Felt Boots?

[Dreadhead]

This is mainly aimed at the sub zero crew for their experience as i saw on some of the jokkmokk trip reports native people wearing felt boots which seem to cope well with the snow.

Have found a couple of felt boots on etsy HERE , HERE , and HERE that have rubber soles too.

Would these be any good for long term travel through subzero climates? and would they need maintenance such as grease/waterproofing. How practical are they?

I'm thinking they would be nice and toasty in freezing weather with an added felt liner, but breathable throughout the warmer weather as camp shoes? The only problem i see is them getting soaked through in wet conditions rather than just cold snow hence maybe treating them?

What are peoples thoughts on boots like this?

Since going down the minimalist footwear route and only wearing boots with flat flexible soles and no ankle support i have sort of shot myself in the foot (pun intended) when it comes to cold weather boots as it is very hard to find decent snow boots with flat soles without paying £200+ on custom made ones

Hamish

 

[Miniwhisk]

I have some Nepalise felt booties. They are super warm. As with all wool products, they keep you warm even when a little damp... They've never been used in snow and the rubber soles on mine are too stiff to wear as bed slippers so I prefer my Yak wool socks for that. You can't effectively water proof them or they will lose breathability, I would think. They are great without socks.

 

[Stringmaker]

Sorry I can't offer any advice but thanks for those links; that first pair of grey boots looks excellent for winter slippers.

Must.........resist........

 

[treadlightly]

I'll be watching this thread with interest. Good links Hamish.

 

[bilmo-p5]

IIRC Toddy made some felt boots (or something very similar) a while back.

 

[treadlightly]

Felt outdoor boots with flat but durable soles would be very interesting. Are there any made this side of the pond I wonder?

 

[Dreadhead]

not too sure. would love a pair of these if they had a flat sole http://www.toysankenkatehdas.fi/en/node/91

 

[Martti]

Would these be any good for long term travel through subzero climates? and would they need maintenance such as grease/waterproofing. How practical are they?

The felt shoes were regarded as the best possible footwear in the boreal zone both by the Finnish Defence Forces and by the U.S. Army up until the early 1960s. Naturally they are not waterproof nor they should be made as such. According to the various manuals I have read and based on my own experience, one should wear waterproof shoes in temperatures between -10 and +10 degrees centigrade. Felt shoes can be used when temperatures are -10 or below.

 

[Dreadhead]

The felt shoes were regarded as the best possible footwear in the boreal zone both by the Finnish Defence Forces and by the U.S. Army up until the early 1960s. Naturally they are not waterproof nor they should be made as such. According to the various manuals I have read and based on my own experience, one should wear waterproof shoes in temperatures between -10 and +10 degrees centigrade. Felt shoes can be used when temperatures are -10 or below.

Thanks Martti thats very useful to know! I think having a pair of felt boots for -10 and below is great then when it gets warmer switching to my waterproofed leather boots. then at night i can take my leather boots off (probably leaking) and put on my warm felt boots. that may work out pretty well

 

[Gill]

They have been used for years in Russian as well ,Google Valenki boots ,They come with a rubber sole as well.

 

[Jared]

Also known as Russian valenki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valenki

Apparently can be bought cheaply inside Russian, think read one traveller blog saying got a pair for literally a few quid, and another saying wholesalers can purchase them for 10 euro a pair. And then have a huge markup. :/

http://rt.com/news/valenki-boots-russia-warmth/

 

[Martti]

I think having a pair of felt boots for -10 and below is great then when it gets warmer switching to my waterproofed leather boots.

In essense, according to the Finnish Defence Forces it is possible to have only two kind of boots and still manage in every kind of terrain during all the seasons in Finland. The other is a pair of wellingtons, the other a pair of felt boots.

 

[Dreadhead]

those valenki boots are great, still pretty expensive though and doesnt look like they come with a flat sole will keep looking

 

[Toddy]

They're easily made; just a bit of practice.

There is an even easier method though; knit them big from untreated wool and simply shrink them down to fit.

Have a look at this ebay shop; look for felting. Not only does she have patterns for sale, but she will sell knitting wool that is intended to be felted once the socks/boots/slippers are made.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Stitching-Heaven?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

It's a lot easier than me trying to advise folks on how much any specific wool will felt down. Too many factors come into play. The breed, the quality of the spinning and plying, how tightly spun, how tightly do you knit, etc.,

This is modern felting for modern lifestyles, but very adaptable to suit folks like us.
A good tip is to knit two pairs and wear them one inside the other. Eventually you can needle felt them a bit and they'll be one really sound thick pair

atb,
Mary

 

[Dreadhead]

Thanks Mary i knew you would have all the answers when it came to wool will see if swmbo is up for getting the knitting needles out as it is a skill far beyond me

 

[Toddy]

I've seen your leatherwork, lad
Knitting's not rocket science, just a damned good skill to acquire If you have the patience for the leatherwork, knitting'll be a breeze.

M

 

[Dreadhead]

Thanks Mary, i have found leather seems to be the only material i have patience for. knitting just looks like it will give me nought but a headache and a building rage

 

[TurboGirl]

Layer up inside your boots with woolen socks... the reason the woolen felt is warm even when wet is that the fibre has a 1 degree or so 'heat of wetting' where it actually warms up while absorbing water.... it looses the moisture so slowly that the inverse cooling process is not perceptable

I think Fae needs to learn from an english (right handed) knitter having done a little before, my way was completely alien to the muscle memory that is probably sitting there just waiting to be remembered with a lesson which would make sense

 

[Dreadhead]

Yeah she was knitting the other day but have no idea which method she was using, tis all alien to me. I love wearing wool socks but my only pair of boots are too tight to wear any and at £200 a pair im not getting another pair anytime soon so they stay as my warm weather boots. for the cold, i do fancy felt boots with some wool socks or felt liners seems to make a lot of sense

 

[Toddy]

You can sew them too, and just felt those down.
It's how I made those last ones from the woolly jumper that got stained.

Just use thick blanket (or similar wool) and stitch with flat seams.

Search through your leather shoe and boot patterns and use those; they work very well

M
p.s. there's instructions for making some on this thread
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99131

and a different kind of woollen boot liners on this one (with embarassing pink photos )
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50790