Boots for Prospecting, Hiking, Detecting information and questions

[Moneybox]

Just putting this out there. I just bought a pair of Oliver AT size 9. I knew when I tried them on I should have https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...38_screenshot_2019-05-09-13-18-39.jpgreturned them for a larger size but........ Too much hurry so now after wearing them for an hour I definitely need the next size. Can anyone help me out with the finance minister? I am not too popular! Obviously I will have to take a hit on them. I will post.

Rockwall, I did the exact same thing. I fitted my new boots on in the store and walked about a bit. They were nice and comfortable but once I was in the bush and crouching down all I wanted to do was get them off asap. The next size up would have prevented my toes crushing into the front but the real problem is the toe-cap. It takes the flexibility out of the front of the boot and makes it bend behind the toes. At least I didn't pay too much because they were Graphite boots from Target. I think they are good boots, just no good for me.

I usually buy Keens but the last ones failed badly. The sides rotted out quickly and before I got home this time I had holes in the sole. I'm looking for something better although a full leather Keens boot might do the job again.... Yeah I have as much trouble with the finance minister as I do with the boots.... Perhaps a half kilo of gold might help my case this time .

 

[Moneybox]

Fortunately I took a tomato sauce squeeze bottle full of rubberized paint with me this time. It was a left-over from building the fish pond.

I applied a strip of fabric, that came with the paint, to the front of the boots where the original skin had rotted away.

A few more kilometres and a few nuggets later and I had to apply a strip of fabric off-cut from where we resized out bamboo sheets.

Now I'm ready for a trip to Perth. I don't mind driving seven hours to find a bit of gold but it's a bit of pain to drive that far to buy boots

 

[OzzieAu]

Hey MB, Ive got these low cut versions of your Keens boots.... I can certainly vouch for their build quality.

The pong factor must be up there with your beauties. :argh:

 

[wiley coyote]

I bought the same Olivers as you Rockwall. I wore them for a day. they were no good,. as the composite toe guard was cutting into the tops of my toes. they had a money back warranty If not satisfied, which I pointed out when I took them back to the shop. I got my refund, but they weren't too happy about It! I can't remember what the warranty period was. This was in about 2018. I'm now wearing Blundstone Metal Frees, which are really comfortable, very well made, and tough. The best, and most comfortable boots I have ever had were Magnum Interceptors, but, they don't make them any more. There are copies of them on E-Bay for about $50-00. I tried them. They lasted 3 days and the soles peeled off them. Got my money back on these too! they didn't even want them back! wiley.

 

[yellowmellow]

Blue steel are the bees knees and best for comfort. For value though its the Redbacks they do the job but feel stiffer.

 

[Muk]

Red backs are great easy on off also give them a scrub and good to go out with them cheers Muk.

 

[Moneybox]

We're in Perth right now. You might say WHY but if you watched the news the dreaded Covid-19 has invaded the north...

Anyway it's a good opportunity to do a bit of shopping. I badly needed boots and the Merryells looked the part. The online price was $149.90 and BCF were $239.90, a ninety dollar difference. I tried them on and they were comfy too so I took them along to the counter and noticed the sign. "We'll equal any advertised price" of something to that effect. I showed the guy the Merryell's website, he brought it up and said "Yeah no problem, we can do that"

that was until I pulled the pin-pointer out of my pocket. They are metal free apart from a reinforcing piece behind each hook on the laces. That sets the detector off big time. I checked out their other boots before hiking off up the road to Anaconda where the metal detector found metal in everything on show. From there I went to Katmandu and got the same result but the guy there sent me to Tentworld. They had a cheap pair of hi-top boots there that were metal free but not as comfortable as I'd like.

The guy from Tentworld sent me to Escape-2, the Keens dealer at DFO.

These seem to be the best I can get. I've had them before and they were good boots but the stitching on the sides wears out from kicking rocks out of the way. Hopefully I can find some Sikaflex about the right colour to put a protective rubber layer over the stitching before they blow out

The old ones with rubber protection

 

[RM Outback]

We're in Perth right now. You might say WHY but if you watched the news the dreaded Covid-19 has invaded the north...

Anyway it's a good opportunity to do a bit of shopping. I badly needed boots and the Merryells looked the part. The online price was $149.90 and BCF were $239.90, a ninety dollar difference. I tried them on and they were comfy too so I took them along to the counter and noticed the sign. "We'll equal any advertised price" of something to that effect. I showed the guy the Merryell's website, he brought it up and said "Yeah no problem, we can do that"

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3960/1601342590_merrells_boots.jpg

that was until I pulled the pin-pointer out of my pocket. They are metal free apart from a reinforcing piece behind each hook on the laces. That sets the detector off big time. I checked out their other boots before hiking off up the road to Anaconda where the metal detector found metal in everything on show. From there I went to Katmandu and got the same result but the guy there sent me to Tentworld. They had a cheap pair of hi-top boots there that were metal free but not as comfortable as I'd like.

