Boots for the forest

[sherpa]

We work in the mountain forest a lot! We live in the mountains and I need a boot that I can plant my foot down and it will stay in one place without sliding and causing me to lose balance and falling. I usually have a chainsaw or brush cutter or some kind of equipment in my hand making it even harder to balance. I've have a pair of wolverine insulated boots for 9 years that work best but all my new work boots are only good on level ground only. I have even considered cutting wider groves in my boots. I also thought that maybe they make something that straps onto or around the boots for more grip on steep hills full of leaves. Then I decided that somebody on this forum has been where I am already and found a good boot for working on the sides of hills. Anyone else experienced what I am talking about?
Sherpa

 

[ning]

I think the best thing is a boot that's snug fitting and then expect to kick the edge of your foot into the hill to maintain a level footing. Something with a good vibram sole and plenty of ankle support (my ankles are fine but for working on a side slope any help is welcome).

I've got some Justin work boots that I've been wearing the last 5 years that have been the best yet for me

 

[oosik]

Get a boot with a Vibram sole. Large, wide open lugs will hold the ground better.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

I'm going to tell you what to look for, and why, and let you search Georgia Boots or Carolina Boots for what is important to you. Below in no particular order of importance.

8" shaft - enough to keep the dirt out, but not difficult to lace up (or get into) as a 10" or 12" boot. or,
12" shaft - again, enough to keep the dirt out, but more ankle support. Paratroopers use 12" + boots for the ankle support

Steel shank for arch support. Ribbed is stronger than smooth, of shanks of the same dimensions and material.

Eyes for laces - not speed hooks. On occasion, the loop from one foot will catch on the speed hook on the other shoe, and spill you onto the ground.

As others have written, Vibram sole and heel with deep lugs

Heel - 2". As you plant your foot on the forest floor, the smaller profile of the heel will help to penetrate the floor, before the sole hits the floor. It will give you a bit of a "stake" in the floor.

Storm welt or Goodyear welt. Storm is more water resistant, but both of them are better than non-descript. Welts are how the upper is attached to the sole.

Steel toe

I personally don't like waterproof boots - I find them hot and don't release the moisture from perspiration. I think if you get leather, and either of the above mentioned welts, you will be fine in a forest environment.

Kiltie - provides protection to keep sticks and branches from sticking into the soft tongue material

Full grain leather upper for maximum stiffness and support

 

[Jstpssng]

Try a pair of these; HAIX Bootstore

Yes, they are a bit pricey but designed for the use you describe. I don't own a pair yet but they will be my next boot purchase. People I know that have them speak highly.

An aside; I've worn bargain boots all of my life and am starting to pay for it now. There are days when I can barely walk, my feet hurt so badly.

 

[ericm979]

I like logger boots for this kind of work. The ones with the small heel. That makes it easier to walk down steep hills. I use mine when hiking on the steeper hills on my property even without the chainsaw because they work so much better than regular work boots. Steel toes for chainsaw use of course.

Mine are Redwings but many companies make them.

LoggerMax | RedWing

Featuring steel toe and electrical hazard protection, this black waterproof boot is built on a heavy-duty welt construction platform for stability, with an all-terrain fire and ice sole for best-in-class slip resistance. Shop Now At Red Wing Shoes.

www.redwingshoes.com

 

[Root Cause]

My land fits your description exactly. I cut an acre this past summer with Solomon hiking boots. I did most of my research asking those who hiked in this kind of terrain. No doubt there are other goods ones but I will stick with Solomon's. You can see them and see some reviews on Amazon, then buy wherever.

 

[ponytug]

X2 on good Vibram soles, stitched on so you can replace them when needed, and a steel shank.

I think that @ning makes a great point, after getting a good boot, I find that there is something of a technique to kicking/planting your boot into the hillside. For me at least, it has become second nature for traversing steep slopes. Kick, test, transfer weight, repeat. I don't think about it, it is just habit.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Calks.

Danner Pronghorn 8" Calk Logger Boot by Hoffman

Danner Pronghorn 8" Calk Logger Boot by Hoffman | Buy Online | Lifting.com

www.westechrigging.com

 

[jyoutz]

We work in the mountain forest a lot! We live in the mountains and I need a boot that I can plant my foot down and it will stay in one place without sliding and causing me to lose balance and falling. I usually have a chainsaw or brush cutter or some kind of equipment in my hand making it even harder to balance. I've have a pair of wolverine insulated boots for 9 years that work best but all my new work boots are only good on level ground only. I have even considered cutting wider groves in my boots. I also thought that maybe they make something that straps onto or around the boots for more grip on steep hills full of leaves. Then I decided that somebody on this forum has been where I am already and found a good boot for working on the sides of hills. Anyone else experienced what I am talking about?
Sherpa

If you want the very best, get what us foresters and many loggers wear: whites handmade boots. They aren’t cheap at all but they are custom made for your feet and rebuildable. They last me about 20 years and I get them resoled twice during that time. The fit and quality is unmatched. The smoke jumper model is the one that most of us wear in the woods.

