What kinda BOOTS do you wear

[muscleman_coffeemesto]

I have an old pair of North Face boots. The name eludes me right now. For everyday wear though, I wear a pair of Gripfast steel-toe boots.

[ude garami]

If I were planning to go somewhere with rough terrain where I was going to be walking every day for miles for my job/vocation, $700 is a reasonable investment. A wise person once told me never to buy cheap shoes or cheap tires. When your boots are your life, the money doesn't seem to bad...

I don't know, man. I spent a total of 18 months in Afghanistan, patrolling up in the mountains. You could call it rough terrain. I lived in my boots. My $200 Danners and (I think) $30 Superfeet insoles, and $45 worth of wool socks (cotton kills) kept me and my feet happy.

$700+ boots? I don't think so. It seems like the Kifaru of the boot world. Undoubtedly good, but way more than anyone needs to spend on gear.

[airballrad]

$700+ boots? I don't think so. It seems like the Kifaru of the boot world. Undoubtedly good, but way more than anyone needs to spend on gear.

If what you have works, then you are all good. I was mostly commenting that for those who use their boots like this, paying a goodly amount was a good investment.
My dad worked with a guy who could not/did not drive a car to work. So he rode a bike. But as it was a good-paying job, he would go out every few years and buy a new $1000 bicycle. For most people who only occasionally (if ever) get on their bike, it would be a waste of money. For someone who used it everyday to get to their job, it was just a good investment.
For someone who lives and dies by their feet, footwear is an investment.
Me, I mostly walk down the hall to the can, or walk from the building to the parking lot. My $30 boots are a good investment.

[ude garami]

$700+ boots? I don't think so. It seems like the Kifaru of the boot world. Undoubtedly good, but way more than anyone needs to spend on gear.

If what you have works, then you are all good. I was mostly commenting that for those who use their boots like this, paying a goodly amount was a good investment.
My dad worked with a guy who could not/did not drive a car to work. So he rode a bike. But as it was a good-paying job, he would go out every few years and buy a new $1000 bicycle. For most people who only occasionally (if ever) get on their bike, it would be a waste of money. For someone who used it everyday to get to their job, it was just a good investment.
For someone who lives and dies by their feet, footwear is an investment.
Me, I mostly walk down the hall to the can, or walk from the building to the parking lot. My $30 boots are a good investment.

But it's not a good investment, at least IMHO. As I said before, I used my Danner desert boots harder in ~9 months (new pair each deployment) than most people us theirs in their whole lives, and $700 boots are unnecessary. It's overkill. Just like my $200 tactical pack I got to replace my stupid broken MOLLE (1st gen) worked well in arguably the roughest conditions anyone is likely to subject it to, and $800 of Kifaru would have been a waste of money.

[airballrad]

But it's not a good investment, at least IMHO

My point was simply that someone who is going to use their boots to run up and down mountains in the desert, or trek through the jungle, all while chasing/being chased by bad guys is going to want to spend more on a boot than Joe Hiker or Joe Drivewayshoveler. And it will be a good investment because they will need good quality more than someone who wears boots twice a year.
$200 vs $700 is another debate entirely; one which my Target-brand boots and I will sit out.

[misanthropist]

$700+ boots? I don't think so. It seems like the Kifaru of the boot world. Undoubtedly good, but way more than anyone needs to spend on gear.

If what you have works, then you are all good. I was mostly commenting that for those who use their boots like this, paying a goodly amount was a good investment.
My dad worked with a guy who could not/did not drive a car to work. So he rode a bike. But as it was a good-paying job, he would go out every few years and buy a new $1000 bicycle. For most people who only occasionally (if ever) get on their bike, it would be a waste of money. For someone who used it everyday to get to their job, it was just a good investment.
For someone who lives and dies by their feet, footwear is an investment.
Me, I mostly walk down the hall to the can, or walk from the building to the parking lot. My $30 boots are a good investment.

But it's not a good investment, at least IMHO. As I said before, I used my Danner desert boots harder in ~9 months (new pair each deployment) than most people us theirs in their whole lives, and $700 boots are unnecessary. It's overkill. Just like my $200 tactical pack I got to replace my stupid broken MOLLE (1st gen) worked well in arguably the roughest conditions anyone is likely to subject it to, and $800 of Kifaru would have been a waste of money.

