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Favorite Foot Gear For The Desert


SLNugget

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I was just going to edit that but you beat me to it Grubstake... Yes a small set of needle nose pliers are probably best...Last time the dog got into one it took more than a comb for a few of them.... LOL.

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Great advice folks. The metal detecting will have to wait for a little while yet but I'll be sure to pick up some new foot wear when I do. I will put a comb and leatherman on my shopping list right below the water, benedryll, and snake repellent. (Do they make that?)

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Hey Mike ,

The catclaws are more of a problem than the Cholla are where we are going sunday ... I find 10 packs of those large combs at the dollar stores , not to mention i found a good crevice sucker there as well... My fanny pack is loaded with hand tools and assorted crap , ya just never know when you need them. My first aid kit is fully stocked also , the only thing missing is the whiskey...

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garimpo,

Wild land gear is for fighting wild land fires, the yellow nomex gear you see firefighters wearing. As a volunteer you had your normal turnout for house fires and then you have your wild land gear. I was an EMT / Engineer for 6 years with the local volunteer fire dept. Best years of my life.

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In the 20 years I spent on the Okla. City Fire Dept. we went through several different upgrades of "turnout" gear...

we didn't have anything called wild land gear....we wore the same yellow nomex on all runs....the last year I was

there (1983-84) we made 37,000 responses.....that was 600 firefighters on 3-24hr shifts....for a lot of years I was

the top Sgt. and pretty much got my pick of jobs.....since I couldn't stand being stuck at a small outlying station I

took the job as the driver for Dist. Chief 604.....our district had the most major highways ....apartment complexes..

night clubs....city lake.....and high value houses......many nights I never saw the bedroom.....

Two years after I retired my son went to work for the OCFD on the same shift that I had been on....he has passed

every promotion test in the minimum time and the first time taking the test.....now he's a Major....darn good money....

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My favorite boots to date are the Red HEad bone-dry snake boots. I get them from bass pro when they go on sale from 89$ from 139$. They are very light weight, super breathable and wear like tennis shoes once broken in. I cut the zippers off and use velcro for detecting. Snake protection is an absolute "must" for me, not just for protection but for a peice of mind getting into nasty, thick terrain when out solo.

As for the 5.11s, they're good but no where near as comfortable IMO. Not to mention our fire dept. just switched contracts to get away from those boots as too many complaints were coming in regarding comfort.

I am a big fan of LA police gear. Ive purchased multiple 5.11 tactical pants from their clearance section for 90% off. Almost sounds too good to be true but ive literally scored pants that were 90$ for 9$, not to mention they threw in all kinds of free gear. Crazy

I havent been out prospecting lately since my son was born this year but i do still enjoy getting on these forums reading on all of your guys adventures. Good luck out there fellas!

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  • 1 year later...

I currently wear Belleville (AMERICAN MADE) DES390 Desert Running Boots. However, after two run ins with Rattle Snakes in the last year, I am likely to not buy any military style desert boots for two main reasons.

A. Most of them I've looked at do not offer good snake protection. Thin leather and material that will not stop fangs.

B. Poor ankle support. I have twisted my ankle many times with mine, hiking around Franconia.

I encountered a rattle snake yesterday on my kid's ranch. Because I have three grandkids, I dispatched the snake. However, while digging it out from under a large rock, I watched how it struck. It's hits were certainly ankles and feet. Seeing this just confirmed what I already knew....and these desert military boots are NOT designed for snake protection. 90% of the crap boots out there are not made in America.

jim

I like the made in usa!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

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I have found Bates boots much too soft around where they should have ankle support.

They provide virtually no support in exactly the area where they should have the most.

I also think they wear out 'way before other boots such as Converse do.

There are plenty of options out on the market that are better than these boots

that got popular before there were many non-metalic boots around.

Personal opinion of course.

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Just FYI LA Police Gear has non-metallic New Balance (I think these are the ones that used to be labeled Converse) boots on close out for $39.95.

Well I ordered a pair of these last week , and they just showed up at the door ! Woot ! Woot ! light weight and the fit good.

Thanks for the heads up.

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Just like BuffaloChip Says the Wellco's I have found to be the best in the desert. I have had all the different brands in the past to include Bates, new balance, Blackhawk. Currently I have the Wellco T178. All the other boots I have had catclaw stickers go through them, or some sort of metal in them, or just not built to last to long. I have had these Wellco's for over 2 years, and not a sticker, they are light weight, no metal whatsoever, and work great for hiking miles, with the Minelab. They have a composite toe, so stickers, thorns, or even snakes cannot bite through the toes. I don't think I will ever go to another brand.

Dave.

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I know they are getting harder to buy, either discontinued or sold out. Shoebuy.com has them, also amazon.

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  • 3 months later...

Just FYI LA Police Gear has non-metallic New Balance (I think these are the ones that used to be labeled Converse) boots on close out for $39.95.

Back in November I ordered a pair of these non-metallic New Balance boots.

They are great, I just ordered a second pair.

Light weight and comfortable !

I also picked up a pair of their Bates E29502 USMC RAT Boots for work, great price and a good fit .

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  • 5 years later...

Resurrecting this thread to see if anyone has found a non-metallic, all leather boot, for less than $100.

The links in the thread are discontinued, and a search from Amazon, Bass Pro, LA Police Gear, 5.11 tactical and others show me nothing, or priced around $250.

Could be my best option is to go to a show store and bring my pin-pointer.

My LA Police Gear non-metallic boots have seen better days.

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