I know everybody loves their brand of snake boot – this post is for those looking for an alternative.
I decided to try switching to gaiters instead of boots for two reasons. First, I have a somewhat oddly shaped foot - wide and a very high instep – I also have thin calves. (chicken legs, actually
) Combined, these factors make it difficult to find pull-on snake boots that fit like they are supposed to. The other reason is, as I have gotten older I need more ankle support than pull-on boots provide, especially when walking on rocky/uneven ground. I thought messing with full-lace snake boots would eventually become a PIA so I started researching gaiters. I had snake gaiters long ago – the plastic “stove pipe” style are terribly uncomfortable, and I didn’t care for the buckle type either. After reading reviews I settled on Turtleskin Snake Armor.
The first thing I noticed is how light they are – like 6 oz. apiece. They are made from some patented weave of high-strength ballistic fiber and polyester. The company says they have been extensively tested with live rattlers and cottonmouths. The zippers seem heavy-duty. I walked around in these gaiters at the lease all last weekend and they were very comfortable, cactus-proof and much cooler than my old Danner snake boots that finally wore out.
The convenience of gaiters is a plus as well. When you get back to the camp house or need to run into town you just pull them off - to me that beats changing footwear, then having to change again before you go back out in the woods. The convenience also makes me more likely to wear them.
The only negative as far as I’m concerned is the price - $150. I know you could buy boots for that but I wanted a quality alternative.
I decided to try switching to gaiters instead of boots for two reasons. First, I have a somewhat oddly shaped foot - wide and a very high instep – I also have thin calves. (chicken legs, actually
) Combined, these factors make it difficult to find pull-on snake boots that fit like they are supposed to. The other reason is, as I have gotten older I need more ankle support than pull-on boots provide, especially when walking on rocky/uneven ground. I thought messing with full-lace snake boots would eventually become a PIA so I started researching gaiters. I had snake gaiters long ago – the plastic “stove pipe” style are terribly uncomfortable, and I didn’t care for the buckle type either. After reading reviews I settled on Turtleskin Snake Armor. The first thing I noticed is how light they are – like 6 oz. apiece. They are made from some patented weave of high-strength ballistic fiber and polyester. The company says they have been extensively tested with live rattlers and cottonmouths. The zippers seem heavy-duty. I walked around in these gaiters at the lease all last weekend and they were very comfortable, cactus-proof and much cooler than my old Danner snake boots that finally wore out.
The convenience of gaiters is a plus as well. When you get back to the camp house or need to run into town you just pull them off - to me that beats changing footwear, then having to change again before you go back out in the woods. The convenience also makes me more likely to wear them.
The only negative as far as I’m concerned is the price - $150. I know you could buy boots for that but I wanted a quality alternative.
. Walked up on three rattle bugs the other evening and have been walking around uneasy since then. It sucks to walk in tigh high brush in the dark after the dang bugs rattle at you.
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