View Full Version : A Slightly Different Boots Thread
I recently picked up a pair of these: Drew's Roughout Lace to toe (http://www.drewsboots.com/images/DROP10V.jpg) for Wildland Fire use. Just got them Thursday, got started breaking them in Saturday, and fought fire in them all day Sunday. Yes, they are absolutely Hideous, but they work well for their intended purpose. The heels make quite a bit of difference on any kind of incline, and the Vibram soles are double stitched and screwed on so they aren't coming off. They were pricey, but I should get a lot of use out of them. They look a lot better (to me anyway) now that they are scratched up a bit, and covered in ash and dust.
Take care all
Blake
Did you get a pair of thigh highs and a thong with them?? :D
Did you get a pair of thigh highs and a thong with them?? :D
No
Kyobanim
07-24-2006, 11:26
I thought platform shoes went out in the 70s. Now I see that they didn't go away, it's the high fashion wilderness firefighters that bought them all up.
Bet that sole keeps your foot out of the heat.
I thought platform shoes went out in the 70s. Now I see that they didn't go away, it's the high fashion wilderness firefighters that bought them all up.
Bet that sole keeps your foot out of the heat.
Damn straight.
I honestly don't know why they are that way, but all wildland boots I have seen are similar in design.
Damn straight.
I honestly don't know why they are that way, but all wildland boots I have seen are similar in design.
They remind me of the logger/lineman boots I used to see up in Washington.
Mr. Harsey could probably tell you why they are made that way...
x SF med
07-24-2006, 12:53
I wish I wasn't at work, so I could link to the Monty Python "Lumberjack Song", dammit, work gets in the way of fun, yet once again.
I wish I wasn't at work, so I could link to the Monty Python "Lumberjack Song", dammit, work gets in the way of fun, yet once again.
Done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clPYfaTvHT0&mode=related&search=
The Reaper
07-24-2006, 13:30
Feeling a little taller when wearing them?:D
TR
x SF med
07-24-2006, 14:11
Done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clPYfaTvHT0&mode=related&search=
PSM-
Thank you. I should have expected it from person that sails.
PSM-
Thank you. I should have expected it from person that sails.
My wife and I spent our honeymoon sailing a Cat 27 around Catalina Island twenty-some years ago. ;)
Pat
x SF med
07-24-2006, 14:42
My wife and I spent our honeymoon sailing a Cat 27 around Catalina Island twenty-some years ago. ;)
Pat
Nothing wrong w/ a Cat 27 - I own one & love it. Mine's older than a large number of the people on this site.:eek:
NousDefionsDoc
07-24-2006, 17:52
Nice boots! Don't listen to these guys Air. If you want to prance around like Nancy Sinatra in the middle of a forest fire, that's your business!
She even mentions playing with matches, so you're GTG!
"....
You keep playin' where you shouldn't be a playin
and you keep thinkin' that you´ll never get burnt.
Ha!
I just found me a brand new box of matches yeah
and what he knows you ain't HAD time to learn.
These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
Are you ready boots? Start walkin'!"
Kyobanim
07-24-2006, 18:27
Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!:lifter
Goggles Pizano
07-24-2006, 18:38
Nancy Sinatra! :eek:
x SF med
07-24-2006, 19:24
The scary thing is - NDD can quote Nancy Sinatra, what's next?
They look kinda like cork boots (logging boots) to me. Are they Whites from Spokane? When I was younger, I had a girlfriend once whose family owned a horse packing outfit in the North Cascades. She swore by Whites and Filson. Some of the toughest folks I know are loggers and North woodsmen. Be proud of those boots, they're MAN boots (except in the case of my ex. Then they're chick boots).
They look kinda like cork boots (logging boots) to me. Are they Whites from Spokane? When I was younger, I had a girlfriend once whose family owned a horse packing outfit in the North Cascades. She swore by Whites and Filson. Some of the toughest folks I know are loggers and North woodsmen. Be proud of those boots, they're MAN boots (except in the case of my ex. Then they're chick boots).
