# What kind of boots?



## UrbanLogger (Jan 25, 2007)

I recently posted that I've been rope climbing more, however I still climb with spurs alot (for removal only - the bulk of our work). I have always worn Redwing linemans boots with a steel shank and toe. I'm in need of some new boots and Wesco was highly recommended to me. but they offer a ton of differnt types. I know I want a climbing boot for when I climb with gaffs, but will this boot still be what I want for rope climbing. Also I'm leaning toward a #100 Vibram sole, but that doesn't come with a steel side plate how many of you guys use or prefer a steel side plate on your climbing boots? I guess my question is what kinds of boots do you use/prefer?


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## Jumper (Jan 25, 2007)

Viberg Lineman here.


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## Jumper (Jan 25, 2007)

System not allowing me to edit.. VIBERG.

Also do a search this topic has been discussed before.


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## yooper (Jan 25, 2007)

check out www.sportsmanguide.com. I bye all my boots through them and have always been satisfied! bought a pair of 16 in.guidegear logger boots through them 3 yrs ago have worn them almost every day climbing (not winter) and they are still comfy and ya cant beat the price anywhere
They also have good ammo prices.


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## Dave (Jan 25, 2007)

I've worn 5 or 6 different styles of Wescos and my favorite is the 10 inch lace-to toe Highliner with the #100 sole. You can spend all day on gaffs and feel fresh as a daisy when you come down. Not the best for footlocking but you can get the hang of it, just have to squeeze the line a little tighter. Steel sideplates only matter if you are climbing phone poles full of nails.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 25, 2007)

I have tried Redwings...They are JUNK......

I have tried Baileys and Red Dawgs.....Not comfy and dont last....

I am on my 2nd set of Wescos at the moment...They are DAMN GOOD...

I also have 2 sets of Whites .. 1 pair of smoke jumpers and 1 pair of spiked loggers..... They are DAMN GOOD

Dont waste your money on cheap boots...They dont last and they are really hard on your feet..... Here are some pics of 1 pair of Wescos... These are the boots I wear every day for work... 14" lace to toe..#100 Vibram sole.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 25, 2007)

Forgot one sorry.... Hoffmans makes a good boot also that is a little bit less money then Whites or Wescos.....


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## Fumbler (Jan 25, 2007)

I use a pair of Nick's Foresters because that's what the state bought me.
I have owned Chippawa boots and those were complete junk due to the flexible midsoles, cheap thin leather, and overall poor design.
One day I'll buy a pair of custom fitted Nick's Hotshots. If I love the Foresters then the Hotshots must be realllly nice.

Stick with Nick's, White's, or Wesco and you'll be fine.
Make sure you get the right size. I see too many guys walking around with the sides of their feet hanging off the sole because they didn't get the boot wide enough.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 25, 2007)

shucks....I forgot two....sorry all Nicks makes a good boot also....


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## TreeBarber (Jan 26, 2007)

I wear White's Boots made in Spokane WA, the pair I have now have a born on date of 1988. Good boots, custom built to your feet. I have heard good things about Wesco also.


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## beowulf343 (Jan 26, 2007)

Dave said:


> I've worn 5 or 6 different styles of Wescos and my favorite is the 10 inch lace-to toe Highliner with the #100 sole. You can spend all day on gaffs and feel fresh as a daisy when you come down. Not the best for footlocking but you can get the hang of it, just have to squeeze the line a little tighter. Steel sideplates only matter if you are climbing phone poles full of nails.



Same exact style of boot I've been wearing for 10 years. Love them-very durable, can stand on spikes all day without my feet hurting, have them in my size, and are very comfortable even when they are brand new. If I have to climb a rope, I simply strap on a pantin.


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## kkottemann (Jan 26, 2007)

get a pair of 16" custome fit wesco's for spike work and keep a pair of low heel redwings in the truck for spikeless work. I got the 100 style sole and love em'. My redwings are just about done, so I will be ordering another pair of wesco's for spikeless. They will custom make the boots so you get them how you want them. For spikeless I will order the Jobmaster 10" with two of the heel lifts removed to make the heel a little less intrusive.


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## JohnH (Jan 26, 2007)

Davey Dog said:


> I have tried Redwings...They are JUNK......
> 
> I have tried Baileys and Red Dawgs.....Not comfy and dont last....
> 
> ...



I'll second that . Wescos are by far the best boots made. I get around a year and a half out of a pair of Wescos. my Red Wings would blow apart in 7-9 mounths.


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## Fumbler (Jan 27, 2007)

For those of you with custom fitted boots:
-How much does Wesco charge?
-How big of a difference does custom fitting make?
-Do any of you have flat feet?


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## JohnH (Jan 27, 2007)

I have long narrow feet. No one out there made boots that fit. I had Wesco custom make a set for me and it was like night and day. Right out of the box they fit like a dream. I paid about 325-350 for them. They are worth every penny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Fumbler (Jan 27, 2007)

JohnH said:


> I have long narrow feet. No one out there made boots that fit. I had Wesco custom make a set for me and it was like night and day. Right out of the box they fit like a dream. I paid about 325-350 for them. They are worth every penny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



That sounds like a deal. Nick's Hotshots are already $400, then an additional $85 for custom fitting.
You can get their Forester boots for $325 and have those custom fitted, but they aren't as rugged as Wesco's lineman boots.

