Should I get White's Boots?

[802climber]

I am looking at getting a pair of White's Smokejumpers. Curious how well the shank in these boots holds up for spur climbing all day. Currently have Chippewa Super Loggers and my arches hurt. Not ready for a climbing/lineman boot, need general purpose logger boot.

My job is a lot of brush cutting in rough mountain terrain, a lot of other ground work, decent amount of spur climbing.

My Chippewa's are literally getting ripped up by briars, rocks, etc. Stitching starting to come out of them too. Not to mention my feet hurt and I am ready to take the step up to more expensive custom boots.

Looking at a pair of 10" smoke jumpers, w/ steel toe. Hopefully White's will hold up to serious abuse, and also have a serious enough shank for use with spurs?

 

[056kid]

I have worked my whites for alittle over a year. So far they are great. Along with whites, there are several other brands that should be worth their salt.
Most of them only the PNWrs get to wear cause of the localness of the boot makers.

If you are gonna be climbing alot, you might want to go with a taller boot.
As far as ridgedness and ruggedness, the chipawhatevers wont even come remotely close to the whites IMO.... this kid that was driving skidder came wth some brand new georgia loggers, after a few months it looked like a pitt bull made them its chew toy...

 

[RandyMac]

It sounds like you have enough work to justify the cost, go for it. I still have my last pair, 20+ years old.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

I have worked my whites for alittle over a year. So far they are great. Along with whites, there are several other brands that should be worth their salt.
Most of them only the PNWrs get to wear cause of the localness of the boot makers.

If you are gonna be climbing alot, you might want to go with a taller boot.
As far as ridgedness and ruggedness, the chipawhatevers wont even come remotely close to the whites IMO.... this kid that was driving skidder came wth some brand new georgia loggers, after a few months it looked like a pitt bull made them its chew toy...

Haha, yeah every farmer around here thinks chipawhatevers are the best thing ever. They don't believe that buying a better more expensive boot is justifiable. I haven't slapped on a pair of White's yet, but I do know that my Viberg boots are the most compfterable boots I've ever worn.

 

[MR4WD]

I've had a custom pair of Wesco's, another custom set of Whites and a set of off the shelf hoffmans that I got rid of after wearing twice. The other two wore out in a few years. I picked up a set of hoffman steel toe powerlines and hands down bar none they are the best boots ever. Wear em to work climbing every day, wear em out of a chopper onto the tower and wear em to the company christmas party...

Best part is, no break in required. Comfiest boot I've ever had since day one.!

 

[2dogs]

With as much climbing as you do I would buy pair directly from Whites and get a triple sole and a toe patch.

 

[joesawer]

I agree with 2dogs. If you are climbing much at all get boots made for climbing.
Whites are excellent boots but their shank system needs the extra sole for climbing for me but I weigh about 240 and do a lot of heavy work when I am climbing.
I like Wesco climbing boots as well.
Chippewa, Danner, etc don't even compare.
Whatever boots you get get the Spenco insoles in day packer or heavy packer depending on you needs.

 

[floyd]

Look at Wesco in Scappoosse OR as well. They have climbing boots.

I went from custom Whites to custom Wescos yrs ago The high arch in the Whites started bugging me.

Limousines for your feet.

Folks whine about the price... what they don't recall is the boots last up to 20 yr. So, that is about $20/yr for CUSTOM made boots.

 

[slowp]

Whites lifetime depends on how they are used. I got a season and a half out of mine while marking timber. Then they needed rebuilding. I didn't abuse them, we covered ground, up and down, up and down all day-May till the snow got too deep. Maybe they improved them, but I sure couldn't get 20 years out of a pair doing that kind of work. The high arches are something to consider. I liked them. Other people are bothered by them. For me they were very comfortable, and good for my feet--I have high arched feet.

The bad? Maybe they've changed, but I couldn't keep my feet dry when the ground was wet. I tried every grease and oil on them. Other people said that they were not made for wet weather. This was in the 1980s. They also bothered my heel tendon when not walking--riding to the work site. Our boss made us wear boots in the rig.

Wescos? The side blew out from working on steep ground and my foot would roll. Owie.

Redwings? Hurt my feet. I think they had NO arch support for my weird feet.

Then I've had a variety of fru fru hiking boots I wore when working during the exile years--flat ground out of the PNW. They don't last.

Whites would be my choice IF I were in a drier climate. But I work in the wet so I wear the local custom made boot.

 

[Gologit]

Folks whine about the price... what they don't recall is the boots last up to 20 yr. So, that is about $20/yr for CUSTOM made boots.

I'd like to find a pair of boots that lasted me 20 years. But if I bought them today I'd have to work 'til I was 83 just to wear them out.

You're right about spending the bucks for good boots, though. It's worth it. Nothing worse than boots that tear up your feet.

 

[floyd]

Well, ladies & gentleman, I like to take care of my feet since walking is very difficult without them.

So, I take care of my boots as well. I'm not saying you do not. Maybe I was just lucky.

 

[RandyMac]

Boots don't last very long when subjected to the type of wear that logging will put on them, forestry work is even worse. I think of them as gloves for feet, when they get to a certain point, rebuild or replace. My last set needs new vibram soles, the uppers are still good, once I get them resoled, they will really be my last set of boots.

Hi Polly!!!

 

[slowp]

hi there randymac!!

I forgot! I had a pair of Danners and wore holes in the heels in only a month. Steep, rocky ground does that.

 

[Humptulips]

20 years?
When I was working steady and full of pith and vinegar a pair of Hi-lines would last me 8 months, Kuliens a year if I patched them and something like Hoffmans or Westcoast maybe 6 months and believe me I took care of them.
A lot of difference between clambering around rocks on a steep hillside and flat ground plus a riggin man will wear out shoes a lot faster then a busheler.
Of course now they last real good because they are parked in the closet most of the time.

 

[RandyMac]

I usually had three pair in rotation, my feet sweat, it is nice to have dry boots to start out with. normally a year is what I got out of a good pair ($) of boots.

 

[GASoline71]

When the Peet boot dryers came out... that really helped from still having soggy boots in the mornin'... Even sittin' byt the woodstove all night they never really dried out all the way. So always had 2 or 3 pairs in rotation too...

Gary

 

[joesawer]

I have never had a pair of boots last more than a couple of years, and that is the ones I didn't wear every day.
I take that back. My last pair of Wesco climbers is about 4 years old but I have not been climbing much lately.
I have not worn my last set of corks much because I have not needed them much lately.
I found the value in getting ahead of the game and having more than one pair of boots to rotate. It helps let them dry out and you don't wear them out doing things they are not needed for.
Plus corks suck for running equipment.

 

[056kid]

I used to put moist boots on every morning. You dont even realize it after they have warmed up..

 

[teatersroad]

Another rep for Wesco here. I have a fireline boot, they do make a climbers boot with reinforcements for spurs.

 

[madhatte]

What, no love for Nick's? Shame. I have an old set of Buffalos, too, which have lasted me through several seasons of forestry work as calks, and I just had 'em resoled with Vibram when I got White's calks this winter. Nick's for the fireline, Buffalos for dry days, White's for wet days. Happy feet. Got an old set of Hoffman's in reserve if I forget anything. They're 18 kinds of worn-out but comfy as hell.

Wouldn't touch Georgia, Red Wings, etc if you paid me to.