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Snake Boots
Posted by allen-wrench on April 8, 2020 at 10:29 pm(This isn’t necessarily construction related, but I wasn’t sure it belonged under surveying either)
Does anyone have experience working in Snake Boots? I’m looking at some on the Danner website. They are listed as “hot weather” boots, and seem to go up to your knees. I don’t have any snake problems where I work, but it does involve mostly hiking moderate distances in forests and traversing lots of water, swamps and wetlands. The typical mid-calf rubber boots aren’t quite high enough to keep the water, and they fill up with twigs, leaves, etc. very easily.
I kind of started thinking of these when I saw that WW1 movie and thought how awesome it would be to have a modern version of that boot that closes tight at the top and goes up to the knee. How are these for hiking long distances? Are they a good replacement for rubber boots? Maybe it’s not an awesome idea at all?
thebionicman replied 4 years ago 10 Members · 15 Replies- 15 Replies
I surveyed for years in rattlesnake country and we wore high boots because of chiggers. I’ve only encountered three rattlers where it scared me because they were hot, coiled and rattling. I’m sure our protocol of stomping heavily, being noisy, don’t stick your hands into rock/log piles without tearing them up first with a shovel is effective. I’ve seen about two dozen or so, either glimpses of big ones hightailing into the brush & rocks, or frozen ones when you dig up a rockpile on a cold morning and they’re too lethargic to react. I’ve witnessed one survey crew member get bitten by a rattlesnake (just above the ankle while wearing sneakers at camp) and it turned out the snake didn’t inject any venom so he was OK a few hours later except for the puncture wound.
Fewer than one in 37,500 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year (7-8,000 bites per year), and only one in 50 million people will die from snakebite (5-6 fatalities per year). Surveyors are at higher risk, but the risk is still low. Snake boots are heavy and unnecessary & if you’re working in deep water a pair of fly fishing coveralls or pants will keep the water out up to mid waist.
I’m a big fan of hip waders for this sort of thing. I can fold them down and they’re like a regular pair of high boots for hiking or fold up and buckle to my belt for wading through water a couple of feet deep. I use those or gortex chest waders moose hunting where I’m going in and out of the water all day. The cheap rubber Chinese made ones usually only last me one season but you get what you pay for. No snakes or chiggers here so no idea what protection they’d offer.
WillyThere are pants that are made for busting thru thick brush and are snake resistant.
I spent the summer working in a snake infested area. I got a pair of the Danner pronghorn snake boots. The guy a danner recommend them over some of the cheaper models based on the amount of walking I was doing. The are actually pretty nice to work in. They are light, cool and water proof.
@a-harris It’s not for snakes – there are zero species of biting snakes where I work. It’s more for water, swamps and keeping ticks and debris out.
@john-putnam I actually don’t need any kind of snake-proofing. I could wear hip waders, but I wonder how uncomfortable or sweaty they’d be after hiking a mile through the forest in them and maybe only 25% of that hike is swamp. Basically I want the tallest possible waterproof boots that are also breathable and comfortable as regular hiking boots, if such a thing exists. Seems like snake boots are the closest, but in this area (Minnesota) nobody has them so I have no frame of reference.
I’ve seen people ducktape around their pants legs.
I use Deep Woods Off or Cutter or something with deet oh my clothes to work in some areas and draw the strap tight on my rubber boots
A pair of tall MuckBoots is in order as my current ones are too difficult to take off. They are great boots just too small at the ankle now.
Some pants come with a drawstring for that very reason
You could probably get a seamstress to install one on your current work pants.
@allen-wrench mine are calf high. They are are as breathable as any Gortex lined boot I’ve worn. The outer material is leather and this ballistic cloth. I did not spend a ton of time soaking in swamps, not a lot of them in the highlands of Siskiyou County, but I never got wet feet.
Suggest staying away from the rubber hip waders, they’re heavy and hot and don’t flex well for hiking long distances, the lightest weight boots you can find will be more comfortable.
WillyWas working with a backhoe operator today who has a funny snake story…………funny if you know the guy. He is 73 but still working 8 days a week because that’s just the way he’s built. A year or two ago at about this time of year he was clearing debris from the end of an old reinforced concrete pipe entry culvert. There was still a plug of leaves/sticks/dirt/whatever inside the end of the pipe. So, he crawled out of the cab, got down on his hands and knees, reached into the pipe with his gloved hand and started dragging the junk out so he could finish clearing it away with the bucket. Suddenly, he sees the world’s biggest black snake emerge from that mess of stuff, crawl directly beneath him and between his legs as it made its escape. He is a super tough guy but he is scared to death of snakes. In his youth he would have leaped up and terminated that snake viciously in a heartbeat. Now, he had to watch it slither away and pray it did not make a U-turn up his pants leg. When asked how long it was he always reports it was somewhere between 15 and 20 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. Anything over six feet would be rare around here, BTW.
Crawl out the ditch, 5 foot timber rattled staring at you. We took him home in the stake bag. It was good eating.
Funniest one, wife and I doing a small lot, she has the call of nature, then, Buddy,Buddy, snakes no the smel!s
be safe all and keep going. Lee county South Carolina.
- I hope everyone has a great day; I know I will!
Yeah, hip waders might be the closest thing. Possibly muckboots but even those don’t appear to be quite knee-high. I’ve only used chest waders but I was in a stream all day and the cold water felt great in July.
Snake sightings have been on the decline because the feral hogs have been eating them.
All attempts to keep water out will eventually fail. I would find a pair of jungle boots and tuck the pant legs in. The boots drain and dry quick. Tucking in the pant legs keeps ticks out.
Be sure to get actual issue, not the chinese knockoffs. Paired with wool socks they are comfortable year round. Always carry extra socks and change mid-day.
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