Boot Question for climbers.

[TheShanks]

I did a quick search and didn't really find the answer I was looking for so bare with me if this topic has been over cooked.

I'm going to be new to climbing, Right now most of the climbing I'll do is on my own time, not on company time with a running saw. After dropping a bunch of money on some new rain equipment for winter I'm wondering if there is a cheaper alternative to buying a pair of linesman style boots for spurs. Lots of boots have a pronounced heel, even some combat boots do as well. How much heel height do you need for spurs to stay there? The last thing I want to deal with is a spur coming loose aloft. Is it possible to have a cobbler add heal height to a
boot?

Thanks for any advice, I've enjoyed reading through this forum. Lots of good advice for a new guy.

 

[ATH]

You don't need a deep heal. Just a hard layer in the sole. Most often that means you are looking for steel shank boots.

 

[KenJax Tree]

I wear these

 

[Oak Savanna]

Canada west climber boots. Hand made, stiff shank with vibram sole and super comfy. They are $260 Canadian and I usually get 2 years out of a pair. I wear em everyday on the ground or in a tree. Not that great for foot locking but most of the time I am lazy and use a foot ascender anyway!

 

[BC WetCoast]

If you wrap the lower strap once around the shank before you hook it, that will prevent the spur from wandering off the heel.

 

[Zale]

Don't go cheap on your boots. Logger style boots are so yesterday. You don't need high heels to climb in spikes.

 

[treebilly]

I prefer the logger heel because the bottom of the spur shanks aren't getting walked on during a horizontal limb walk or while on the ground. You don't need loggers if you wrap the shank, they're just my choice. Just don't go cheap on boots. You gotta spend a lot of time in them so you'll want comfort and durability.

 

[Griff93]

I don't spike climb all the time but I do occasionally fill in when my climber gets tired or is sick. I wanted something good but not overly expensive as I probably spike climb 10 times a year realistically. I've been using the carolina 1922 logger boots. They are US made and around $180. Keep in mind I don't use them a lot for climbing but they seem to hold up well. A friend of mine that climbs daily gets about 2 years out of them. They have a steel lineman's shank in them. I've spent hours at a time in a tree on spikes with them on. My feet do not hurt or get sore even with my 195 lbs on top of them.