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Fire boots

Started by trentausherman, March 31, 2009, 03:45:34 PM

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trentausherman

I am looking to buy a pair of boots to fight wildfires.  Does anyone reccomend a certain brand? I dont want to pay anymore than $275 for them either if thats possible.

beenthere

Are there requirements for "fire" boots?
Steel toe? Heat resistant soles? etc.

Seems there might be.... ???
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

blaze83

I would try the White boot company out of spokane washington...made in america specifically for wild fire crews and smoke jumpers.....they will even mold your foot and custom build them...not sure what the price is now, but well worth every penny...i have a pair for working and hunting....had em for going on 10 years now. I don't work them like i did when i was fighting fires though.

http://www.whitesboots.com/boots-about.php

just my 2 cents

Steve
I'm always amazed that no matter how bad i screw up Jesus still loves me

Dan_Shade

White's ain't cheap, but they're good shoes.

I have two pairs of their boots.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

chevytaHOE5674

If you plan on doing fire work, DO NOT skimp on the boots. Buy the best boots you can. You are going to be spending hours upon hours walking the nastiest terrain in them. You need a boot that fits properly and is comfortable to wear all day. If you have problems with your feet then you are out of work......

That said whites are what I wore when i did fire work.

Clark

If you plan on doing fire for several years a pair of whites or nicks would be a good investment.  My co-worker got a pair custom fit to her feet, with caulks, for ~$450, as best I recall. 

If you only plan on being in fire for a year or two I would recommend a pair of Red Wing Loggers.  Also snatch up a pair of Superfeet for ~$35.  The soles of the Redwings are very hard and I could barely stand to wear them with out an insole.  Superfeet will last several years and extremely comfortable.

Clark
SAF Certified Forester

Reddog

Hoffman's handles both Nick's and their own brand in fire boots.
I have not used their fire boots but do have two pair of their pacs (one caulks the other air bob sole) and a pair of leather caulks from them. All three are high quality boots.

And for comparison I also have two pair of White's.

http://www.hoffmanboots.com/category.aspx?categoryID=2

stumphugger

Whoa!  DO NOT GET CALKS.  DO NOT.  You want vibram soles.  And vibrams are cheaper.
Steel toes?  I never knew anybody who wore them on fires.  I should think the steel would be prone to transfer heat and bake your toes.  You'll be walking and working on some hot ground and rocks.  You want good boots, not cheapies, otherwise you'll be stuck in camp while on the Way Faraway Fire waiting for replacement boots of some kind to be shipped in for you, and they may not be able to find any during fire season.  If you are on a line crew, you'll be on your feet a lot.  If you are an engine slug, you'll still be on your feet a lot.  Buy good boots with a minimum of an 8 inch top, all leather.
While you're at it, buy lots of good socks.  You'll need them. 

We westsiders had a pair of boots for working every day here--calks and our going on fire boots, mine were Whites with vibram soles.  I don't do fires anymore.

Tillaway

No corks.  Some of the cheaper "fire" boots sold (Baileys) have steel shanks, bad news when you step into your first burning stump hole.   Avoid the military type or suplus, I worked with a guy who wore them on fires years ago.  The first stump hole burned the bottoms of his feet pretty bad.  Any kind of hikers, mountaineering, or sythetic content boots are bad news.  Glue down soles are bad, good boots are stitched, glued, nailed and even screwed.  The glue will cook out but the soles will stay on.  Whites, Nicks, Hathorn ( Whites machine made boots) are preferred; Wesco and Viberg will work too but tend to hurt some folks feet more than the rest, fit issues. Redwings will turn you feet into hamburger pretty quick out west although a friend wore them for years; he has really tough feet and a high pain tolerance apparently. ::)
Making Tillamook Bay safe for bait; one salmon at a time.

Clark

Quote from: Tillaway on March 31, 2009, 11:42:03 PM...Redwings will turn you feet into hamburger pretty quick out west although a friend wore them for years; he has really tough feet and a high pain tolerance apparently. ::)

I fully agree with Tillaway's assessment of Red Wings.  From the store mine were very hard on my feet, almost painful.  On the other hand, I've yet to find a pair of boots so bad that putting Superfeet in them doesn't take care of any comfort problems. 

If you're not sure how long you plan on being in the fire business, I would highly recommend going the route of Red Wings plus Superfeet.  If your career path takes you away from fire but still in forestry, you've got a great pair of boots to do temporary fire assignments down the road and you have saved over $200.

If you want to stay in the fire business you will move up into a job that will give you a stipend or allowance for boots, sometimes a very good $$ amount.  At that time, I would go ahead and order the $400+, custom-built Whites. 

