Tall heeled boots?

[VT_Forestry]

I've got a tall pair of Red Dawgs from Bailey's, had them a year and a half...they were my first boot with a tall heel, and so far they have been good.  Definitely helps on the steep slopes, especially walking on a steep sideslope you can really dig them in...but that's just my 2 cents

[ErikC]

  The other thing about this style boot and machinery is the sole is hard rubber and will slip very easily on oily or wet metal. But I like the tall heel on steep ground. When I have a new pair of whites I don't head off to work without the old pair for a couple weeks. The first day or two I might change 'em after a couple hours only. They are great once broke in but you have to stick with it. I wear danners that have gore-tex a lot when its wet. They are comfortable right out of the store-but wear out about twice as fast.

Erik

[timberfaller390]

  They are comfortable right out of the store-but wear out about twice as fast.

Erik

It always seems like the faster they break in the faster they wear out.

[zackman1801]

So, do you think that the tall heel would bother me having flat feet??

my local dealer told me when i ordered my labonvilles that the high heeled ones might give me back problems if i wasnt used to wearing them, he also said that flat feet find them harder to wear but you might be different and they might fit you alright. i guess you would have to try them on to find out.

[Maineloggerkid]

Im up for a new pair of boots, so I'm thinking of trying a pair.  My boots have short lifespans, I wear them out about twice as fast as anyone I know. THese ones were new in May, and now they are ripped up, the liner is ripped, and the tread is seperating from the sole.

[Reddog]

Just a thought.
Try using a peet boot dryer. Seems to make them last longer for me.
Seems like when they do not dry out over night the leather is weaker and wears faster.

[FTD]

I have a Peet boot drier (two actually) and they are great.  Another thing my first good boot guy taught me was "Buy two pair and alternate days wearing them and they will last as long as three pair."  He is right.  The Peet boot drier helps this as well.

Grease them regularly also!

BTW They are "Stacked" heels...  not that it matters!

[woodsteach]

I have 2 pairs of whites boots, 1 pr of packers and 1 pr of smoke jumpers.  I've just had the 15 year old packers rebuilt (from Nicks Boots) and they reccomend spraying them with rubbing alcohol to keep them from drying out during the break in process.  Also to help in the break in look at their website for the 2-1-3 method of lacing you tall boots.

My 3 year old smoke jumpers are on their way back from Whites from being rebuilt we'll see how long they last this time.

BTW I have really high arches and love the high heel  on the packers better than the smokejumpers.

The high heel makes going down hill easy just walk on your heels!

Paul

[pappy19]

I've had and used Whites Boots since 1965. I have 2 pairs, one with Vibram soles on a Packer frame and the other is also a Packer frame but with the wide toe and "air bob" sole. By far the best sole in any condition is now the air bob. It beats anything I have ever used on wet, steep ground; wet rocks, whatever. Also it doesn't hold mud like a Vibram sole. It seems to wear pretty good as well. I haven't gotten a White's catalog in a while, but when I had this last pair sent in for rebuild, I asked if they could replace the sole with air bob and they did. If you work in the woods, you can't go wrong with a pair of Whites with an air bob sole.

[Woodhog]

I see a lot of the boots mentioned in this thread have no chain saw cut protection at all.

Also no toe scuff pad.

How do you keep these smooth leather boots from getting all cut up around the toes and heels in the brush piles and around the sharp rocks, also what about working with a chain saw with boots with no protection?

I dont see many leather chainsaw boots at any of these places that sell what they call forestry boots. (Whites, Redwings  etc..)

Around here all we can get are Viking type all rubber, sweaters and chaffers for forestry work, they want over a 100.00 bucks for a pair of them. They are like walking around with ducks feet, also hard to climb on and off crowded machinery platforms with these things...

I cant find a good forestry worker boot anywhere.

[beenthere]

...........
Around here all we can get are Viking type all rubber, sweaters and chaffers for forestry work, they want over a 100.00 bucks for a pair of them. They are like walking around with ducks feet, also hard to climb on and off crowded machinery platforms with these things...

I cant find a good forestry worker boot anywhere.

Where is "Around here" ??

[Woodhog]

Where is "Around here" ??

We are in the Maritimes... a bit isolated and expensive to order anything from USA by mail...

[Phorester]

Maybe 20 or so years ago I wanted a vibram soled leather boot with steel toes. The only ones available at that time that didn't cost a few hundred dollars were the logger boots with the high heel.  Redwings, I think. Didn't really want the high heel but since they had the other attributes I was looking for I bought them.  Found them to be very comfortable.

Now I always buy the tall heeled ones.  For one thing this particular style seems to be made tougher than a regular pair of boots advertised as hunting or work boots. I get some steeltoed, some not.  I try to keep 2 pair of boots in good condition on hand, trade them every few days, more often if one pair gets sweaty, or when one pair gets wet from rain/snow. 

[urbanlumberinc]

I just broke down and ordered up a pair of smokejumpers.  I've got a really tough foot to fit (13AA), with a really high arch.  After flushing hundreds upon hundreds of dollars down the hole on boots that never fit right, I figure I'll give the whites a try.  If that doesn't work, I'm givin up and going back to hiking boots.

[woodsteach]

I just broke down and ordered up a pair of smokejumpers.  I've got a really tough foot to fit (13AA), with a really high arch.  After flushing hundreds upon hundreds of dollars down the hole on boots that never fit right, I figure I'll give the whites a try.  If that doesn't work, I'm givin up and going back to hiking boots.

Urbanlumber,  If you've never had whites or nicks boots go to nicks boots.com and view their instructions for lacing the boots with the 2-1-3 method.  Otherwise you will most likely end up with a pinched area right on top of your foot.

Paul

[pappy19]

Also, the best way to break in Whites is to lace them loosely and put both feet into a bathtub with hot water all the way up to the top of the boot. Make sure they get wet all the way through. Then tighten up the laces and wear them all day. The wet leather will not chafe and will mold to your foot. In the summer, they will be dry by half a day or less. After they are dry, then use mink oil or Snowproof. The bees wax brands are good as well.

[LT40HDD51]

Woodhog, where are you in the Maritimes? I have a real good workwear shop nearby in Kingston, NS that has some alternatives. They have also told me that they "can order in anything". I believe I was looking at something like this in there once: http://www.bapequipment.com/cat_41.html.

They also had another nice looking boot there once. It was the same basic style as my "regular" Terra 8" leather work boots (Canadian made, at least some of them are still made in NFLD). It was waterproof, cut resistant, and made out of what looked like a heavy rubberized type of canvas or something similar. Looked like a really nice boot, but I seem to remember them being more than $200...

[Woodhog]

Thanks for that site.. I sent you an e-mail...I get up to Nova Equipment in Alyesford once in a while...

[Samuel]

Tall heels for the vertically challenged people??