sock liners under their wool socks for extreme cold conditions? It's like having little heaters built in to your boots. Reflects the heat back into your foot.
 
Wouldn't those cause a lot of sweating? I have heard of them, as well as vapor barrier liners, but don't really like being wet. Want to try a pair of these:
http://www.onoworkandsafety.com/Bama-Socks_p_779.html

Schnee's, Kamik, Danner, and Viberg are all boots I've heard good things about but also that they have degraded, mainly due to overseas work on parts of the boots. Vibergs I think are the leather quality. But those are just comments on logging forums, I don't know any loggers around here, don't think we have any now. The forestry co-op only sells something like the Vikings rubber boots, which are supposed to be alright.

I have Kamik rubber boots, the rubber seems decent, but people say they're nowhere near what they used to be.

When you use the Huberd's do you put it on the seams as well? I switched to it not that long ago. My work boots and hiking boots seem pretty good, but I always tried to be careful about seams. People say certain greases will ruin the seams.
 
Bufford said:
I go barefoot and wear rubber flip flops through the summer up until the snow. In the fall I'll wear warm socks and those rubber swamp slippers as long as the bush is dry or frozen with a dusting of snow. After that its winter boots for the winter.
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Only in Canada would it be considered safe/OK to use an axe while wearing flip-flops. :p

Chignecto Woodsman said:
Now those are interesting. I was thinking of something to just slip on for bucking, and I didn't really want to invest in chainmail cause it's probably hard on feet, socks, and boots. Possibly those metal plates from chainsaw boots could be rigged as well. Or something that could easily slip over mukluks and hold in place.

I see they have these:
http://www.oshatoes.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=95&idcategory=29

But I also hate carrying extra things around. Have to look into the weight difference more.
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I have one pair of the full metal covers and a few pairs of these: http://www.oshatoes.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=2&idcategory=2
The full metal covers are awesome but a little like wearing a suit of armor. They are not heavy at all but they do not bend and limit the articulation of the ball of your foot. If you were to carry them in a pack/bag, etc. you would not notice the weight at all --but they are big and take up quite a bit of space. They don't stack/fit together very well due to the plastic and straps underneath the shoe/toes. The full metal covers also take a bit of getting used to. The plastic/rubber part that slides under your toes to secure the front is about 1/2" thick so it lifts your toes up. Just takes some getting used to.

With either style, when I've worn them while using a chainsaw or cutting wood I've found that sawdust and wood chips can get lodged up in the toe section or between your boot/shoe. The metal ones just kick off and clean easy, the rubber ones are a bit more of a pain. Either way they are an excellent safety tool to keep around.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
Wouldn't those cause a lot of sweating? I have heard of them, as well as vapor barrier liners, but don't really like being wet. Want to try a pair of these:
http://www.onoworkandsafety.com/Bama-Socks_p_779.html
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I'd stay away from those or any other socks that contain cotton - at least for foul weather socks. You want a cloth that wicks moisture away. The aluminized socks (used to be called 'space socks' - I guess they came out of the space program) don't make you sweaty at all. They wick the moisture away from your feet. Pair them with wool or man made fibers like acrylic or nylon.

I have Kamik rubber boots, the rubber seems decent, but people say they're nowhere near what they used to be.

When you use the Huberd's do you put it on the seams as well? I switched to it not that long ago. My work boots and hiking boots seem pretty good, but I always tried to be careful about seams. People say certain greases will ruin the seams.
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I put Huberds on the seams. Huberds and Obenaufs are both seam safe. Mink oil and other animal based oils contain fatty acids that break down the stitching. Huberds and Obenaufs don't use animal fats. Don't believe it? Try greasing your boots with hamburger grease some time. The leather LOVES it but the seams will rot away lickety split. I made the mistake once when I was young and broke.

Re: rubbers

Use the Lacrosse stuff and the rubbers will last. And store your boots in a dark closet - it's the UV that breaks them down and causes cracking.
 
For upland hunting and deep woods hiking I've got a pair of almost 14yr old Filson unlined hunting boots. They are really heavy when compared to today's new lightweight and waterproof hiking shoes. Think "Survivorman" and "Man vs Wild" kind of thing. I used to wear Sorels, but I like my Mucks now so much more. You can't beat high quality merino wool socks comfort.
 
I can't imagine Filson boots being anything less than fantastic. I'll have to look into them. I have a pair of their double tin pants. Tough, comfortable and water repellent. Hard combination to beat. Filson exemplifies premium outdoor wear and they have done so for over 100 years.

http://www.filson.com/filson/our-company/history/
 
"Use the Lacrosse stuff and the rubbers will last."

Not sure what you mean by Lacrosse stuff.

Yeah, cotton is the worst for cold and wet conditions. I'll have to look into the space socks as rubbers are necessary here a lot. What do you do to care for tin pants?

Those Filson boots look good too.
 
Square_peg said:
Anyone else here use aluminized sock liners under their wool socks for extreme cold conditions? It's like having little heaters built in to your boots. Reflects the heat back into your foot.
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Sorels used to offer two types of felt liners for their boots. The separately available expensive ones had a metallic heat reflective foil in between the layers. You didn't dare wear these for walking (they would become sweat soaked in no time), unless it was -30 outside, but reserved them in your back pack for swapping out once you arrived at your deer watch or goose blind. The secret to remaining comfortable under miserable conditions for sure involves keeping your feet warm.
 
Most of the time my feet get wet from the inside out. They sweat a lot. When I am in the snow delivering mail I change my socks several times during the day to keep them dry. I have not tried the bamboo socks yet, but plan on buying some this season. I have read a ton of good reviews about these sock and their performance.

The best walking/hiking boots I have used in my 20 years delivering mail in the St. Louis snow are Rocky Super Stalkers and Cabela's Snow Runners. The Snow Runner can be found in mids and full boots. I paid less than $50 for my last pair. Big heavy boots will kill you walking all day in 6" of snow!!!! I wear Merrells every day otherwise.
 
1215 said:
Only in Canada would it be considered safe/OK to use an axe while wearing flip-flops. :p
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Yes its a bad habit, I'll admit it and would not recommend working with sharp tools in such a manner unless one knows what one is doing. For decades I have split on average 7 bush cords of white birch using only a splitting axe and do this mostly with only barefeet, often down to my underwear and T shirt to keep mobility up and to cool the body. But I also have a bad habit of using the chain saw that way too, albeit with hearing protection and a leather welding apron.

But then what protection do those cheap rubber Kamik boots offer or any unapproved work footware do when cutting wood in winter; I don't think they would do much to stop the saw if one got careless. One could get paranoid and spend the whole pension check on heating oil, but I'd rather pay attention to how I use my tools than worry about fate, chances are good something else will eventually get me.
 
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