Middle Earth Ranger Forum

To those with traditional boots - do you have any tricks for dealing with the slick soles? Most of the time I'm just fine, but I took a terrible long time trying to get down a pine needle covered hillside today - that slope was crazy slick in leather-soled mocs.

After looking at several off the shelf options - either as is or as a basis for mods - I think I'm going to take the plunge and try sewing my own set of boots over the winter. After today I'm wondering if I should figure out how to do hobnails or something. What do y'all do?

I feel like hobnails would probably be your best *period* solution, but they sure would cause havoc on a hardwood floor, and I imagine they're probably not much fun on pavement.

Elleth wrote:To those with traditional boots - do you have any tricks for dealing with the slick soles? Most of the time I'm just fine, but I took a terrible long time trying to get down a pine needle covered hillside today - that slope was crazy slick in leather-soled mocs.

After looking at several off the shelf options - either as is or as a basis for mods - I think I'm going to take the plunge and try sewing my own set of boots over the winter. After today I'm wondering if I should figure out how to do hobnails or something. What do y'all do?

I find hard soles shoes & boots make walking difficult in the woods. I have worn moccasins for many years now, but on occasion I have worn a pair of 18th century shoes & I have worn riding boots. Pretty much anything will slip on mud. Moccasins give better grip on grass when wet, & I will sometimes wet the soles of my moccasins if I have to traverse a grassy slope. Personally I would never go back to wearing hard soled footwear, & hobnailed soles are no better. I recommend moccasins with an extra sole. They are quieter in the woods than boots & you can feel the ground beneath your feet. They are better for running & climbing.
Keith.


Here are some links to my blog that may be of interest: http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.a ... shoes.html
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.a ... asins.html
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.a ... ns-on.html
Making Moccasins: http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.a ... -seam.html
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.a ... -sole.html

Thanks all!

Reading up a bit on hobnails, it seems the Civil War reenactors say they don't help as much as I had thought. So I suppose I'll leave them out.

I'm cutting apart a set of Armstreet medieval shoes for the pattern this winter - they're about halfway in between a moccasin and a colonial shoe, with a single thickness of fairly heavy leather for a sole with a very lightweight leather liner inside - I expect that's about the thickness of your double-soled mocs LeLoup. (that odd iron last you're using in your cobbling post is fascinating - do you know how old it is?)

So much to do!

Good question!

One thing that I have heard from leathercraft folk, is that much of the leather we buy for shoe soles is prepared for making saddles. The leather may actually have a coating of WAX on it!
That would - at least partially - explain the slip-n-slide action.

Elleth wrote:Thanks all!

Reading up a bit on hobnails, it seems the Civil War reenactors say they don't help as much as I had thought. So I suppose I'll leave them out.

I'm cutting apart a set of Armstreet medieval shoes for the pattern this winter - they're about halfway in between a moccasin and a colonial shoe, with a single thickness of fairly heavy leather for a sole with a very lightweight leather liner inside - I expect that's about the thickness of your double-soled mocs LeLoup. (that odd iron last you're using in your cobbling post is fascinating - do you know how old it is?)

So much to do!

Difficult to say Elleth, I suspect early 20th century. My Father did his own shoe repairs & had one just like it.
Keith.

Elleth, one possible solution I have heard of folks doing is to wrap a length of rope about their moc, so that it goes under the arch and possibly under the ball/toes. This helps provide traction while being able to be removed/replaced easily (compared to adding on a new sole). You might even tar the rope and roll it in something 'grabby' (sand?) for extra friction.
Fun (but traction-related) fact: traditional skis use horseskin to let skiers walk up snowy slopes--the hairs point backwards to give grip--but then slide downhill. (Saw a piece in NationalGeo. magazine on it a while back--Dec '13 issue?)

Udwin wrote:Elleth, one possible solution I have heard of folks doing is to wrap a length of rope about their moc, so that it goes under the arch and possibly under the ball/toes. This helps provide traction while being able to be removed/replaced easily (compared to adding on a new sole). You might even tar the rope and roll it in something 'grabby' (sand?) for extra friction.
Fun (but traction-related) fact: traditional skis use horseskin to let skiers walk up snowy slopes--the hairs point backwards to give grip--but then slide downhill. (Saw a piece in NationalGeo. magazine on it a while back--Dec '13 issue?)

Good post Udwin, I had forgotten all about the use of cordage wrapped around the footwear. Interesting about the skis too. Thanks for sharing.
Keith.

Adding a short stack (say, two additional layers?) of leather at the rear of the foot to create a subtle heel makes a world of a difference. Haven't done that on my current shoes, but heels DO really help.

The other option in my book is repetition. Practice. Dig the inside of your foot, from the ball forward, in at an angle (like walking pigeon-toed a bit) against the slope. Not foolproof.

what about a layer of felt?

Hunh - all good ideas. I think I'll start by tacking a heel on my Armstreet shoes before I cut them apart and see how it feels.
Then try that cordage trick - neat! And less bother than carrying crampons in July.

Also.....SLOW DOWN!