Red wing boots

[Frosty Boolit]

These boots just aren't what they used to be. I'm definitely going back to thurgood boot when these are toast. What do you guys think? Red wings used to be comfortable like slippers the sizes were accurate and didn't change year after year but now it's a crapshoot

[johnsonian09]

The work boots or the heritage stuff?
My blacksmith's boots are holding up well and comfortable. Though they aren't my everyday wear.

My work boots are okay. I wear tall ones for ankle support. The leather on vambrace Is always the first thing to go tho. Replace these once every 3-4 years or so.

If I plan on doing any climbing I wear a merril hiking shoe. The redwings have absolutely no grip when walking on a pitched roof. The redwings are suicide up high

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[Frosty Boolit]

The work boots. The thing I hate most is that the pieces with the lace holes one boot cinches up where they are touching and doesn't get tight but the other foot there is space between when it's tight. I know my feet are not drastically different in thickness. Also I think the leather is thinner on the toe because it wears out quick.

[johnsonian09]

It's about half as thick on the toe, its stretched over the steel toe I think. On mine the tung is ruffled up stupid looking but i dont mind so much. I haven't had issues with getting the laces right

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[swingingblock2520]

I stopped buying Redwings when the company was sold to Justin boots. I’ve worn Redwing 4418 steel toe,9” insulated lineman/logger since I got out of highschool and started my apprenticeship. I take care of my boots,resole as needed. 4 or 5 years ago I went to get a new pair and was informed that everything but the heritage line was either killed or reworked for production in Asia/Pacific rim. Man said I can show what replaced it. Uncomfortable garbage with a sticker price of $475,not me. I’ve since been wearing Reddawgs made in Canada that I order out of the Bailey’s catalog out of Northern California.

[Mal Paso]

The leather in the USA Redwings seemed to go downhill and I switched to USA Chippewa only to have them banned in california which was a good thing because I found Synthetic Vietnamese Danners that are THE most comfortable boot I have ever warn!

[Shawlerbrook]

Got a pair of Red Wing King Toe I bought in 2011 and they are comfortable and held up very well.

[dannyd]

Just got a new pair of Red wings not looking good.

[Winger Ed.]

I had a pair of Red Wings 7-8 years ago and the steel toe cap was too narrow.
They darn near crippled me!

I switched over to Chipewah and a second pair from the Cape work shoe & boot company.
'American made with American materials'.
They were great, being size 13E, they're kind of heavy, but they wore and fit just fine.

[GregLaROCHE]

I had a couple of pair of Redwings, but they didn’t hold up for me. I switched to Whites and it was worth the extra money.

[ShooterAZ]

Danner Boots have served me very well over the years. You need to make sure they are the made in U.S.A. ones though, not Chinese made. Red Wing used to be good too, but I think now they're all made in China as well.

[jonp]

I had a couple of pair of Redwings, but they didn’t hold up for me. I switched to Whites and it was worth the extra money.

If your going to spend money and be on your feet all day Whites are a good investment

[country gent]

The best pair of work boots I had were a set of Danner duty boots Several pluses to them the steel toes cuos are the d style not he c type which with a heavy impact gets pushed thru the sole. This pair had both the laces and zipper on the side. made getting on and off quick and easy. ( when I broke my ankle they were able to unlace and unzip to remove, instead of cutting it off). A occasional oiling they were going on 4 years soles were still good and uppers looked good.

At the time Danners were still made in USA. Best purchase I made from cabellas bargain cave.

[reloader28]

WOW I cant believe you guys have boots long enough to resole.

20 plus years ago I used to wear Redwings but couldnt get over 9 months max of life out of them. Wolverines were the same.
Switched to Danners and started getting 2 years before they were done. When the sole is slick the leather is done. And yes I do oil them.
Been wearing American made Danners ever since but they are going downhill.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I quit Red Wings almost ten years ago and switched to ThoroughGood and even there you have to be careful and buy the U.S.A. made boots or you'll get chinese ''quality''.[smilie=b:

[Kraschenbirn]

Don't wear 'em every day but I've had the Redwings I wear for hiking/field photograpy for 10-12 years with no complaints. Noticed the other day that the tread's become pretty shallow and heel edges rounded off so it's getting close to time for another pair. Didn't know the company had been sold (to Justin) but probably won't be going back to local Redwing shop for replacements.