The guy from Tentworld sent me to Escape-2, the Keens dealer at DFO.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3960/1601343517_keens2.jpg

These seem to be the best I can get. I've had them before and they were good boots but the stitching on the sides wears out from kicking rocks out of the way. Hopefully I can find some Sikaflex about the right colour to put a protective rubber layer over the stitching before they blow out

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3960/1524746636_boots.jpg

The old ones with rubber protection

While you're in Perth chase up a pair of Oliver At's with sip side, they're full composite and worth every cent. Cant say how well they'll handle the ground you travel but I'm certain they will last longer than any soft shoe/boot on the market. As for comfort each to their own I find them comfortable but as with any boot/shoe it's good to get them off at the end of the day, Aussie made :Y:

 

[Moneybox]

We're in Perth right now. You might say WHY but if you watched the news the dreaded Covid-19 has invaded the north...

Anyway it's a good opportunity to do a bit of shopping. I badly needed boots and the Merryells looked the part. The online price was $149.90 and BCF were $239.90, a ninety dollar difference. I tried them on and they were comfy too so I took them along to the counter and noticed the sign. "We'll equal any advertised price" of something to that effect. I showed the guy the Merryell's website, he brought it up and said "Yeah no problem, we can do that"

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3960/1601342590_merrells_boots.jpg

that was until I pulled the pin-pointer out of my pocket. They are metal free apart from a reinforcing piece behind each hook on the laces. That sets the detector off big time. I checked out their other boots before hiking off up the road to Anaconda where the metal detector found metal in everything on show. From there I went to Katmandu and got the same result but the guy there sent me to Tentworld. They had a cheap pair of hi-top boots there that were metal free but not as comfortable as I'd like.

The guy from Tentworld sent me to Escape-2, the Keens dealer at DFO.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3960/1601343517_keens2.jpg

These seem to be the best I can get. I've had them before and they were good boots but the stitching on the sides wears out from kicking rocks out of the way. Hopefully I can find some Sikaflex about the right colour to put a protective rubber layer over the stitching before they blow out

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3960/1524746636_boots.jpg

The old ones with rubber protection

While you're in Perth chase up a pair of Oliver At's with sip side, they're full composite and worth every cent. Cant say how well they'll handle the ground you travel but I'm certain they will last longer than any soft shoe/boot on the market. As for comfort each to their own I find them comfortable but as with any boot/shoe it's good to get them off at the end of the day, Aussie made :Y:

Thanks RM, I've seen the many good reports on Olivers but I try to shy clear of anything with a toe-cap. That's not because of the metal but I spend a lot of time crouched down (if I'm lucky) digging or sorting through the dirt. That's when the toe-cap gives me trouble. My foot can't bend where it's meant to. The soft sole will wear out in the rocky ground we travel but I need all the grip I can get. I'm getting too old to come back from a fall without feeling the effects for days to come.

This sort of terrain is hard on boots but a lot harder on the body if you fall. It might look like a crazy place to be trying to swing a detector but it has gold.... The 128g specimen (youtube video) came from the bottom of this hill. I never found whatever it broke free from :/

 

[mbasko]

While you're in Perth chase up a pair of Oliver At's with sip side, they're full composite and worth every cent. Cant say how well they'll handle the ground you travel but I'm certain they will last longer than any soft shoe/boot on the market. As for comfort each to their own I find them comfortable but as with any boot/shoe it's good to get them off at the end of the day, Aussie made

Sadly Oliver isn't even Australian owned anymore (Honeywell since 2011).
They closed manufacturing in Ballarat down 2017.
AT's are made in China something I confirmed with Oliver after noticing Made in China on the tag of a new pair & thinking they were Australian owned/made. I thought I may have been ripped off but Oliver confirmed it was correct.
Still a good boot & still last well so they must have good QA on their manufacturing.
Don't know if I'll purchase again though given the current events I'd prefer to buy something Australian made or from an Australian owned company at the minimum.

 

[Snapperhappy]

I bought a pair of Oliver metal free boots and after having pain from the safety toes I googled a solution and found that putting in a second inner sole solved the problem. Makes the boots nice and tight so your toes don't move about but are still comfortable to wear

 

[yellowmellow]

Whats a good color for boots ive got black ones

 

[mbasko]

Black ones are perfect Tim.
They hide the dirt better :Y:

 

[yellowmellow]

whats the best color

 

[Solid Luck]

The best boots IMHO you can get are Red Wing boots. Very well made, very exxy and last for years and years with minimal care. They turd all over the competition.

Unfortunately the Australian distributor does not carry the full range.

I have 3 pairs. One pair for 11 years, 2nd for 9 and the third for 6. All look like they will last another 10 years.

 

[OzzieAu]

whats the best color

Red boots for WestOz
White boots for the Alps
Black boots for bushfire country
Green boots for the Rainforest
Blue boots at the beach
and Gumboots in the river..... :lol:

 

[Jaros]

Boots with nothing metallic in them.

 

[fwdoz]

Are you proposing Crocs Jaros?

 

[Jaros]

Good leather high ankle boots with AFL foot stops for running in mud.

 

[RM Outback]

Good leather high ankle boots with AFL foot stops for running in mud.

:lol: When I used to hunt deer all winter one old bloke on the crew bought all his clothes and shoes from the Op shop. One week he turned up with a pair of Bata Scout school shoes :8 we told him he'd just wasted his money he'd be slipping all over the joint and could end up breaking his leg or ankle. Next week he turned up in a pair of footy boots and said whadya reckon about these :lol: he was 70 at the time 1st and only time I've ever seen anyone that age in footy boots.