They came from Drew's in Klamath Falls Oregon. Some of their stuff is made by Whites, But I believe these were made by Nicks.
Admittedly, they look like hell, but I will say that they are more comfortable than my Danner Desert Arcadias were on the fireline.
x SF med
07-25-2006, 09:22
For really rough work, even if they're a bit heavy, I will always count on my Chippewa Mountain Boots (sold as SF Mountain Boots under the Chippewa name by Justin). Mine are older than some of the members on this board, have a few miles on them (ground, water, air, and canopy) and have never even had to be resoled.
When I was working in Ft Worth, TX I did some offsite training, and there were some guys from Justin attending - it was an icy/snowy/cold day, so, on went the Chips - those 3 guys almost came unglued when they saw them, even the Justin/Chip employees can't get a discount on them. I don't know of anybody at the 10th who gave theirs up - people bitched about how heavy they were - but they got worn a lot in the winter or during rough terrain training.
I wonder if Justin still makes them? off to google that question.
x SF med
07-26-2006, 09:29
The Chippewa Special Forces Mountain Boot, is, sadly, no longer manufactured, at least for the civilian community - it is not on the Chippewa site nor the Justin site. If you have a pair, keep them in good shape - they are expensive to resole (that 4 layer, leather, board, leather, vibram - sewn, nailed and screwed sole will last a long time) but I've never heard of anybody going through the upper withanything short of a charge or a very sharp object (there is the axe story, and the demo Xtrain story - ahh, later).
Any current 10th guys want to chime in? Are they still issued?
I hope you guys don't still get Hanwegs and Ramers - they were tired when I was there. another story about the guy who used to wear his Hanwegs with civvies to look cool(?) didn't last long for some reason.
Bill Harsey
07-26-2006, 10:06
They remind me of the logger/lineman boots I used to see up in Washington.
Mr. Harsey could probably tell you why they are made that way...
For strength in the uppers and sole, you need support when every step you take is on broken uneven ground and protection when you step, jump or fall thru onto something that's very sharp, like a broken limb sticking straight up that's still attached to the log.
The shoes shown by Air are based on "Loggers" with the undercut logger heel design.
Air, Those are very good looking "shoes" too. When logging we wore the "corks" and called them shoes. Anything else worn on the feet was called "slippers".
These shoes are designed for working day and night in what some folk would call bad places where the user will never make a footprint on a level surface until they get in the crummy to go home.
The Chippewa Special Forces Mountain Boot, is, sadly, no longer manufactured, at least for the civilian community - it is not on the Chippewa site nor the Justin site. If you have a pair, keep them in good shape - they are expensive to resole (that 4 layer, leather, board, leather, vibram - sewn, nailed and screwed sole will last a long time) but I've never heard of anybody going through the upper withanything short of a charge or a very sharp object (there is the axe story, and the demo Xtrain story - ahh, later).
Any current 10th guys want to chime in? Are they still issued?
I hope you guys don't still get Hanwegs and Ramers - they were tired when I was there. another story about the guy who used to wear his Hanwegs with civvies to look cool(?) didn't last long for some reason.
Fantastic boots. I still have mine x_. I've had them since 1970. :D I still have the brass toe protectors on them as well. They were put on to prevent the 'bear claw' bindings we used then from chewing the toe of the soles up. I know lksteve still has his Chips also.
x SF med
07-26-2006, 16:12
Fantastic boots. I still have mine x_. I've had them since 1970. :D I still have the brass toe protectors on them as well. They were put on to prevent the 'bear claw' bindings we used then from chewing the toe of the soles up. I know lksteve still has his Chips also.
We were not allowed the "Navy Diver Toes":mad:
got mine in 84, still going strong - I even have an extra set of 'new' original felt secondary insoles hanging around. And the answer is definitely NO, I won't give them away or sell them, or even trade them for food - now a Yarbrough is a different kind of trade (I am not even going to ttry to get on the list - who's idea was it to only offer 970 to 'prequlified' SF guys???).