Bill

[CastingFool]

When I worked in the trades, I found my steel toed boots would last about 3 years. Can't remember the brand, but they were US made. The issue was that the lining would wear out, while the outside still looked pretty good. These boots would cost me about $150. My wife thought they were too expensive. Did the math and came out about $1 per week. Pretty reasonable for comfortable steel toed boots.

[Mk42gunner]

This is sad to read. I have been wearing a pair of Redwings daily for six or seven years and they are just now starting to show wear on the sole. Sometime in the next decade or so I'll probably have to replace them.

Robert

[swingingblock2520]

This is my last pair of redwing 4418s.

289881

[slohunter]

The Redwings I buy are #3507 Union made in the USA and always last 6 to 8 years.

[too many things]

the soles are trash they come apart tops is good but soles are trash

[pete501]

Danner Dry waterproof boots are guaranteed for 12 months to be water proof. Spend the money., save the receipt, wear that boot exclusively and in 8-9 month test for leaks. Then return for a full refund. My last 4 pair were basically free.

[labradigger1]

I get about 3-4 years from redwing work boots. Been wearing them 5-10hr days a week for 17-18 years. No complaints from me.

[Liberty1776]

I bought a pair of Red Wing BOA boots because of the unique lacing system.

https://www.redwingshoes.com/Tradesman-03531.html?cgid=mens-tradesman-boa

289912

I don't wear them enough to wear them out -- mostly when we're offroading in the RAZR, not walking.

The BOA lacing system is fast to don and tighten, or loosen and remove.

The only problem is if you're a welder -- the nylon monofilament "lace" can melt.

[smithnframe]

Herman Survivors aren’t what they used to be either!

[sharps4590]

Most uncomfortable pair of boots I ever owned. In defense of that statement, I haven't found a comfortable pair of boots in years but the recent Red Wings have been the worst...and they felt so good when I tried them on. Not everyone's feet are the same and mine are pretty beat up with neuropathy from chemo therapy.

[Lloyd Smale]

there decent boots but wolverine are just as good and cheaper. If you want REAL work boots West Coasters of whites hands down.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I forgot about the linings, usually the first thing to go! I don't worry much anymore, I've been retired now for some time, but it is nice to have a good pair of boots just in case.

[upr45]

I have been getting Wolverine waterproof compressor for past 15 yrs or so. The last 10 yrs are china made and quality has gone down like anything made there. I work in power plants and substations so the vibration & shock absorbing are important to me. I like an insulated boot for the winter and summer, I do not put my boots on until i get to job site and take them off & put on tennis shoes if it is more than a 30 min drive or so. I am an electrical worker so the non-metallic safety toe is also my preference. I use wax type compounds to maintain the leather, in my opinion you have to either use wax or oil but not both as it seems to cause the leather to deteriorate fsster.

[.45Cole]

I wear loggers. Loved the old redwings, but quality seems second behind Caronlina now. I'd certainly invest in a set of Whites.

[358429]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211010/f37cf0f0d4d12ec964c9980dd250107a.jpg

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[GasGuzzler]

Not boots but shoes...used to only wear Dr. Martens for my back but tried Red Wing - ONCE. Terrible durability and comfort.

[country gent]

You can triple the life of boots and liners in everyday work boots by buying 2 pairs and switch every other day. this gives the liners time to dry out from perspiration and body oils. I did this and usually separated them by 6 months to a year in purchasing them. this way when a pair were replaced the old friends were worn while breaking in then back on rotation.

A new pair of boots break in is important. a light oiling worked in good with some heat to open the pores softens the leather and helps it form to your feet. When possible wear in shirt increments incensing as you go. 3-4 hours then change 6-8 hours then change then the full day.

[B R Shooter]

I bought Wolverines for years, their Durashocks. They fit my feet well and lasted as good as any. Then I went to work for a county Govt. where they provided a pair every 2 years, but they bought Redwings. I went and got a pair, and they hurt my feet terrible, rubbed the top bone. Never wore them at all. Wore my old boots again. Then I went to Redwing's website, and noticed for every model boot, it seemed the had a different LAST. So I looked that up, and that is the "mold" they make the boot to. So different lasts have different shapes. I looked up the boots I couldn't wear, and it seemed obvious the boot was fair flat in profile from the top of the toe going back to where the lacing starts. This is where it hurt my feet. So I looked at other models and picked one with a different last but had a profile that was slanted from the toe then going up the ankle. Looks more like the top of your feet. Got a pair of those next time and what a difference. I got my last pair about 3 months before I retired, they will last me quite a while!

