Duty Boot Opinions

[Rittner]

Hi! I'm looking for opinions on a pair of duty boots. I'm in a volunteer department that also runs EMS. I don't need a pair of bunker/fire boots, since I already have those. But I would like a nice pair of boots for all the other things... ambulance runs, search & rescue in the swamps of NE Connecticut, brush fires, etc. Back in the day I'd just go down to the nearest Army surplus place and try some on. But now I'm lazy and buying them sight unseen online, so a few opinions would be helpful. Here's what I'm looking for:

All leather combat boot style
Zippered (don't feel like struggling to pull boots on at 3:30 AM)
Comfortable! I'm not looking for a piece of hard leather stitched to a sole. The closer the inside is to a sneaker, the happier I am.
Preferably waterproof & bloodborne pathogen-proof. I haven't seen any that do this AND zip up, so I can live without it.

I've owned a pair of Rocky boots in the past, and I liked them. So if anyone else has had good luck with the Rocky 8" zip-up boots that Galls is selling, I'd go with a pair of those.

Thanks!

Andy

[ 08-21-2001: Message edited by: Rittner ]

[berger3447]

Rocky has a bunch of styles out now, I'd probably go look at them first hand and avoid buying out of a catalog. I wear the Rocky Cross-Tech 911 boot. They're good, comfortable, zippered (you have to get those seperately), and pretty water resistant, but they don't breathe at all. They get kind of wet inside until they're well broken in. That's the price for water/bloodborne pathogen resistance...

[FiremedicMike]

Yeah rocky's are great boots, pricy but good. Although my department allows us to wear black nike tennis shoes, and I don't think I could go back to boots after wearing them.

Have you looked at or tried the Warrington Pro boots? I have the leather 14" pull up boot for my turnout gear but for around the firehouse I have the regular 8-inch, zippered boot(model # 3005). They too are fit for structural firefighting, have steel toe, shank and all that plus the uppers are nomex/kevar. I like them because they are just like my turnout boots having the boxed tow and natural shape of the foot. The liner is a cambrelle moisture barrier and crosstech. They are waterproof too. As far as BPR I never gave it much thought so I am not sure but I would imagine they offer some degree of protection. But let's face it, it's not like you're going to be walking through deep puddles of blood. Warrington Pro also has a 10-inch boot as well. I'm sure there is a web-site about them. I know that thefirestore.com sells them now too. Best of luck

Stay safe.
G

[Rittner]

How comfortable are the Pro Warrington 3005's? Like I mentioned, I'm looking for something with an inside that's not unlike a sneaker. Something I could wear all day long if I needed to, and not regret it. I've been poking around in(Warrington's website and they have the 3003 model, "Emergency/Station Boot" that looks nice. It has all the features of the 3005, except for being rated for structural firefighting. It looks like it might be a bit more comfortable. Any idea?

Andy

[GggFF3P]

This is not intended to bash a product because they do make a good boot and I have owned at least a dozen pairs of different styles over the years, but due to Red Wing not standing by their product as far as warranty and to extremely poor sales personel (locally), I will no longer purchase any. There is way too many competitors out there to put up with bad service & sales.

Andy,
The Warrington Pro 3005's are very comfortable. I have worn them for about 3 years now and have not had any problems with any part of the shoe wearing out. Not even the soles! They wear like a light weight hiking boot so they kinda have that sneaker feel you're looking for. I have worn other work boots around the firehouse and on the job but these, (Warrington Pro), by far are the most comfortable and durable.

Warrington Pro does make EMS boots but the Structural Fire boot I think is better. You might agree seeing how you mentioned that you want a boot for protection to work MVA's and brush fires.

I hope I could help you.

G

[ 08-22-2001: Message edited by: GBordas ]

[Rittner]

Yup! After reading the posts here, the messages in the other "Leather Boots" thread, and calling Pro Warrington to grill their marketing guy a little, I decided the 3007 would work fine. Yes, I went for the taller boot. The cost difference was small enough I figured why not? I could always use an extra 2" of shin protection.

Anyway, thanks for the advice... hopefully they'll be here soon.

Thanks again,

Andy

[NFDLT55]

Hey Rittner,

I just bought a great pair of boots from Rocky. 1stMed to be exact. They zipper up. They are the BEST pair of boots i've ever purchased. A great investment. They are 8" boots with steel toe, blood resistant, chemical resistnat, and water proof. Although they did cost a pretty penny ($154.99. Great boots.

[ALSfirefighter]

I also have always worn and loved the Warrenton Pro boots for station and fire use. The only other boot(s) I have worn are I have a pair of bates enforcers with side zippers for the summer or when the pro's get wet (and they are great). And I also got a pair of 1st med boots like NFD talked about and I wore them maybe for about a month, and now I never use them. To me the liner inside (which makes the "bloodborne/chemical barrier", that I really don't pay much attention to anyway) is a pain in the ***. It bunches up, and moves around. Now I don't know if I have a defective pair, and I am in the process of writing the company a letter. But I would never buy another pair again.

As far as the bloodborne pathogen stuff. Your more likely to get it all over your clothes which offers little protetion, then through a leather boot. Try not to let it pour on your boots. If you step in it, so be it. But I won't wear anything that isn't safety toed.

[bfd1071]

Hey guy's, how many of you wear your station boots into a fire? Most likely none of you. You kick them off when you get on the piece. I have read about the warrington, and guess what. They start at around 200.00 bucks. You can buy the best boot you can think of, but 95% of you do not wear them into fires. I was like alot of you out there, I went out and paid 225 for a pair of boots, because I needed that Nomex/kevlar crap, They wore out in about 2 years.Plus they are alot heavier then a normal boot. Do you know what I buy these days, I go down to Walmart and buy a pair of black steel toe and steel shank leather boots. I'll tell you this, they have been the best purchase i have made in shoe's in years. I wear them all the time in fires and have never had a problem with them. The only complaint I have is my back pain, the extra money i saved is killing me. I paid 60.00 bucks on them.

[distchief60b]

Try Black Diamond

[Romania2]

DOC MARTINS. Yes Doc Martins. Our FD just approved these boots for wear and they are the most comfortable boot I have ever had. They are offered in square toe (also known as Bruno style because Alan Brunocini had all of Phoenix Fire in square toed boots at one time) and round toe. They are a tad on the heavy side but the ease of on/off, comfort, and shock absorbson make it worth it. The only draw back is they don't polish up as bright as my only redwings or thurogoods did, but they polish up enough for duty wear and hold it longer.