New Steel Toed Boots

By Charles Moffat.

Every couple of years I buy a new pair of steel boots. This is a bit of a tradition I have been doing for 16 years now, ever since I worked in a welding shop when I was 18 years old. I got addicted to wearing the boots and with time I just didn't notice the weight any more.

In the photos further below you see my old Dakota steel toe boots that I got in December 2011. They lasted almost 2 years before the heels / ankle bits started to fall apart and needed to be replaced.

So I got a new pair of Dakota steel toe boots, similar model. Price? At Mark's Work Warehouse they were $119.99 + $15.60 HST. Total 135.60. (Thanks to the elimination of the penny in Canada we now round up regularly.)

Design wise they are basically the same pair of boots. With minor differences. The blue around the ankles, different holes for the boot strings, the sides of the ankles are higher on the new boots. But whatever, essentially the same.

I think I have an even older pair of Dakota boots somewhere in the closet. I should throw them out. Never going to wear them again I am guessing.

The old pair above saw me through two winters and literally hundreds of trips to the archery range, hiking trips, trekking across muddy fields and more. They have seen wear and tear and look like they went through a battlefield.

The only reason why I even chose to replace them was because the ankles / heels were falling apart. Cleaned up (the mud makes them really bad) they look almost brand new except for the rips in the blue ankle bits.

Judging by the hard life that my boots live, the fact the lasted almost two years was pretty amazing.

And the wear on the ankles is my fault. I don't untie my boots regularly, I just tie the laces semi-tight and then yank them on my feet, which damages the ankle of the boot over time. So they're not meant to be yanked on like that so they're bound to take damage.

Price wise these aren't even that expensive by steel toed boots standards. They pass all safety requirements for steel toe boots, but they're relatively inexpensive compared to the $200 to $400 steel toed boots you can buy.

The trick is however is that I KNOW my boots will be treated harshly. I don't see the point in shelling out an extra $100 to $300 on boots that I am just going to wreck anyway.

I gave my old boots to the cashier at Mark's Work Warehouse and told her to toss them in the trash. Although I did briefly make a joke that the company might be curious in analyzing the boots for defects, but honestly they were NOT defective. They simply lived a hard life.

But they stood up to the test which is why I got a new pair from the same company. Huzzah!