[Thumbcocker]

Had these a few years. Have been very pleased with them.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211010/3749a630d8ec0b420aa21c8ac3fcc2c6.jpg

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[jonp]

My everyday leather workboots are Keen non safety toe full leather. Most comfortable brand for my feet. Wife and I buy their hiking boots for general wear and get about 2 years from the soles due to seperation but they are so darn good we keep buying them

[r80rt]

I wore redwings when I was a roughneck in the oil patch back in the 70's, they were good then, but not so much these days.

[Butzbach]

I can’t speak to longevity as I just purchased them but Under Armour’s black over the ankle boots �� are very comfortable. Probably not a heavy duty work boot but good for everything else. I have Danner USMC Reckonings in the BOB.

[megasupermagnum]

Every time I need boots, I try Redwings. Every time I'm met with the same problem of crunched toes. Even the double wide's seem to have standard toe's.

I've tried every kind of boot currently in existence, and the only one I've come back to multiple times, and will in the future is Thorogood. They are the only one that consistently makes a good boot that actually fits. The problem with White's boots is they are for hard outdoor/climbing use, say loggers, or maybe lineman. All their boots have incredibly high heels that are not going to do you any favors, especially if you work all day on a hard surface.

I can vouch that by far and away the Thorogood Union boots are the single best safety toe boots I have ever encountered. The Thorogood Omni are the best waterproof soft to boots I've ever found, and they are my hunting boots. I really like their Heritage line too for a no-frills basic leather soft toe boot (their steel cap version is not that great).

[echo154]

My department finally went to dinners for patrol boots....they last about a year for me. was K-9 and lots of mud water rocks. needed a pair every year but they were comfortable.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have been getting Wolverine waterproof compressor for past 15 yrs or so. The last 10 yrs are china made and quality has gone down like anything made there. I work in power plants and substations so the vibration & shock absorbing are important to me. I like an insulated boot for the winter and summer, I do not put my boots on until i get to job site and take them off & put on tennis shoes if it is more than a 30 min drive or so. I am an electrical worker so the non-metallic safety toe is also my preference. I use wax type compounds to maintain the leather, in my opinion you have to either use wax or oil but not both as it seems to cause the leather to deteriorate fsster.
back when i worked in the power plant is when i really liked the woverines but that was 40 years ago. People dont know that a power plant with its deck gratings fine coal on the floor like sand blasting media and all the chemicals make it one of the biggest test for boots. When i went to west coaster and whites was when i was a lineman. I couldnt justify 300 dollar boots (90s money) until i had to spend the whole day on a pole.

[Lloyd Smale]

had to chuckle. After this post i dug out some boots. A pair of old west coasters that were my last pair as a lineman and a pair of redwings i bought just after i retired because I thought theyd be more comfortable to kick around in and found out after a year i didnt need boots anymore and if i did hiking boots were more confortable. I tried them both on. the old west coasters were still as soft as butter and felt like i quit using them yesterday. the redwings felt like they were made out a cardboard. i think im going to bring those west coasters to a shoe smith and have them cut down becauses there extra high like a real logger boot and a pain to lace. Might even cut them down lower then the redwings. About the only boot ive owned thats as comfortable all day long as a sneaker and have THE BEST arch support in the industry.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Wesco boots , bought plenty when logging , custom measured at the factory in Scappoose Oregon , never got a pair that fit the same , and always had a nail to drive back down that they had put clear through , liked the caulks as the riveted they used did not fall out like the other brands , then along came replaceable caulks .

Wesco measured leather from the bottom of heel so they were always 2 inches shorter then the other brands , but you could get triconis and that gave you more purchase on sidehills and saved caulks on rock roads and landings .

I preferred spring heels , but for climbing trees I had to buy block heel caulks and file off caulks just forward of heel so as not to gouge my tree spurs , still have a pair of tall top caulks for climbing .

