# Boots



## mmarkey (Nov 12, 2012)

I don't get to hunt very often. So when I buy equipment I expect it to last a long time. Several years back I bought an expensive new pair of waterproof snake boots, not so much for the snake boot feature but for the waterproof feature. They were great, very waterproof and comfortable. Well in the last several years I only wore those boots less than half a dozen times. Friday I finally got to go to the deer woods. Did very little easy walking on fairly flat terrain, but when I got back to the truck there was a huge chunk out of my left boot heal and the right heal was about falling off. These were the firm foam type sole and the material had disintigrated, actually turned to powder after about a half mile of walking.  

I called the company that made  hem (Wolverine) to tell them about the problem so that they could pass the info on to their research and development department and they told me "Oh, that happens often when you don't wear the footware enough, moisture from the air gets into the rubber and causes it to dry rot" I was floored. This is the firm moulded foam sole material that is commonly used in sneekers, boots and other varius footware today. 

Fortunately for me I was able to have them resoled with Vibram soles (for $65) which will probably outlast me. If you replace your boots every year or two this won't be a problem, but If you're like me and expect to get many years from boots, look hard at the soles before you buy and think twice about anything that looks like foam soft or hard.


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