Warrior-Mentor
07-26-2006, 16:26
Don't let them bust you're balls. When preparing for Trek in Pisgah Nat'l Forest, I re-soled a set of all leather boots with a set of vibram soles similiar to these:
http://image.i-soldit.com/images/0076/100760004724/100760004724_07_06.jpg
The heel worked well for digging into the steep terrain. Especially going down hill. Not sure I'd want it that tall, (b/c risk of ankle roles) but if you say it works, I'll take your word...
Did you put out the flamers? Err, I mean the fires? :p
The Reaper
07-26-2006, 16:31
I am not even going to ttry to get on the list - who's idea was it to only offer 970 to 'prequlified' SF guys???
Perhaps you are mistaken. The Y Knife (the serialized version) was announced and offered for sale to anyone who would fill out the application and pay for it for over two years. You could even mail or fax the application in.
I believe lack of interest and extra work required to verify the applications caused the sale of them to come to an end. Then everyone who had not done anything up to that point to obtain one decided they wanted one.
Not sure what you mean by "pre-qualified". Everyone I know had to fill out the paperwork and wait to be verified, just like everyone else.
TR
Yeah, we put out or at least contained the fires.
At one point I was on the side of a hill with a buddy of mine and we were calling in bucket drops from a Bell 205 and a 212 within about 20 feet of us. I called AM on the Cell phone right as one of the birds came in for a drop and told him I had something I wanted him to hear- right as the 212 dropped a bunch of water just uphill from us, less than a hundred feet over my head. We could clearly see the pilot and spotter's facial expressions. It was very cool.
Jack Moroney (RIP)
07-26-2006, 19:03
Fantastic boots. I still have mine x_. I've had them since 1970. :D .
Yep got mine also. Two pair since 1969.
x SF med
07-26-2006, 19:06
Perhaps you are mistaken. The Y Knife (the serialized version) was announced and offered for sale to anyone who would fill out the application and pay for it for over two years. You could even mail or fax the application in.
I believe lack of interest and extra work required to verify the applications caused the sale of them to come to an end. Then everyone who had not done anything up to that point to obtain one decided they wanted one.
Not sure what you mean by "pre-qualified". Everyone I know had to fill out the paperwork and wait to be verified, just like everyone else.
TR
TR-
I fell of the SF radar for a while due to personal issues - thus missed the 'announcement'. I was late to learn of the offer - no excuse, no rancor, just dissapointment that manufacturing runs could not be increased as demand dictated - I wouldn't mind waiting, as long as there was availability - they are going to have to be made over time, to meet the needs of graduating soldiers.
"prequalified" was used to mean those who had been through the Q prior to the issuance of the Y.
We were not allowed the "Navy Diver Toes":mad:
got mine in 84, still going strong - I even have an extra set of 'new' original felt secondary insoles hanging around. And the answer is definitely NO, I won't give them away or sell them.
LOL You newer guys had a name for everything...... "Navy Diver Toes'. I dove some 'Hardhat', yeah the toes of those boots were pretty much encased in in a combination of metals that looked 'brassy/coppery. Sort of a 'Herman Munster' shoe fashion. Perhaps the forerunner of 'steel toed' boots. The protection we used on our Chips were more like strips, some parts open, some all metal. Hard to describe, but one piece. Crap! Now I feel like I have to go through the storage unit and find them. THEN... I have to take a pic. That means borrowing a dig cam. Ya know. You guys can be a pain in the ass at times.......
Now! Those that had the Chips, who remembers what we called 'whale sh*t"? ;)
BTW. For some odd reason, I know all the words to N Sinatra's...... "These Boots are Made for Walking" Then again, I've been around a couple of years longer than NDD. ;)
Good Evening Sirs, I see the loggers on our strip job wear boots that look a lot like those. They cover the calf , almost to the knee because of the rattle snakes. :eek:
The scary thing is - NDD can quote Nancy Sinatra, what's next?the Apocalypse...but quoting is better than channelling...