An Extension Of The 'Dressed To Kill… Yourself' Series: Footwear

[Drareg]

Shoemaking is still an art, the difference nowadays is top quality is around €600 plus, England and Italy has some really good shoemakers, the boots are very comfortable, the leathers are top quality.
The leather quality is everything when it comes to shoes and boots, redwing are a brand of boot where the leather is ok to low quality, because of this the boots will never be as comfortable as a mostly hand made Edward Green boot.
These boots can cost over €1000 but they will last a lifetime, it costs about €250 to replace the soles every few years.
The cheaper brands are designed to be thrown in the bin after wear and tear, consumerism in mind as always.

 

[pro marker]

Shoemaking is still an art, the difference nowadays is top quality is around €600 plus, England and Italy has some really good shoemakers, the boots are very comfortable, the leathers are top quality.
The leather quality is everything when it comes to shoes and boots, redwing are a brand of boot where the leather is ok to low quality, because of this the boots will never be as comfortable as a mostly hand made Edward Green boot.
These boots can cost over €1000 but they will last a lifetime, it costs about €250 to replace the soles every few years.
The cheaper brands are designed to be thrown in the bin after wear and tear, consumerism in mind as always.

i get my boots second hand. or used to. i need size 47 now so i havent found any in several years but when i had smaller feet id search second hand stores and get a ton of great boots. you can also get military surplus boots. i found a pair of vintage dock martens and WOW the quality now is so poor compared to 40 years ago.

 

[akgrrrl]

Ohh I love these posts about footwear. Yes, you can find amazing leathers in a thrift because younger generations are clueless about quality. They've no idea how a shoe or boot is made and thus cannot make determinations on quality. They cannot identify the innumerable skins used for footwear either, their tanning methods, nor which type of design might suit whatever purpose. Thus, it follows that the care and maintenance of shoes is also lost.
In a world where the population is focused on throwaway everything, how can product integrity be taught?

 

[Drareg]

i get my boots second hand. or used to. i need size 47 now so i havent found any in several years but when i had smaller feet id search second hand stores and get a ton of great boots. you can also get military surplus boots. i found a pair of vintage dock martens and WOW the quality now is so poor compared to 40 years ago.

I fully believe what your saying about doc Martins, even timberland in the past could be a good bad weather boot because they were water proof, the quality now is poor.
Even second hand good quality leather is much better than a cheap brand new, cheap stiff leather can make a nice looking shoe but they are very uncomfortable, good quality supple leather require no break in period from my experience.

 

[Amazoniac]

- Phthalates in plastic sandals

The migrations of phthalates in plastic sandals present a significant contribution to the total phthalate exposure for consumers.

 

[Kayaker]

In addition, infants and small children may be directly exposed to the chemicals in socks by putting them (or their feet) in their mouth.

?

 

[Wagner83]

Shoemaking is still an art, the difference nowadays is top quality is around €600 plus, England and Italy has some really good shoemakers, the boots are very comfortable, the leathers are top quality.
The leather quality is everything when it comes to shoes and boots, redwing are a brand of boot where the leather is ok to low quality, because of this the boots will never be as comfortable as a mostly hand made Edward Green boot.
These boots can cost over €1000 but they will last a lifetime, it costs about €250 to replace the soles every few years.
The cheaper brands are designed to be thrown in the bin after wear and tear, consumerism in mind as always.

i get my boots second hand. or used to. i need size 47 now so i havent found any in several years but when i had smaller feet id search second hand stores and get a ton of great boots. you can also get military surplus boots. i found a pair of vintage dock martens and WOW the quality now is so poor compared to 40 years ago.

Ohh I love these posts about footwear. Yes, you can find amazing leathers in a thrift because younger generations are clueless about quality. They've no idea how a shoe or boot is made and thus cannot make determinations on quality. They cannot identify the innumerable skins used for footwear either, their tanning methods, nor which type of design might suit whatever purpose. Thus, it follows that the care and maintenance of shoes is also lost.
In a world where the population is focused on throwaway everything, how can product integrity be taught?

Have you guys tried or heard about Jocko Willink's brand ? DURABLE GOODS - BOOTS - Page 1 - Origin USA

 

[Zsazsa]

Wood is good, too bad it isn't flexible

Spoiler

 

[RealNeat]

boot | mukluks | steger | winter | warmest-www.mukluks.com

*Winter boot *Men's and ladies sizes - regular, wide and double wide width *Weather rating: Extreme wear to colder than -20F - Colder temperatures apply if you choose larger and wider sizes *Height from floor: 12 1/2 *Material Description: Moosehide, Cordura™ Upper, 9mm Polypropylene Lined Wool...

www.mukluks.com

 

[RealNeat]

Wood is good, too bad it isn't flexible

Spoiler

View attachment 33389 View attachment 33390

Looks good for water skiing.

 

[Zsazsa]

Looks good for water skiing.

?‍

 

[Drareg]

Have you guys tried or heard about Jocko Willink's brand ? DURABLE GOODS - BOOTS - Page 1 - Origin USA

They look ok, I tried red wing boots which look similar to this, I still have them, almost brand new because I don't wear them, just not comfortable enough, high end leather is a different ballgame compared to cheaper brands like red wing.

 

[akgrrrl]

"high end leather is a different ballgame compared to cheaper brands like red wing."
EXACTLY.

 

[Peat Bogdanoff]

So I managed to land an outdoors job, and they require boots. Thing is the job also involves a lot of hiking in those boots.