Not sure about that...I know people who have been pounding on their boots probably as hard as you for more than a decade on the same pair, get them resoled every few years.

My work Vibergs ($550) got beaten on in all kinds of terrain about 12 hours a day for 2 years. I would estimate I have used up something like 10% of their working life.

My dad has a pair he got before I was born, in the mid 1970s. He wore them every day of his working life for about eight years, then changed jobs, and wore them on the weekends for another twenty years. They have been resoled twice.

One of the guys from my last project wore a pair from 1993 for the duration of the project (3 years.)

A pair of Danners lasted about two years on the pile driving crew. So I would say lots of people who work in their boots beat on them to a similar degree, some for decades on end. If you can buy a pair of boots that last you 20 years, resole them four or five times, you've spent about $1000. If you have to replace $200 boots ten times over that period you have spent twice that much.

You don't always get this sort of cost benefit, but if you know what you are shopping for and what you burn through and how, it's possible with some products.

[Molon Labe]

The only set of foot gear I own (outside of my work wear) are Danner Desert Acadias. I have them in Mojave Brown, and they are the best gorram boots I've ever worn. Outside of them you can use the old plain black leather combat boots by Wellco and Altama (I'd recomend the Vibram outsoled models), and use Scout's boot cream instead of Kiwi. The boot cream won't ruin the boots ability to breathe, like the wax base polish will. The Altamas and Wellcos can be found dirt freaking cheap right now, if you shop around.

[Agent_Jaws]

Get what you like that you can afford IMO, I can only really comment on what I've used and so far the Hanwags have beat all other boot brands that I've tried including:

Bates
Altama
Matterhorn
USGI Issue leather
Original S.W.A.T.
Ranger Joe's house brand

and I don't even remember what else. Not the cheapest, but definitely the one I would rely on to get me through a ZPAW.

[phorsaken1]

For the love of all that is decent do not buy those bates. We were once issued these in black. These were the worst fitting, most cheaply constructed boots I've ever had. The box they came in was more durable and conformed better to the human foot. I did have a pair of the higher end Bates boots and they were heavy, but excellent. Also, if you have normal feet, do not buy Rocky boots. I've had Rocky hunting boots that lasted for 10 years, but their new boots are crap. I wear normal width boots but for new Rockies I wear an extra wide and it is still too narrow. I currently spend 1/3 of my life (24 on, 48 off) in a pair of either Magnums or Converse 6" side zips. They are light, fit like an athletic shoe, and require no break in. The only downside is that they wear out much quicker than a "real" boot. Off duty, I wear Columbia Hiking boots that are also super comfy. I picked these up at Marshall's for 32.99. The best money I ever spent, IMHO.

[mbf2k]

Corcoran 3966: Mens 9” Olive Suede Leather and Nylon Mach with Steel Safety Toe



About 1.5 years of daily wear so far without a single problem.

[Juggernaut]

or

[jnathan]

Not sure about that...I know people who have been pounding on their boots probably as hard as you for more than a decade on the same pair, get them resoled every few years.

My work Vibergs ($550) got beaten on in all kinds of terrain about 12 hours a day for 2 years. I would estimate I have used up something like 10% of their working life.

My dad has a pair he got before I was born, in the mid 1970s. He wore them every day of his working life for about eight years, then changed jobs, and wore them on the weekends for another twenty years. They have been resoled twice.

One of the guys from my last project wore a pair from 1993 for the duration of the project (3 years.)

A pair of Danners lasted about two years on the pile driving crew. So I would say lots of people who work in their boots beat on them to a similar degree, some for decades on end. If you can buy a pair of boots that last you 20 years, resole them four or five times, you've spent about $1000. If you have to replace $200 boots ten times over that period you have spent twice that much.

You don't always get this sort of cost benefit, but if you know what you are shopping for and what you burn through and how, it's possible with some products.

Danner boots, at least all the pairs I've seen, have a cobbled goodyear welt sole and can be resoled like any other high quality piece of footwear. Further, Danner has a "recrafting" program which will rebuild your boots.

A measure that I use for determining whether or not a piece of footwear is worth buying is whether or not it can be resoled at a minimum, rebuilt preferred.