I have owned whites , wesco , chippewa , red wings , currins greens , grizzlys , vibergs , and a score of others , sorry to see good brands go away and cheap junk being passed off as quality boots .

Boots I used were never cheap for the wages one got , wearing leather caulks logging in Alaska was a waste of time as the leather wore out from the rain and brush pretty fast , now I get a safety toe shoe allowance for steel safety toes something no brush ape would wear .

As for arches I have to remove the inner sole and add in a custom bottom now , 9 and a half years more to wear boots God willing and the river does not get dams removed .

[jonp]

Every time I need boots, I try Redwings. Every time I'm met with the same problem of crunched toes. Even the double wide's seem to have standard toe's.

I've tried every kind of boot currently in existence, and the only one I've come back to multiple times, and will in the future is Thorogood. They are the only one that consistently makes a good boot that actually fits. The problem with White's boots is they are for hard outdoor/climbing use, say loggers, or maybe lineman. All their boots have incredibly high heels that are not going to do you any favors, especially if you work all day on a hard surface.

I can vouch that by far and away the Thorogood Union boots are the single best safety toe boots I have ever encountered. The Thorogood Omni are the best waterproof soft to boots I've ever found, and they are my hunting boots. I really like their Heritage line too for a no-frills basic leather soft toe boot (their steel cap version is not that great).

Not so. You can order them with a flater or flat sole. When I bought my first pair of Corcoran Jump Boots I immediately had the heels off into almost flat lug Vibram.

[megasupermagnum]

I did not know that. Can they also do custom shapes/sizes, or only the standard sizing?

[farmbif]

ive worn redwings for past 40 years. redwings are not what they used to be, ive got a nice pair for cold, but everyday boots are American made danners still holding up strong, and for snow got some new brand I'm not even sure what they but they are, still in summer storage, holding up well and real warm. but we dont get too much snow here in TN

[Butzbach]

Not so. You can order them with a flater or flat sole. When I bought my first pair of Corcoran Jump Boots I immediately had the heels off into almost flat lug Vibram.

I took my Corcoran Jump Boots into downtown Butzbach, FRG and asked the cobbler what the best sole was. He replied "cast iron." He went in the back for a moment and came back out with a pair of Jack boots with hobnails. He handed them to me. They were half the weight of my jump boots. He said "Nach Stalingrad und zuruck."

[Lloyd Smale]

Wesco boots , bought plenty when logging , custom measured at the factory in Scappoose Oregon , never got a pair that fit the same , and always had a nail to drive back down that they had put clear through , liked the caulks as the riveted they used did not fall out like the other brands , then along came replaceable caulks .

Wesco measured leather from the bottom of heel so they were always 2 inches shorter then the other brands , but you could get triconis and that gave you more purchase on sidehills and saved caulks on rock roads and landings .

I preferred spring heels , but for climbing trees I had to buy block heel caulks and file off caulks just forward of heel so as not to gouge my tree spurs , still have a pair of tall top caulks for climbing .

I have owned whites , wesco , chippewa , red wings , currins greens , grizzlys , vibergs , and a score of others , sorry to see good brands go away and cheap junk being passed off as quality boots .

Boots I used were never cheap for the wages one got , wearing leather caulks logging in Alaska was a waste of time as the leather wore out from the rain and brush pretty fast , now I get a safety toe shoe allowance for steel safety toes something no brush ape would wear .

As for arches I have to remove the inner sole and add in a custom bottom now , 9 and a half years more to wear boots God willing and the river does not get dams removed .

put a set of hooks on and climb a pole or tree for 6 hours out of an 8 hour day and youll learn real fast what constitutes a good boot. Most of them have the arches destroyed and the heals fallling off in a week.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Lloyd , I have climbed up and down trees for hours on end limbing and even topping , hanging rigging and just taking limbs off for people , I have also climbed old growth trees that were growing at angles to rig them to pull , not talking no pole here either which I have climbed .

Old growth fir and its thick scaly bark is no joy without old growth spurs and I only had second growth tree spurs , I do agree a good boot is needed and tall top leather , block heel .

Bigger the tree the longer the rope to , no pole straps , a steel cored rope , splice it yourself , I used my own gear .