I have wide (EE) forefoots, narrow heels, and my feet aren't as fat as most guys. I know custom fitting will help all these a lot. But...I also have flat feet and I don't know if any of the good boot makers can make boots with posted heels and metatarsal pads.


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## JohnH (Jan 27, 2007)

You will not be dissapointed


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## Davey Dog (Jan 27, 2007)

Fumbler said:


> For those of you with custom fitted boots:
> -How much does Wesco charge?
> -How big of a difference does custom fitting make?
> -Do any of you have flat feet?



I have one set of custom fit Wescos and one off the shelf set also....
They both fit better than anything else I have ever worn.... EXCEPT the Whites.... Whites and Wescos are in the same boat..... They are the best!

I wear my custom Wescos because they fit that much better than the off the shelf boots do. They are like Cadilacs... PLUSH and COMFY..
I keep the off the shelf ones to wear while I have the others rebuilt. I have my boots resoled every year and rebuilt every two to three... 

The Whites seem to last a little longer though.. I have hed both pairs for around six years. My smoke jumpers are on one rebuild after a really bad winter...

Nicks are good boots also, but not as good as Whites or Wescos...

My Whites both cost me $385.00, custom fit....

My Wescos cost me $240.00 off the shelf and $350.00 custom fit...

I have very short, wide feet...They are flat as boards... However, Both Whites and Wescos have very high Archs.... I love them. Even with flat feet they really help out. I havent ever had a boot with arch support. It helps out.

Good luck with your boots...... Jeremy


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## Gologit (Jan 28, 2007)

Fumbler said:


> For those of you with custom fitted boots:
> -How much does Wesco charge?
> -How big of a difference does custom fitting make?
> -Do any of you have flat feet?



Check Wesco's website...lots of information there.


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## Fumbler (Jan 28, 2007)

Davey Dog said:


> Nicks are good boots also, but not as good as Whites or Wescos...



The NCFS used to get White's, but Nick's has had the contract for the last 6 or 7 years.
The FS used to buy use the Hotshots, but in the last two years they've got us the Foresters. What we've seen is the hotshots hold up a lot better than the Foresters.
My Boss's favorite shoes are his 8 year old White's and says the Hotshots are just as good, but the Foresters are a joke. We end up losing money by going with the cheaper ones because we get them rebuilt more often.


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## boo (Jan 28, 2007)

i remember a post not too long ago about buying more than 1 pair of boots to work in. sorry i dont remember who posted it, but "props to you!"
i found a good deal on boots shortly after i read the post, so i purchased 4 pair.
2 sets of spike boots, and 2 sets of lock-foot boots.
i have realized through the years that, no matter how comfy the boot, after a few hours you can start to know where the "ALMOST perfect" spot in any boot is.
change to your other pair, and it's like a fresh start. 
much easier on the dogs, and boots seem to last longer too.
very worth the space in a truck.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 28, 2007)

Fumbler said:


> The NCFS used to get White's, but Nick's has had the contract for the last 6 or 7 years.
> The FS used to buy use the Hotshots, but in the last two years they've got us the Foresters. What we've seen is the hotshots hold up a lot better than the Foresters.
> My Boss's favorite shoes are his 8 year old White's and says the Hotshots are just as good, but the Foresters are a joke. We end up losing money by going with the cheaper ones because we get them rebuilt more often.



I tried a set of Nicks hotshots a while back.. They were a good boot. No doubt about it. How ever I had porblems with the width. They werent wide enough and I sent them back to have them fixed... Then again... and they still blew stitchs on me.. Dont get me wrong though, they are good boots..
I have just had better luck with the others is all... Good boots are good boots, and we all have our own opinions on just what fits the best... 
As long as we dont start promoting cooky cutter off the shelf boots, we should all have some happy feet....


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## Fumbler (Jan 28, 2007)

I think you've sold me on the White's.

I'll be looking at them for my next boot, especially with the price being cheaper than Nick's.

One more question for you, which brand has that stiffest soles?
Soles that flex aren't good for flat feet...


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## Davey Dog (Jan 29, 2007)

Well the soles of my wescos are a little bit stiffer then my whites....
(((EDIT))) you can also have wesco put a full sole steel plate in their boots, that will help stiffen them up quite a bit....

Also, the whites have a little more arch in there in-soles.. If you havent tried a pair of whites then maybe get the wescos and wear them for a while while you save for the whites.... I like my whites ALOT, but I like my wescos ALOT... It is hard for me to choose between the two.... The wescos are a little bit better suited to spike work, but the whites smoke jumpers work great as well...

My whites loggers are not good for spike work though... They are smooth rubber with metal cleets thet are screwed into the sole... They are great for ground work where you are walking on downed timber... but not good for being up a tree.

Either one of these boots will be a great inprovment over what ya have now.