If we say for the sake of argument that your costs are accurate for the first pair of boots, the ones that last you 20 years with 4 or 5 resoles, we'll have to say for the sake of argument that the Danner's can also receive the same treatment. Luckily, it's not just for the sake of argument - it's history.

-Jeff

[rick1881]

Converse Foot Pursuit Desert Tactical Boot. Got a pair last month for hiking and they seem to work good.


http://www.lapolicegear.com/co88fopudeta.html

[misanthropist]

Not sure about that...I know people who have been pounding on their boots probably as hard as you for more than a decade on the same pair, get them resoled every few years.

My work Vibergs ($550) got beaten on in all kinds of terrain about 12 hours a day for 2 years. I would estimate I have used up something like 10% of their working life.

My dad has a pair he got before I was born, in the mid 1970s. He wore them every day of his working life for about eight years, then changed jobs, and wore them on the weekends for another twenty years. They have been resoled twice.

One of the guys from my last project wore a pair from 1993 for the duration of the project (3 years.)

A pair of Danners lasted about two years on the pile driving crew. So I would say lots of people who work in their boots beat on them to a similar degree, some for decades on end. If you can buy a pair of boots that last you 20 years, resole them four or five times, you've spent about $1000. If you have to replace $200 boots ten times over that period you have spent twice that much.

You don't always get this sort of cost benefit, but if you know what you are shopping for and what you burn through and how, it's possible with some products.

Danner boots, at least all the pairs I've seen, have a cobbled goodyear welt sole and can be resoled like any other high quality piece of footwear. Further, Danner has a "recrafting" program which will rebuild your boots.

A measure that I use for determining whether or not a piece of footwear is worth buying is whether or not it can be resoled at a minimum, rebuilt preferred.

If we say for the sake of argument that your costs are accurate for the first pair of boots, the ones that last you 20 years with 4 or 5 resoles, we'll have to say for the sake of argument that the Danner's can also receive the same treatment. Luckily, it's not just for the sake of argument - it's history.

-Jeff

Seen a lot of danners over the years...never seen the uppers last more than about five years on site. In my experience they are good for 1 resoling before they're toast.

They seem to me to be a very similar boot to the Redwing...same life span too.

[jnathan]

[...]

Danner boots, at least all the pairs I've seen, have a cobbled goodyear welt sole and can be resoled like any other high quality piece of footwear. Further, Danner has a "recrafting" program which will rebuild your boots.

A measure that I use for determining whether or not a piece of footwear is worth buying is whether or not it can be resoled at a minimum, rebuilt preferred.

If we say for the sake of argument that your costs are accurate for the first pair of boots, the ones that last you 20 years with 4 or 5 resoles, we'll have to say for the sake of argument that the Danner's can also receive the same treatment. Luckily, it's not just for the sake of argument - it's history.

-Jeff

Seen a lot of danners over the years...never seen the uppers last more than about five years on site. In my experience they are good for 1 resoling before they're toast.

They seem to me to be a very similar boot to the Redwing...same life span too.

That's ultimately going to come down to how they were cared for. If you don't ever put trees in your boots and don't ever polish them (to protect the leather), you ought not expect much.

I don't have specific information to contradict you, I'm not sure it's even relevant. Danner seems to indicate that their recrafting program will rebuild boots which is clearly not limited to the soles.

I suppose this one has run its course.

[misanthropist]

That's ultimately going to come down to how they were cared for. If you don't ever put trees in your boots and don't ever polish them (to protect the leather), you ought not expect much.

I don't have specific information to contradict you, I'm not sure it's even relevant. Danner seems to indicate that their recrafting program will rebuild boots which is clearly not limited to the soles.

I suppose this one has run its course.

Definitely agree that taking care of boots will extend their life, and I have no doubt that Danner will fix their boots after they start to come apart.

My only point is that there are boots that will outlast Danners substantially due to better materials and workmanship, but that's expensive. So sometimes you can spend a lot more, but end up over time with a lower amortized cost.

Danner make decent boots, they are just not the be-all-end-all that some people believe.

[mtnfolk mike]

i wear some slip on boots.... made by REDBACK of australia... i love em.. i'm going on my second pair...

http://www.redbackboots.com/ubbkboots.html mine are the brown ones..

