Snake boots

[reddog]

I've got a pair of Chippewas that I wear about everyday out and about. They are holding up good being a year old and should be able to get another year or so out of them before the desert has taken it's toll on them. Just wondering if anyone else has a favorite brand that may have a better wear rate or be something better than the last pair type of thing.

Of course that's if anyone wears them! For me it's cheap insurance, closest hospital, hell closest anything, is 60 miles away and it wouldn't be unusual for me to be a half mile or more from my truck.

 

[CanTex]

Thing I learned about boots/shoes years ago. Buy two pair identical, swap them out every day. They will last far longer than buy one pair, wear them out and then buy and wear out second pair. Does not help you right now, or give any information re good snake boots but it did bump your posting...

 

[robertc1024]

I've got a pair of the cordura nylon leggings you can put over your normal boots. They have to be a lot cheaper than full-on snake boots.

 

[reddog]

I've got a pair of the cordura nylon leggings you can put over your normal boots. They have to be a lot cheaper than full-on snake boots.

I've got those too and boots are a lot more comfortable if you are wearing them every day. I started out with the leggings and moved up to the boots after just a week or so. Part of it is for me with the leggings is that you have to put them on, I might start out in the morning in the yard thinking I don't need them then end up without planning it in the back 40 somewhere. With the boots you put them on and no matter where you end up you are good to go.

 

[doncom]

I've got a pair of Chippewas that I wear about everyday out and about. They are holding up good being a year old and should be able to get another year or so out of them before the desert has taken it's toll on them. Just wondering if anyone else has a favorite brand that may have a better wear rate or be something better than the last pair type of thing.

Of course that's if anyone wears them! For me it's cheap insurance, closest hospital, hell closest anything, is 60 miles away and it wouldn't be unusual for me to be a half mile or more from my truck.

Chippewas are my everyday wear when off pavement but they last me a lot more than two years. Mink oil several times a year helps. Through the years I've tried a lot of brands and haven't found anything I like better.

 

[35Remington]

Thing I learned about boots/shoes years ago. Buy two pair identical, swap them out every day. They will last far longer than buy one pair, wear them out and then buy and wear out second pair. Does not help you right now, or give any information re good snake boots but it did bump your posting...

How does that math work out differently?

 

[ROGER4314]

I have a pair of Cabela's 11EE snake boots that laced up very tall but they are small for me, now. They have very little wear but that's how it works some times. They were $170.

One thing that did NOT work for me were the snake "gators" . I spent way too much time messing with them and getting the damned things to stay in place! I don't recommend them even though a pair runs about $30-$50.

Now that I'm retired, I really can't afford a pair of specialty boots like that, but I like to take pictures of flowers in pretty snaky places so the need still exists. I decided to wear my $300 THOR 12 wide motocross boots as snake boots. I bought them over sized and now, they are perfect. The outer shell on those boots is so hard that a snake would need a jackhammer to get through them!

Incidentally, breaking in a tough pair of boots like that was an ordeal until I learned how to do it. You put them on, stand in a tub of water and soak them completely.....then go riding. After a few cycles of that, the boots fit like a glove.

There's a picture of me riding dirt in those Thor boots in my profile picture album.

Flash

 

[reddog]

Chippewas are my everyday wear when off pavement but they last me a lot more than two years. Mink oil several times a year helps. Through the years I've tried a lot of brands and haven't found anything I like better.

I'll try the mink oil, I've tried dyeing and polishing them to keep the leather going but the brush and dead grass out here scrapes them down to bare leather in a couple of hours.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

I wear them out on the place, they are the Chippewas made out of leather and cordura, the most comfy boots I own.

 

[CanTex]

How does that math work out differently?

Because of the recovery time. When you take off your boots at the end of the day the materials start to dry out, the padding begins to fluff back up etc. When you wear them the next day they have not fully "recovered". If you allow them the extra time, they wear better.. ( or wear out slower ). It also helps if you clean and condition your footwear on a regular basis. I was originally told this while I was in the Military and a few years later worked along side an Olympic quality runner who had sponsorship. She was the one who showed me proof. Her shoes would last about 2 months if she used them strictly for practice and did not switch them up. 6 months or so if she alternated pairs.

 

[35Remington]

Wow, that's great info. Running shoes aren't easy to find in Size 14, so I've already been buying two pairs, but was just leaving one in the closet until the other wore out.

 

[BillNorthTex]

Participants in the US Army jungle school years ago were required to carry a stun gun with them. Studies had been done on the effects of low level electrical shock on snake venom after a scientist was bitten by a moccasin in his boat and while flinging his hand back hit his outboard spark plug and was shocked. The results of the study and positive neutralizing effect of the low level electrical shock on snake poison prompted the Army to require the stun guns for Jungle School participants.

Low level electrical shock is an effective neutralizer of North American Species poisonous snake venom. Plenty of info you can Google on it.

Jumper Cables or speaker wire on the pos n neg of the battery.. lay the negative(black) on one side of the bite... tap the skin with the red(pos) on the opposite side..tap only so as not to cause burns... there will be a tingle. But likely not as much as from a standard electric fence.

The quicker a venom is weakened/partially neutralized.. the less damage it will do in the tissue around it.