Old logger I worked for a short wiry ex marine was a topper and rigger , his spurs were old and had sheep skin wrapped around shaft of spurs and he still would climb when I worked for him , he was a good man , best boss I ever worked for , Kenny Downing .

Caulk boots I used had leather bottoms not rubber , they were built for hard use and wearing 8-12 hours a day , when times were tight and money was hard to find I would do tree work for people cheap to make ends meet , that meant the more trees you did the more you made , try packing a 041 stihl up and down trees in hot weather when the woods were shut down due to lack of humidity .

Non union outfits gyppo loggers , funny how a tree feels pretty solid while climbing but once you top its a wobbly beast going up or down with it swinging from your movements , climb up on top for fun .

[Bmi48219]

Bought my first pair of Irish Setters when I was 15 years old with money I earned as a stock boy. Great boot for hunting & camping. Dad made a point of stressing I’d ruin them quick if I wore them for work. They finally fell apart and I replaced them in kind ten years later. Ten years after that my next pair was obviously not as well made. There was a boot company near Lansing, Mason Boots. Their boots were every bit as good as RW. The boots that didn’t pass final inspection were sold at deep discount in their factory outlet store. Crooked stitching or off set eyelets mostly. Back then RW’s were $120.00, a comparable pair of Mason seconds were $20, insulated and glove leather lined! At that price I’d buy three pairs, two for work and a spare set.
When Mason closed I switched to a RW steel toe, then metatarsals for work. Never got more than a year out of them. HyTest we’re half the price and lasted just as long.

[jonp]

I did not know that. Can they also do custom shapes/sizes, or only the standard sizing?
Used to do custom. Take an outline of your feet and send it in with specific soles you wanted. Maybe not now. I bought mine out of a shoestore in Flagstaff after I graduated College and got a job cruising timber in AZ, NM and UT. Almost bought Redwings then the guy came out with a box and told me to "try these on". Walked across the store and on the way back was pulling out my money. IDK if they still do custom but a couple of their made boots have flatter soles.

Expensive but as i learned in the military one thing you never go cheap on are your feet, they take you everywhere. 30yrs out but I still buy $20 Merino socks and as good boots as i can afford. When daughter was heading to the Sandbox i told her to chuck her issued boots and bought her Danners and Smartwool socks

[FergusonTO35]

I have a few pairs of foreign made Irish Setters that I bought on clearance and have to admit they are really good for cheap boots. Even my cheapies get cleaned and mink oiled periodically so I imagine they will last awhile. My USA Red Wings are going to get resoled this winter for another 20 years of use.

[Mal Paso]

Irish Setters were a great boot, need a boot time machine. Up until recently I was a USA leather boot only guy. I've purchased most of the brands mentioned as accountants got hold, figured out how to cut quality enough to make me change.

Synthetic Boots are no good for welding, I have leather chinese Cabelas for that, but my everyday boot is plastic. Danner Vital Trail even beats the old Irish Setters for comfort and they seem to be holding up well after 10 months. I have a second pair stashed as I still don't have a boot time machine. The only bad review was a fellow who rated it a 5 but gave it 1 because it was Vietnamese, well so is Uncle Mike's holsters. I have 2 year old USA Justin leather boots for dress but for everyday I like synthetic.

[444ttd]

i used to use danners, 1 pair every year. they were my werk boots in heavy construction.

[Murphy]

Work boots are subjective to the type of work a person does and how hard that person actually works. Other than that, all I have to say is I never found a pair of third world country made work boots that lasted me 6 months. You get what you pay for.

Murphy

[Lloyd Smale]

Lloyd , I have climbed up and down trees for hours on end limbing and even topping , hanging rigging and just taking limbs off for people , I have also climbed old growth trees that were growing at angles to rig them to pull , not talking no pole here either which I have climbed .

Old growth fir and its thick scaly bark is no joy without old growth spurs and I only had second growth tree spurs , I do agree a good boot is needed and tall top leather , block heel .

Bigger the tree the longer the rope to , no pole straps , a steel cored rope , splice it yourself , I used my own gear .

Old logger I worked for a short wiry ex marine was a topper and rigger , his spurs were old and had sheep skin wrapped around shaft of spurs and he still would climb when I worked for him , he was a good man , best boss I ever worked for , Kenny Downing .