One more thing, the whites take a wee bit longer to break in... I get a bottle of Bacardi 151 pour half into one boot and half into the other boot, fill to the top with tap water and let soak for around 15-20 minutes.... Dump out the boots and wear them until they dry.... Takes about 1.5-2 days... Make sure you have on heavy wool socks... That will help your feet out alot. 

Once they dry soak them with olive oil.. keep oiling them until they stop soaking up oil.
Wipe them dry. I oil my boots once a month except in the winter, then I oil twice a month..

I only use olive oil on my boots. I am sure someone will chime in with some off the shelf magic boot dressing, but petrolium based oils and dressing will rott out stitching, attract dirt and plug the leater so it wont breath...

Good luck with your boots.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 29, 2007)

boo said:


> i remember a post not too long ago about buying more than 1 pair of boots to work in. sorry i dont remember who posted it, but "props to you!"
> i found a good deal on boots shortly after i read the post, so i purchased 4 pair.
> 2 sets of spike boots, and 2 sets of lock-foot boots.
> i have realized through the years that, no matter how comfy the boot, after a few hours you can start to know where the "ALMOST perfect" spot in any boot is.
> ...



I agree with you on having more then one pair of boots, however, I can and have more then once worn my wescos and my whites for three or four days in a row... Never having a chance to take them off. The one thing I will say, is when you can wear one pair of boots and one pair of socks for three days straight and have happy feet then you are wearing good boots....

I couldnt wear my Redwings or bailys for even a full day.... That is the reason I have been spending 300-400 dollars on a pair of boots...
I weigh in at 260-270 lbs... I climb hard and work in some real nasty conditions... I am hard on boots and hard on my feet. These boots are one of the reasons that I can do the work I do...


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## Fumbler (Jan 30, 2007)

Davey Dog said:


> One more thing, the whites take a wee bit longer to break in... I get a bottle of Bacardi 151 pour half into one boot and half into the other boot, fill to the top with tap water and let soak for around 15-20 minutes.... Dump out the boots and wear them until they dry.... Takes about 1.5-2 days... Make sure you have on heavy wool socks... That will help your feet out alot.



Bacardi? That's rather expensive compared to what I use.
I mix a spray bottle of half rubbing alcohol half water.
I soaked my Nick's with the mix while wearing them.
I occassionally sprayed them throughout the day and they broke in in about two days. Sure does give your socks an ugly look though...

Wool socks are great. I don't care how hot it is outside, I always wear wool socks.
They breathe better, have better cushion, and won't wear out like cotton.


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## UrbanLogger (Jan 30, 2007)

I'm confused, what is the porpose of pouring, or spraying alchol into/onto a boot to help break it in, what does it do?


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## jmack (Jan 30, 2007)

UrbanLogger said:


> I'm confused, what is the porpose of pouring, or spraying alchol into/onto a boot to help break it in, what does it do?


 drink the bacardi out of your boot to ease the pain of 300.00 boots


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## jmack (Jan 30, 2007)

UrbanLogger said:


> I'm confused, what is the porpose of pouring, or spraying alchol into/onto a boot to help break it in, what does it do?


 chippewas are good too, 120.00, wescoes good for life, six month rebuild 3month back order last time i checked, excellent boot, chips are guarnteed too with a rebuild charge, reddawgs are cheap but the heel is curved no good for spikes, redwings were good a long time ago sorry to see no one can say it now, for all around suff, ground, climbing and bucking i like the chips, big climbs 8hrs up nothing beats da wescoes


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## Fumbler (Jan 30, 2007)

jmack said:


> chippewas are good too, 120.00, wescoes good for life, six month rebuild 3month back order last time i checked, excellent boot, chips are guarnteed too with a rebuild charge, reddawgs are cheap but the heel is curved no good for spikes, redwings were good a long time ago sorry to see no one can say it now, for all around suff, ground, climbing and bucking i like the chips, big climbs 8hrs up nothing beats da wescoes



Hard to imagine someone praising Chippewas in the same sentence as a good hand built boot like Wescos. 



> I'm confused, what is the porpose of pouring, or spraying alchol into/onto a boot to help break it in, what does it do?


Saturating leather accelerates the break in process by loosening the fibers and allowing them set in place (around your foot/ankle). You use alcohol because it soaks in and dries faster than plain water, thus letting you repeat the soaking sooner.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 31, 2007)

Jmack, I dont consider chippewas good boots... I wouldnt ever list chippewas, reddawgs, redwings,baileys,or any other cooky cutters with the likes of

Whites, Hathorns, Wescos, Nicks, Hoffmans......

http://www.whitesoutdoor.com/store/sub-category.php?category=Boots&id=Boots|White's+Boots

http://www.whitesoutdoor.com/store/sub-category.php?category=Boots&id=Boots|Hathorn+Boots

http://www.westcoastshoe.com/wesco/

http://www.nicksboots.com/

http://www.hoffmanboots.com/

As for why we soak our boots *Fumbler* said that perfectly


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## pbtree (Feb 6, 2007)

Wesco...

I like to have steel toes when I am working on the ground at the very least...


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