Clark
SAF Certified Forester

ErikC

  I agree on the whites. It's also required that you wear wool and cotton socks both, so get them fit with that in mind. Danner makes a good fire boot as well as Nick's and Hathorn. The requirements are all leather with stitchdown work lug sole and I think steel toes are NOT allowed. Municipal fire department requirements are different than wildland.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

woodtroll

I think whites and nicks both have a less "custom" boot that is decent but cheaper.
Other wise spend the bucks and buy a pair of Nicks. Get roughed out leather. The boot will last you years with some care given to them. Plus they can be rebuilt.
I have always been impressed with the folks at Nicks, very nice and helpful.

pappy19

White's would be the top choice for fire fighting as they are one of a very few boots out there that the heels won't break down on you from working on side hills. White's also make Buffalo's and Hawthorns, which are a good boot if you don't work them real hard on side hills and steep mountains. If you plan on working in the western states, better throw down the bucks to get a pair of White's at least 10" tall, 12" is better. Also make sure you get the nylon laces and not the rawhide. The rawhide will stretch and finally will break just when you don't want it to. Treat the leather with bee's wax from White's and you'll do fine. Once broken in, White's will be more comfortable than your slippers.
2008 F-250 V-10
2007 Lincoln LT
1996 Ford Bronco
Kubota 900 RTV
Shindiawa fan

Dan_Shade

they are comfortable, actually, my 10" smokejumpers are the most comfortable shoes i own, but the breakin... wow....  it ain't for the faint of heart!
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

beenthere

Quote from: Dan_Shade on April 01, 2009, 04:52:46 PM
they are comfortable, actually, my 10" smokejumpers are the most comfortable shoes i own, but the breakin... wow....  it ain't for the faint of heart!

Ya's hit the ground kinda hard,  eh eh
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

ErikC

  They are a tough break in alright. I usually take my old pair and change partway through the day, for a couple weeks at least. Also oil them a couple times right off. Some guys even get them soaking wet. If you jump right into working steep country with brand-new ones, your buddies may carry you out. Break em in now, Fire season isn't that far away. ;)
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Dan_Shade

When my smokejumpers were new, it was difficult to walk down steps with them on.  Driving my truck, i couldn't feel the clutch engage/disengage, either.  They are STIFF!  the arches are pretty high, too, until you get that "smashed down" to fit your foot, it's a bit uncomfortable too.

after the breakin, though, they fit like a glove.  i tossed my old redwing boots, and bought a pair of farmer/rancher boots from white's so that I didn't chunk up so much mud for my day to day activities.

Both of my pair are steel toe, the plain toe are probably even more comfortable.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

urbanlumberinc

Get the White's, you'll regret the purchase during the break in period, but once they're broken in you'll wonder how you ever lived without em.  Good luck out there on the fire line, hopefully we won't be seeing you around Colorado :)

rebocardo

My Danner fire boots with steel toes just made my feet ache, I gave them to my tree climber and he loves them. I am back wearing duty boots by Bates with the steel toe. I might eventually buy the Whites or real chainsaw boots again.



madhatte

Buffalo are a very good bang for the buck if you can't afford White's. 

Also:  for treatment/maintenance of leather, Obenauf's can't be beat. 

NHHillbilly

Nicks custom boots.  Bought a pair at camp when mine failed.  Tough on the feet for a few days but they came into it.  go with the lace to toe option if you can.  One thing I wish I had Done.
LT40hdg28

Dan_Shade

what does the lace to toe do for you?  keep the shoe tighter to your foot?
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Rocky_Ranger

There is just something not right when paying over $200.00 for a pair pf boots, even nowadays.  I've had one kind of boot or another  - and engaged in fire since the mid-1970's but still don't have a favorite brand.  The best ones were the ones that didn't hurt my feet.  I've thrown Danner's in the trash, refused to buy White's, had some good luck with Red Wings, some with Chippewa, some with Merrell's, and am currently wearing Rocky's.  I don't get out all that much anymore, but still do Rx burns and some fireline work, and the Rocky's have been extremely comfortable.   I don't like the lace to toe, nor steel toes.  I like the tongue flaps to keep out limbs, and by all means if you are going to be on the fireline get the Vibrams and use leather laces.  Most will come with cotton or some polyester crap, throw it away and get ya some leather laces.  Just my humble opinion..........
RETIRED!

pappy19

Quote from: Rocky_Ranger on April 05, 2009, 08:17:44 PM
There is just something not right when paying over $200.00 for a pair pf boots, even nowadays.  I've had one kind of boot or another  - and engaged in fire since the mid-1970's but still don't have a favorite brand.  The best ones were the ones that didn't hurt my feet.  I've thrown Danner's in the trash, refused to buy White's, had some good luck with Red Wings, some with Chippewa, some with Merrell's, and am currently wearing Rocky's.  I don't get out all that much anymore, but still do Rx burns and some fireline work, and the Rocky's have been extremely comfortable.   I don't like the lace to toe, nor steel toes.  I like the tongue flaps to keep out limbs, and by all means if you are going to be on the fireline get the Vibrams and use leather laces.  Most will come with cotton or some polyester crap, throw it away and get ya some leather laces.  Just my humble opinion..........


Lets see, by my calculations, you could have bought 2 pairs of white's for what you have paid for all those other boots that didn't work out. so much for not wanting a pair of Whites. At $350, they will last you at least 2-3 years of hard fire fighting in the mountains and then pay another $150 to rebuild them to original condition after that; if you do indeed wear them out. sure as hell, you won't wear them out in Arkansas. Again, leather laces will rot and break, nylon laces will last and last.
2008 F-250 V-10
2007 Lincoln LT
1996 Ford Bronco
Kubota 900 RTV
Shindiawa fan

Rocky_Ranger

Yes, except by my calculations - that's 30+ years of firefighting.  Keep your whites - also, nylon will burn/melt, not allowed in our fire management program.  Our Rx burns are hotter than most wildfires anyway. 

I should have said I believe in keeping a woman a lifetime and the trading of my boots.  It is far easier to pay for boots. <grin>.
RETIRED!

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