Gore-tex and insulated lining sounds like a great idea, but really isn’t. When you live in your boots for weeks, or months, at a time and experience every kind of terrain imaginable, including watery, the last thing you want is for the inside of your boots to get wet and then take days to dry, and that’s if you have the luxury to keep them off your feet for days. If you have to continue wearing them wet, they won’t dry out until long after you have some serious problems with your feet. Unless you are willing to carry an extra pair of boots. Then you have to lug the bricks, I mean wet boots around. What do you do if your second pair of boots get wet before the first pair dry out?

The best thing to do is to get a pair of boots that have a quality sole and upper, but with no lining at all. Then you get a high quality insole, like a Sorbothane (spelling), really good socks, and Gore-tex socks. When your boots get wet, change into a pair of dry socks and put the Gore-tex socks on over them. Then, when you put on the wet boots, your tootsies are still dry. You hang your wet socks on the outside of your gear and, unless it’s raining, they are dry in hours. No heavy wet boots to lug around, and, if you go through more water, you can just dry out the Gore-tex socks and put on dry socks again.

I know that there are tons of so-called experts that think that the high speed gear is what you need in every situation, but sometimes the best solution to your problem is common sense.

Substitute paracord for standard laces, and try not to expose the boots to too much DEET and/or permethrin if you use such things for ticks and chiggers. Wearing no-run pantyhose (no comments, please) will protect your feet and legs from leeches and most ticks, as will tucking your pants in the boots.

Carry extra boot socks (Sears carries padded boot socks near their work boots) in your bug out bag, and unwaxed dental floss to sew up holes in your socks.

I stay away from side zipper jump boots. They’re way cool (and look even cooler when you put a split ring through the zipper tab hole), but it is a possible point of mechanical failure. If you want zippers, aftermarket zippers can be purchased for a pittance and threaded where the laces go. Use Chapstick to lube the zippers once in a while.

Corcoran 975’s are, in my mind, the best…but there are Corcorans for a hot swampy environment, others that are better for desert travel, and so on.

If you follow these ideas, a pair of Corcorans will last for many years. They can be resoled for a reasonable cost, and your feet will thank you.

One last thought: Everything I’ve said goes by the wayside if you have diabetes. If you are diabetic, consult a podiatrist and follow his or her suggestions, and get special boots custom-made.

Thanks Diana, we will try to keep up the good work!

Chris