A lot of farms have something like this right outside the back door:
https://www.cabelas.com/product/YakT...2.uts?slotId=2
Kent in SD
A lot of farms have something like this right outside the back door:
https://www.cabelas.com/product/YakT...2.uts?slotId=2
Kent in SD
In contento ed allegria
Notte e di vogliam passar!
Danners are too narrow a fit for me, and might be OK for trail use in the woods, but are way too light duty for sustained rough off-trail mtn travel, esp if ice
axes etc are involved. My best pair of boots ever was a pair of REAL Swiss Raiche leather double boots long before the era of such companies whoring their reputation to cheap imports from the other direction of the globe. I could post-hole and kick steps in deep snow all day long without those things soaking through. But they were miserably heavy and a nightmare to break-in. I'm not as ambitious as my younger days, so my lighter Essatto boots work quite well even for extended off trail travel. But now they offer a heavier version too, more akin to real mountaineering boots. Eastern-style hunting boots don't work too well when things get steep and you have to negotiate narrow ledges etc. And soft shallow-lug rock-climbing soles would simply wear out quick. The other priority for me is that boots have to be capable of being repeatedly resoled. You can go out and buy a $200 pair of boots that aren't, and end up paying ten times as much in the long run - say over a 20 yr period - replacing so-so boots per se versus spending $800 right up front for a really good pair that lasts and genuinely fits. My previous pair of custom boots (which I just wore in the garden) lasted 20 yrs and eight sole replacements before they became unrepairable. When I first bought them they cost only 250 bucks - a lot to pay in that era, but a bargain in the long run.
When I started working as a Tinner my feet would sweat when I was moving around and when I had to stand in one place to work then my feet would get cold. I tried wearing two pair of cotton socks and I just ended up with two pair of wet socks. One of the Journeymen told me to try wool socks. I did and I never had any trouble with my feet getting cold again and that was without wearing insulated boots. Of course that is here in St. Louis where it rarely gets below 0 degrees fahrenheit.
If wearing regular boots in wet areas there are products that you can apply to help seal your boots. I owned a separate pair of water proof boots for those times.
Fun discussion.
One issue is where to get good boots.
Unless you live near the source, brick and mortar stores that can fit you are rare (like Drew mentioned, I find REIs lacking when it comes to the kinds of boots that work for me)
That leaves the internet.
My advice is to find an e-tailer who takes their customers seriously, and order well before you'll actually need boots. It may take several returns to nail the fit if you have to DIY. European boot widths are almost always too narrow for most Americans.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
As some people have mentioned, good boots are part of the hiking solution. Socks come next. You want to look into a "liner sock", it wicks moister away from you skin. Next a good wool sock. Remember, "cotton kills", this has more to do in cold weather. Wicking, is a good thing for your body in general, tops, bottoms and feet.
Principal Unix System Engineer, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems
You said it, John! It's hard to buy shoes online. I usually end up sending them back. I have wide feet with tall arches. I do better with boots but it is really hard for me to find athletic shoes. I can wear Converse basketball shoes but with running shoes I have to try on pair after pair after pair. I don't know how people can wear Nike's. I can't even get some of them on my feet!
Fortunately, where I live there are lots of outdoor/hunting outfitters with a great selection of boots. I too wear Smart Wool socks in the warmer months, and heavy wool blend socks in winter. I never wear cotton socks for hunting/hiking. The problem is the socks will get wet from perspiration and dramatically increase the chance you'll get blisters.
Kent in SD
In contento ed allegria
Notte e di vogliam passar!
A few years ago I bought the mid-weight Limmer's, out of New Hampshire. The non-custom made ones (like mine) are made in Austria. But you still send in an outline of your feet for correct sizing. I had a question about them and spoke with Mr. Limmer and he was very helpful. They have a Norwegian welt with a Vibram sole and one-piece leather uppers. They remind me of the Fabiano Rias from the 1970's. I've used all kinds of shoes and boots, and will spare the details, but my main reason for getting the Limmers was economy (see Drew Wiley's post #12) and having a boot that was heavy enough for off-trail hiking on steep terrain with a 30-pound pack, but not a full-blown, stiff mountaineering boot like a Galibier Super Guide, or a modern plastic-shelled mountaineering boot. The Limmer's took awhile to break in, but they are worth the trouble. I would not use them for trail hiking unless you need a lot of support or are in muddy, wet conditions often. Limmer still makes custom boots, but the waiting period is quite long and they are expensive.
Down here in NC, cotton socks are cheap and do very nicely in most cases. I found that wearing 2 pairs is OK. It's rare to be in a condition where you could get a dangerous frostbite. I should have reckoned I'd get some extreme responses, given the widespread nature of the internet. I believe I was just fishing for someone who knew the brand of boots like Timberland (work boots), but don't clog up so bad. People up North have a whole different situation. I have an idea that up there and Canada that some serious Battle-of-the-Bulge or North Korea style outdoorsmanship can really be a matter of freezing your toes dead. I promise you if it's below about 43 degrees I'll just not go out with my chainsaw or camera. We don't get a whole lot of sub freezing days all day long. Maybe a 10 day stretch or 2 weeks but none of that stuff they get up north.
My two pairs of non custom Limmers are the only boots that I have ever truly loved and been happy with. Yes they take a while to break in, especially my mid-weight, but they are absolutely worth it. The are waterproof without goretex so long as you keep them sealed. And as far as I know they are the only leather boot maker that created the entire boot (minus the tongue) out of one single piece of leather. There is one seam on the inside of the foot in the most protected place. Truly wonderful boots. I dont know what they cost these days because Ive had mine for over 10 years, but whatever it is, its worth the price.
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