Caulk boots I used had leather bottoms not rubber , they were built for hard use and wearing 8-12 hours a day , when times were tight and money was hard to find I would do tree work for people cheap to make ends meet , that meant the more trees you did the more you made , try packing a 041 stihl up and down trees in hot weather when the woods were shut down due to lack of humidity .

Non union outfits gyppo loggers , funny how a tree feels pretty solid while climbing but once you top its a wobbly beast going up or down with it swinging from your movements , climb up on top for fun .

i still have a set of tree hooks. They were up in the attic at work and nobody wanted them. Ive used them many times to build blinds. Climbing those soft trees may give you security compared to a hard pole but its more work!!


Non union outfits gyppo loggers , funny how a tree feels pretty solid while climbing but once you top its a wobbly beast going up or down with it swinging from your movements , climb up on top for fun .

believe it or not a bare pole just set with no wire on it yet will move just like that. Ive been on 50-70 footers that you could measure the movement at the top in feet in a good wind. Used to be our WEEDING OUT routine for new apprentices. We had a 55 foot pole that was kind of skinny which made it easier to climb for a rookie but it moved much more in the wind especially since our pole yard was right on the shore of lake superior.. First windy day after they started wed all go to the sissy pole and send them to the top at 9 leave them with a ground man and come back 2 hours later and let them come down. Many times they already had packed up and left before we got there. Some were so scared we had to climb up and help them down. One thing that was about universal was when they came down there arches were killing them and they wanted differnt boots. Some of that from the poor boots and some from just being scared and tense. We had one kid show up one day in the winter with a pair of sorels. We told him to go get some boots and he said he couldnt get any till his first pay day. Believe it or not he climbed up there and stayed the course and never wined a bit. He ended up replacing me as line foreman when i retired. Best dammed climber ive ever known. He was like a monkey on a pole.

[Bmi48219]

This may be a bit off topic but:
One of my former employees was 6 foot 6 inch and wore a size 15 boot. Always had to order his foot wear. He ordered a pair of Tony Llamas cowboy boots and waited. One day a UPS driver delivered a box. Inside was one size 15 E boot. The next day he was home when the same UPS driver delivered a second box, making the comment he had been there the day before and delivered a box the same size.
The employee said it’s probably my other boot, and it was.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Lloyd your little diameter poles and no bark are a walk in the park to a Old Growth douglas fir , where the old soft scaly bark sluffs off and plugs your spikes , and your short little pole spurs wont even get you off the ground , go take a set of spurs and try a bigger tree not no barked pole and a strap , try flipping 30 feet or more of rope around as you go up and down , 55 feet high is just starting when it comes to big timber , you are going a lot higher and if you freeze up someone with a saw will help you down .

I have climbed barked poles and big trees , packing a saw with a 32 inch bar , good boots we used did not have rubber soles , and when the wind blew you went up and rigged trees for lift , if you did not you went home and there was no pay for going home , and rigging trees with the tops still in them with the wind blowing gets you all the swaying as they were the only trees left at the edges of the clear cuts .

Red wings were at one time a good boot for work , they never made any caulks that I saw , Grizzlies when they were in business were a great boot and Viberg was the best fitting right off the shelf , Wesco boots had the best solid caulk but they started catering to the portland yuppies back in the 80's , and were the most uncomfortable off the shelf to break in and the custom fit seemed like they could not build it the same twice .

A pair of whites the stitching came undone in the first month , yes they would fix it but by the time you paid shipping it was cheaper to take it to a shoe repair shop of which there are fewer and fewer , today I buy what has steel toes and is the most comfortable fitting , last time it was a pair of Georgia boots , which I am wearing right now , Chippewa had a good boot years ago but no one local carries them .

This year for the shoe allowance I will see what they have where it is made and how it feels , and then put a Orthotic sole in it .

[Lloyd Smale]

wont argue a thing. Once a pole gets so big that you cant kind of wrap your hands around it its much harder to climb. Even climbing bare 70 footers are much harder for at least the first half the pole because of the size. I on a dare entered one of those lumberjack climbing contests with BIG trees and BIG ropes and id like to tell you i did good but all i got was a pat on the back for having the guts to try it. One of my downfalls with it is we learned to free climb for the most part. Only used a belt for going up BIG poles. Rarely for going down any pole. You just cant do it on a something BIG.

