XtraTuf boots? (Wal-mart, area, top)

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by muttonhead

If they fall apart so quickly I'd buy Hunter Wellingtons instead. They don't cost that much more and last forever. No point throwing good money after bad!

1) Do they come in insulated versions?
2) Do they come with steel toes?
3) Will my employer buy them for me?

I'm guessing the answer is the same for all three questions. And they don't fall apart quickly. Considering the kind of treatment they're put through they're very durable, and when they start leaking they're usually easy to patch with Aquaseal or your favorite watertight bonding material. I was just pointing out that defects and other issues were not unknown with American manufacturing, so that sort of thing shouldn't be blamed solely on the change to Chinese manufacturing. And the issue with Grunden's wearing out spots in the ankle is really more a testament to the amazingness of Grunden's rather than the weakness of Xtra Tufs. But it is annoying.

There are people who wear Mucks instead, but those are pretty bulky and seem hard to get your rain gear over. The one guy we had who used to wear them had to put his bibs on and then his boots. So every time he took his bibs off or put them on, he had to take his boots off too. I can't see being happy with that setup.

[muttonhead]

Originally Posted by tigre79

1) Do they come in insulated versions?
2) Do they come with steel toes?
3) Will my employer buy them for me?

I'm guessing the answer is the same for all three questions. And they don't fall apart quickly. Considering the kind of treatment they're put through they're very durable, and when they start leaking they're usually easy to patch with Aquaseal or your favorite watertight bonding material. I was just pointing out that defects and other issues were not unknown with American manufacturing, so that sort of thing shouldn't be blamed solely on the change to Chinese manufacturing. And the issue with Grunden's wearing out spots in the ankle is really more a testament to the amazingness of Grunden's rather than the weakness of Xtra Tufs. But it is annoying.

There are people who wear Mucks instead, but those are pretty bulky and seem hard to get your rain gear over. The one guy we had who used to wear them had to put his bibs on and then his boots. So every time he took his bibs off or put them on, he had to take his boots off too. I can't see being happy with that setup.

Nope they sure don't come in all those varieties. I was just going by what you said, in terms of quality, about the sole separating after a couple of weeks.

I have a pair and don't like them, like Met they don't fit my feet right.

[Metlakatla]

Before some idjit came along and convinced Alaskans that xtra-tuffs were the footwear du jour, we all wore romeo deck shoes. I still wear them because xtra-tuffs suck crap and don't fit right unless an idjit's got fat feet.

I can always tell when an idjit's new to the island because they're wearing brand new xtra-tuffs and some sort of North Face nonsense.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Before some idjit came along and convinced Alaskans that xtra-tuffs were the footwear du jour, we all wore romeo deck shoes. I still wear them because xtra-tuffs suck crap and don't fit right unless an idjit's got fat feet.

I can always tell when an idjit's new to the island because they're wearing brand new xtra-tuffs and some sort of North Face nonsense.

I've always thought they were for people with narrow, skinny feet. I wear a 10(4e). I shove my feet into them because they've got the best traction of any rubber boot I've ever worn. I just wish they made them wider.

[Metlakatla]

You've got some pretty fat feet there, Stiffhead.

I wear a 7.5 women's and my feet were swimming into those fat things. I've heard other women say the same.

[Dakster]

Most women have narrow feet... And this is even more apparent to me lately as I have trouble finding shoes that fit my daughters feet and she only needs wide or a D- E. While they may not work for you, they may work well for someone else. What is the best gear in your opinion?

I have 4e feet too, which is a little wide - very difficult to find comfortable shoes. I usually have to go up a size or so and then I feel like I am wearing clown shoes. I always wondered if a company made wide cold climate boots. My work boots here were tough to find, but I only had to go up a 1/2 size so they would fit.

[roadfamily6now]

living in Fairbanks and Delta, I never even heard of them. Bunny boots were pretty much all people wear or wore up there.
Of course with Anchorage being so dang wet all the time, my kids do own a pair of BOGs which seem to be holding up pretty well. Can't afford XtraTuffs.

[tigre79]

They fit my feet just fine once I put some real insoles in them. I have pretty normal feet for a girl (7.5-8) and wear them all day every day with no problems. The uninsulated ones don't feel right, but fortunately it doesn't get so warm here that you can't wear the insulated ones every day.

[Metlakatla]

Leather romeos mold to the person's feet. They're more expensive than Xtra-tuffs but worth it.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Leather romeos mold to the person's feet. They're more expensive than Xtra-tuffs but worth it.

My boyfriend has some like that from when he was commercial fishing and loves them. He wears them whenever he's not wearing Xtra Tufs. Just depends on what you're doing, I guess. If I wore low boots at the hatchery they'd have water in them all the time. Tall boots are nice around town too, when it's slushy and the gutters are all frozen, or there's a foot of snow on the sidewalks.