Whites Boots Shop

Whites Boots Shop

whitesboots.com

 

[oosik]

I don't own a better boot with a great grip on the ground than my Mucks. Vibram sole - 12" high - defined heal - waterproof. A warmer boot - yes, my Canadian Komek winter pacs. A cooler shoe - my summer Keen - low cut trail cruiser.

 

[Egon]

We work in the mountain forest a lot! We live in the mountains and I need a boot that I can plant my foot down and it will stay in one place without sliding and causing me to lose balance and falling. I usually have a chainsaw or brush cutter or some kind of equipment in my hand making it even harder to balance. I've have a pair of wolverine insulated boots for 9 years that work best but all my new work boots are only good on level ground only. I have even considered cutting wider groves in my boots. I also thought that maybe they make something that straps onto or around the boots for more grip on steep hills full of leaves. Then I decided that somebody on this forum has been where I am already and found a good boot for working on the sides of hills. Anyone else experienced what I am talking about?
Sherpa

Note: not a logger but have three saws, protective pants and the proper slip on rubber compound chainsaw boots.

Proper comfortable boots will be pricy So choosing is important. Calks would be nice but the days of river runs are over. There would be toothed over pull on type grip enhancers available. ( crampons ) Lots of versions of Crampons available as they are a staple in ice climbing and some other recreational activities. Listed is one site giving a quick glimpse of what is required for a good safe boot. Information only, no Brand alliance.

Best Chainsaw Boots In 2023 – Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

As an arborist, wearing personal protective equipment is mandatory. There are lots of risks you expose your body to when you ignore even the most basic safety precaution. One of these protectives is the chainsaw boots. For other jobs, you can underestimate the importance of a pair of safety...

epicsawguy.com

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I would agree about the vibram lug sole to the boot. That is much more important than what brand or model boot you are wearing. The magic is in the sole lug pattern.

I had an old pair of Red Wing work boots re-soled with the vibram lug sole. They are my best non-insulated hunting boots. Can pretty much get traction on any type of surface except sheet ice.

 

[sherpa]

Thanks for all the comments, I never knew there were so many different options for the right mountain woods boot. I been educated.

 

[oosik]

Had a fellow visit me this summer. He had a pair of high top boots. Like high top tennis shoes. They were light weight and with a very aggressive Vibram sole. The interesting part - the sole and all its lugs wrapped up on the sides of the boot. Not far up - about an inch or so.

He said great for sidehilling and such. The "wrapped up" sole clung to rocks and hard ground without having the boot flat on the ground.

 

[sherpa]

oosik​

Them boots sound like a dirt bike knobby tire. Someone earlier shared some hiking boots that looked like that?

 

[oosik]

oosik​

Them boots sound like a dirt bike knobby tire. Someone earlier shared some hiking boots that looked like that?

That's a very good description - sherpa. Wearing a pair like that a person would soon learn to not shuffle along. Otherwise - flat on your face quite often.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Redwing Loggers if you want the steel toe, or Reding Wildfire boots if you don’t. I’ve been wearing them for about fifty years. I grew up in them. Mom started putting them on my feet when i was a toddler. I still remember standing on the fluoroscope at Nicks, in Boise and wiggling my toes. Highly cool experience for a small boy, and I was disappointed when they took it out of the store.

With proper oiling, and resoling by someone who knows what they are doing, they last for years, and even decades. I just had to give up on a pair from 1975, because the leather insole had gotten sweaty and dried out so many times it was as rough as sand paper and destroying my socks. The cost to rebuild them was more than a new pair.

I wear Redwings, because they will provide you with a pair of different sizes, and my left foot having been broken a couple of times is a size larger, and wider, 10.5E vs. 9.5B. Redwing now charges a bit for the special sizing. But when you live in your boots, they need to be the most comfortable pair of shoes you own.

Short of having boots custom made, they are the best fitting boots i have found. Money no object, you can get customs from Whites, or Nick’s. I still have a pair of Whites Packer pattern boots made up to meet the fire boot standards from when I could still straddle a horse.

We had a guy here in Salmon who left Nicks to open a shop here, doing boot repairs, and custom pack gear for the outfitter/guides, and the rafters. But he retired last year, and I haven’t decided if I trust the guy who he sold the shop to not to screw things up. He ruined one pair of my shop boots, by grinding off too much for a resole, and getting into the stitching that held everything together.

Don’t care much for Danner’s. One of the places I worked for issued me a couple of pairs as safety boots. The high dollar two pieces eyelets they use, wear to a sharp edge which cuts the laces. If sent both pairs back because of it, and their solution was to send me a new pair both times. I felt guilty about it, and had the local guy replace the eyelets with the inexpensive one part eyelets the next time they started cutting laces. Which seems to have cured the problem.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Steel toed combat boots. They make them. All military mechanics had them, or people that did construction type work. Or just skip the steel toe. I wear some most every day. They show up at thrift stores around here. Have several pair but still wearing out the first pair.

 

[m7040]

If you want the best forest and logger boots you would want what the wildfire professional firefighters wear which is Nicks boots or White boots. Both will give you boots that are unmatched in fit and performance and will last a lifetime