That changed about the last 10 years of working when they told us we had to stay belted in all the time. Most of us old timers ignored it but now they enforce it and not only do you have to stay belted in but you have to have two belts so that if your belted in about a wire and have to go down you have to stay belted in above it till your belted in with the second belt below it and vise versa if your going up so you allways belted in. What a pain that has to be on a congested pole. For the most part climbing is going away.

I talked to one of the lineman working there and he said there told to only do it in an emergency. If that means waiting 6 hours to get a tracked bucket truck into the woods then thats what you do. Sit around twiddling your thumbs for 6 hours. Far cry from when i started. We had 3 auger trucks and one bucket that we could put on or take off one of those trucks. For the most part we climbed everything. It was just faster then farting with the bucket. I got assigned to the first High Ranger bucket truck in the district about 5 years before i became foreman. We thought we died and went to heaven. Now theres more bucket trucks then diggers.

I have nothing but respect for loggers. Today they dont do much climbing either. At least around here. Most of the logging is mechanized now. I know out west they still do climb some but not one logger i know around here has even used a set of hooks. But logging is just as dangerous if not more so. You dont have to deal with high voltage but trees can be very dangerous. Id bet more lineman are hurt and killed cutting trees then from shock. In a storm we did lots of dangerous tree cutting with very little training. Most of what we learned we learned from the old timers. Loggers have long been noted for being the most dangerous job or at least in the top ten. Most of the old loggers around here that grew up before processors ect are all crippled up.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Yeah I used to free climb anything I could when pulling trees so it could be done faster , knew quite a few crippled and killed , only got broke up a few times and then around 1988 had a neighbor push me into apply where he worked been here ever since , A lot here to is machine logging now .

Used to log poles and pilings , they were a pain on a yarder's usual postage stamp size landing , still do tree work for friends , family and neighbors , but its not like when I was young and needed the extra income to make up for break downs shutdowns slow downs , fire and bad weather , now its safety toe shoes and I have to wear good boots with the liner , this getting older has its own set of challenges .

Lloyd you ever read the blazed trail by stewart edward white it was a old book about the Michigan logging days . Now those were tough men .

[Lloyd Smale]

never read it but ill have to find a copy. We had pictures of them running a new 69kv line through the seney swamp. Its 50 miles of half swamp half ponds that the only vehicle weve ever got to run it end to end in the summer is an argo with tracks that floated. Snowmobiles would do it in the winter but twice we had to leave a machine in the swamp till summer. One we never found. Either someone else found a way to get it or its sitting on the bottom of one of those ponds. Some of those poles were set in ponds that are 50 yards square. They did it all with man power and horses. 50 foot poles but all dug by hand. It is hands down also the most mosquito infested place in the world. Elephant grass up to your head in most places. I still dont know how they dug those poles in in the middle of a swamp. They had to have somehow put in a round piece of culvert and pumped it out as they did it but with no electricity and no generators back then even the pumping had to be by hand and all the poles set with pole gins and horses to pull them up. Only other way i can think of is jetting them in but i dont see how they could have a water jet that big witout power either. We did here they used many trucks of dynamite in that job. All that 4/0 aluminum wire with a steal core strung in by hand and man handled on the poles by men climbing. I think i was a hard worker but if i showed up to that job site id have to have some awful hungry kids at home. It used to be a nightmare every time we got a trouble call because that line was down. We had a caravan of off road vehicles and even boats we took out there. If a pole was broke in one of those ponds we had to call in contractors with REAL equipment. Read an early book on the first couple decades of lineman and one out of four will killed on the job.

[swingingblock2520]

I was in the closet down in basement today and happened to open up my aluminum Stonewell 24x36x15 foot locker that I used to travel with when my work had me outside of my Local for a job and I found a pair of boots I forgot I even owned,a pair of 15” tall steel toed climber/lineman boots made by Whites of Spokane Washington. I greased them up with my own personal boot grease blend that contains beeswax,bee propolis,pine&spruce pitch and Huberds boot oil. Greased them up and wore them today from 0730 until I got home from the farm shop around 5:30 and my feet were still pretty comfortable. Whites are expensive but you are getting a boot that’s custom built and fit for your foot.