I've been shocked by automotive electrics before.. by accident of course.. not really painful.. more strange and alarming.

 

[reddog]

Participants in the US Army jungle school years ago were required to carry a stun gun with them. Studies had been done on the effects of low level electrical shock on snake venom after a scientist was bitten by a moccasin in his boat and while flinging his hand back hit his outboard spark plug and was shocked. The results of the study and positive neutralizing effect of the low level electrical shock on snake poison prompted the Army to require the stun guns for Jungle School participants.

Low level electrical shock is an effective neutralizer of North American Species poisonous snake venom. Plenty of info you can Google on it.

Jumper Cables or speaker wire on the pos n neg of the battery.. lay the negative(black) on one side of the bite... tap the skin with the red(pos) on the opposite side..tap only so as not to cause burns... there will be a tingle. But likely not as much as from a standard electric fence.

The quicker a venom is weakened/partially neutralized.. the less damage it will do in the tissue around it.

I've been shocked by automotive electrics before.. by accident of course.. not really painful.. more strange and alarming.

Now that's something I hadn't heard of before, have to do some looking into that. When minutes count and the hospital is hours away...

 

[General Zod]

I just wear a pair of regular leather boots, but when I step out the door I announce in a loud voice: "Listen up, snakes! I didn't even know the cow these boots are made of! He didn't do a damn thing to deserve to become my foot wear - so don't **** with me or my next boots will be snakeskin!"

So far, it's worked.

 

[35Remington]

I just wear a pair of regular leather boots, but when I step out the door I announce in a loud voice: "Listen up, snakes! I didn't even know the cow these boots are made of! He didn't do a damn thing to deserve to become my foot wear - so don't **** with me or my next boots will be snakeskin!"

So far, it's worked.

Winner

 

[GPtwins]

Justin and Tony Lama is all I will buy in boots. That is mostly because they have a shorter heal. The taller heals hurt my feet these days. I get about two new soles out of a pair of boots. I find that the uppers will last about three good sewings before the skins begin to rip too badly. I wear boots every day, I have two pair that I alternate so they don't get too sweaty. My biggest problem is that I am hard on heals. I replace heals every couple of years on my boots. Soles last longer.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Participants in the US Army jungle school years ago were required to carry a stun gun with them. Studies had been done on the effects of low level electrical shock on snake venom after a scientist was bitten by a moccasin in his boat and while flinging his hand back hit his outboard spark plug and was shocked. The results of the study and positive neutralizing effect of the low level electrical shock on snake poison prompted the Army to require the stun guns for Jungle School participants.

Low level electrical shock is an effective neutralizer of North American Species poisonous snake venom. Plenty of info you can Google on it.

Jumper Cables or speaker wire on the pos n neg of the battery.. lay the negative(black) on one side of the bite... tap the skin with the red(pos) on the opposite side..tap only so as not to cause burns... there will be a tingle. But likely not as much as from a standard electric fence.

The quicker a venom is weakened/partially neutralized.. the less damage it will do in the tissue around it.

I've been shocked by automotive electrics before.. by accident of course.. not really painful.. more strange and alarming.

Q.} Can an electric jolt from a DC source (i.e., spark plug wire, hand-held stunner) neutralize snake venom? I recall a series of articles on this published in the late '60s by an outdoor magazine. The DC current allegedly polarized the molecules of the venom.
Submitted by: -Dan, Fairfield, OH

A.} It was a great idea that took up a bunch of space in medical journals for several years. The idea emerged from a remote clinic, I think in Ecuador or a similar spot, and the doc there thought electrifying snakebites would indeed neutralize the venom. He published his thoughts. People began doing all sorts of stuff in the field, including using their battery cables when they got back to their vehicles, and saying "Hey, I shocked myself and I didn't die from the snakebite." Good thing they didn't die from the shock!

Anyway, labs started testing the thesis, and no one was ever able to reduce the potency of snake venom (numerous species were tested, by the way) with electricity. So, in short, it doesn't work. The definitive treatment, the one that always works, is antivenin. In the meantime, stay calm, gently wash where the snake bit, remove anything that could cut off circulation if you swell (like rings and watches), splint a bitten extremity, get to help, and don't electrocute yourself.—BUCK

Backpacker Magazine - Can An Electric Shock Neutralize Snake Venom?

 

[reddog]

Just wanted to add that if you are looking for the most comfortable socks to wear with a pair of tall boots that you have your pants tucked in, the over the calf socks from Under Armor are the best. It took me about a year to find and try them and they are the best. All of their OTC socks are made the same pretty much whether they are all sport, football, soccer, etc. The main difference I see between the different styles are some have heels others don't. Anyway by the end of the day wearing my typical cotton boot socks my feet and jeans are usually pretty sweat soaked, wearing the Under Armor socks I come out dry at the end of the day, and they even make your calfs feel cool if a breeze is blowing, figure it's their ability to really wick out the moisture.

 

[Chinookman]

How does that math work out differently?

well for one by letting them dry out for 24 hours the leather gets restored a bit from the salts and water.....vice wearing them daily may accelerate the leather wear and tear. I swapped out my jump boots for years after an old E7 wised me up....and got into the habit in the power industry and maybe it's all in the mind but seems like I got better wear...