[Molon Labe]

i wear some slip on boots.... made by REDBACK of australia... i love em.. i'm going on my second pair...

http://www.redbackboots.com/ubbkboots.html mine are the brown ones..

I like the look of those Terra Combat boots, on that site. Wonder how long they'd stand up to abuse and how much they weigh. I abuse my feet and legs when ever I can. I will go thru boots like there's no tommorow, and yes I do maintain them with Scout cream and brushing. Only my Danner's have proven to be adequate, but if I had the coin (and the info already stated) I'd be willing to give those a try.

[ude garami]

That's ultimately going to come down to how they were cared for. If you don't ever put trees in your boots and don't ever polish them (to protect the leather), you ought not expect much.

I don't have specific information to contradict you, I'm not sure it's even relevant. Danner seems to indicate that their recrafting program will rebuild boots which is clearly not limited to the soles.

I suppose this one has run its course.

Definitely agree that taking care of boots will extend their life, and I have no doubt that Danner will fix their boots after they start to come apart.

My only point is that there are boots that will outlast Danners substantially due to better materials and workmanship, but that's expensive. So sometimes you can spend a lot more, but end up over time with a lower amortized cost.

Danner make decent boots, they are just not the be-all-end-all that some people believe.

I don't know. I think you're getting ripped off on way overpriced boots.

[charlie505]

I've been a fan of Magnum boots for about 10 years. I've been wearing the Storm model for the past couple of years but now they're offering the Stealth in waterproof so I'm trying those out.

I like them because they're sturdy, and offer good ankle support but they're also light enough and comfortable enough that I can wear them for 20-30 hours at a time which is sometimes required by my job.

http://www.magnumboots.com

I wear the Stealth Force 6.0 composite toe for work every day - best fitting boot i ever wore. I am on my 2nd pair and am ordering another pair for every day use. I have a very wide foot and they are one of the few companies that fit me.,

[misanthropist]

That's ultimately going to come down to how they were cared for. If you don't ever put trees in your boots and don't ever polish them (to protect the leather), you ought not expect much.

I don't have specific information to contradict you, I'm not sure it's even relevant. Danner seems to indicate that their recrafting program will rebuild boots which is clearly not limited to the soles.

I suppose this one has run its course.

Definitely agree that taking care of boots will extend their life, and I have no doubt that Danner will fix their boots after they start to come apart.

My only point is that there are boots that will outlast Danners substantially due to better materials and workmanship, but that's expensive. So sometimes you can spend a lot more, but end up over time with a lower amortized cost.

Danner make decent boots, they are just not the be-all-end-all that some people believe.

I don't know. I think you're getting ripped off on way overpriced boots.

Well, if I didn't know the boots, or if I didn't know life in boots, I'd probably think the same thing, so I can get where you're coming from. There are a lot of people out there who don't understand (or need) the difference between $300 skis and $1000 skis, either.

On the other hand if you understand the difference in performance and that's something you need, the expensive skis might well be worth it.

If you look at the better, made in the USA Danners like the Rain Forest, I have seen them go for around $3-400...so an overbuilt version with better leather, should it be a hundred dollars more? Sure, why not?

It's only money, anyway.

[mk_ultra]

My favorite boots of all time are Danner Acadias . They are hell and back tough and far more comfortable than a boot has any right to be .

For everyday wear ,it is steel toe Gripfasts , or my Timberland hikers , but the Danners get the nod for hard use .

[Browning 35]

My favorite boots of all time are Danner Acadias . They are hell and back tough and far more comfortable than a boot has any right to be .

I'd love to get a pair of Danner Acadia's, but their price tag is what diverted me to the Danner Striker 45 GTX Uniform Boot since I can get them for a little less than $100 with my discount.

You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a pair of Danner Acadia's for that cheap would you? If you don't mind my asking; how much did you pay for yours? I can't find them around here (East Texas) for less than $200. I'm sure that they're worth the money, but I just don't have $200 to $250 to spend on boots.

[Gatorfarmer]

Izzy "Commando" boots such as those shown here http://www.zahal.org/gear/p3.htm . Bought mine off Ebay for less than those shown. They're like Converse with better soles. Added some cheap insoles from Walmart and they work rather well for general day to day use. They're certainly better than the 5.11s that chewed my feet up, but not quite as nice as the Corcoran Field Boots that I wore all through college.