Now, I love hiking, but in work boots? Is there an all-leather boot that is 8" high and is actually good for my gait and feet?

 

[kyle]

@Peat Bogdanoff
I wear Thorogood boots for the past 5 or 6 years almost daily. I wear them in the woods and I wouldn't hesitate to hike in them.

 

[Peat Bogdanoff]

@Peat Bogdanoff
I wear Thorogood boots for the past 5 or 6 years almost daily. I wear them in the woods and I wouldn't hesitate to hike in them.

How's the outsole? Can your feet contour to the ground?They seem kind of thick.

 

[kyle]

Well, it's the typical thickness any boot would have. At least for my purposes I wouldn't want anything thinner as protection against stepping on junk or debris, etc.

You actually want some stability and stiffness in a boot in the right places. If you step on uneven surfaces, debris, etc. all day it's gonna wear your feet out - you want a reasonably solid sole. You also want a fairly stable toe, even if you don't need the steel toe. I like the round toe design.

The other day I had a massive pile of poorly stacked wood nearly crush my foot but it glanced off just enough because the toe has a bit of stiffness and while it didn't stop all the force it minimized a lot of damage and gave me enough to get my foot free.

- Work boot design affects the way workers walk: A systematic review of the literature

"Safety boots are compulsory in many occupations to protect the feet of workers from undesirable external stimuli, particularly in harsh work environments. The unique environmental conditions and varying tasks performed in different occupations necessitate a variety of boot designs to match each worker’s occupational safety and functional requirements. Unfortunately, safety boots are often designed more for occupational safety at the expense of functionality and comfort. In fact, there is a paucity of published research investigating the influence that specific variations in work boot design have on fundamental tasks common to many occupations, such as walking."

Take a look at the authors of that study.

Look at that hat. All that is missing is the black cat and broom.

The absolute absurdity and irony of having some hyper educated biddies doing the important work that is reviewing the literature of
"work boot comfort" whilst the men are toiling deep in the hellish bowels of some mountain getting coal to keep their offices air conditioned.

It's a neat little microcosm of the ghastly charade that is our economy.

 

[Peat Bogdanoff]

Well, it's the typical thickness any boot would have. At least for my purposes I wouldn't want anything thinner as protection against stepping on junk or debris, etc.

You actually want some stability and stiffness in a boot in the right places. If you step on uneven surfaces, debris, etc. all day it's gonna wear your feet out - you want a reasonably solid sole. You also want a fairly stable toe, even if you don't need the steel toe. I like the round toe design.

The other day I had a massive pile of poorly stacked wood nearly crush my foot but it glanced off just enough because the toe has a bit of stiffness and while it didn't stop all the force it minimized a lot of damage and gave me enough to get my foot free.




Take a look at the authors of that study.

Look at that hat. All that is missing is the black cat and broom.

The absolute absurdity and irony of having some hyper educated biddies doing the important work that is reviewing the literature of
"work boot comfort" whilst the men are toiling deep in the hellish bowels of some mountain getting coal to keep their offices air conditioned.

It's a neat little microcosm of the ghastly charade that is our economy.

I mean that's a good point, but hasn't it been determined that shoes with solid soles encourage unnatural posture and gait? Ideally you should have a shoe that is as close to being barefoot as possible-as conditions allow. When I hike I usually use sandals but obviously that's not gonna fly legally when your work has you handling a chainsaw. I guess I want the closest I can get to barefoot boots while still being up to code. It doesn't say anything about outsole thickness in the requirements.

I know construction workers and other blue collar laborers in Japan use something kind of similar to what I'm looking for, but most seem cheaply made (which I guess is fair because they don't cost good boot prices). What do people here think about tabi boots?

 

[akgrrrl]

I mean that's a good point, but hasn't it been determined that shoes with solid soles encourage unnatural posture and gait? Ideally you should have a shoe that is as close to being barefoot as possible-as conditions allow. When I hike I usually use sandals but obviously that's not gonna fly legally when your work has you handling a chainsaw. I guess I want the closest I can get to barefoot boots while still being up to code. It doesn't say anything about outsole thickness in the requirements.

I know construction workers and other blue collar laborers in Japan use something kind of similar to what I'm looking for, but most seem cheaply made (which I guess is fair because they don't cost good boot prices). What do people here think about tabi boots?

I can offer that my Federal issued laceups for work as ParkRanger on a wildlife refuge were awesome. They did soften with time, but aspects of protection were critical. Genuine rubber soles, not vibram for cushion and protection.
Round toebox for lateral movement allowing toe spread and grip.
Hard toe protection=critical.
High tops ankle support and shin protection.
Laceups critical to allow for adjustment for hot days swelling feet or long hours.

 

[kyle]

I'd want a boot that could eat a bit of chainsaw so you have time to react.

I dont know if you've used a saw but sometimes you cut up limbs close to the ground by your feet.

You get fatigued, you trip over a stump, roll your ankle, make a bad cut. Yeah, in perfect world you can cut barefoot but that isnt the point.

Frankly Id be more concerned about the straight up exhaust fumes than supposed foot strain. Not to give you something else to be paranoid about. Lol

Or honestly just cutting trees is hazardous work. Your awareness is gonna keep you safe, dont wanna be looking down worried where youre stepping when you need to react quickly.

Anyway, please man youre worrying me. At very least i dont want your tree buddies laughing at you when you roll up in your ninja shoes. Lol