I purchased the Redwing Loggermax 620. They are taller than need be for my
application, but worked great. They actually fit pretty well within the
Rohn 25G tower spacing. I spent around 5 continuous hours on the W6RFU
(University of Santa Barbara ham club) tower atop the 5-story engineering
building yesterday removing a Force 12 and installing a Skyhawk DXE-3X10.
My feet feel just fine today (although the rest of my body is not in good
shape - my hands won't stop cramping up, my legs are dead tired, and my
arms and shoulders feel like they got the workout of a lifetime). Thanks
again for all the help in finding good climbing footwear.
Ken Alker
KA6KEN
--On Wednesday, September 22, 2021 3:59 PM -0700 Ken Alker
<ka6ken@alker.net> wrote:
Thanks!
I found a shoe called a Carolina CA904 which is made specifically for
linesman and has a "linesman" shank that "covers more area, is a heavier
metal, is not ribbed, curls toward the ball of the foot and is
anatomically correct" (meaning the shank is different in left shoe than
right shoe due to curve). It sounds like they really thought this one
out well. I am really drawn to it as price is reasonable ($220) and
their customer service is great, but they are very hard to find right now
and I want to climb this weekend. Turns out we actually have a Redwing
store here in Santa Barbara; I couldn't believe it; figured they were new
but the salesman proudly told me they have been in same location for over
35 years; no ladders or climbing apparatus, however; very small store.
The reps in the store were not very helpful (green non-climbing college
kids), but calling corporate steered me toward their Loggermax 620 for
$230 which has their "linesman" steel shank which is "wider than a
traditional shank and designed for extra strength and support to
withstand the riggers of climbing". I may get those since I can try them
on and buy them locally before the weekend, and since there is so much
sentiment toward the Redwing brand on this list.
Thanks for all the great feedback. Keep it coming, if anyone has more
comments!
Ken
--On Wednesday, September 22, 2021 5:47 PM -0500 towers@mhtc.net wrote:
Several reasons why I don't like them for tower climbing (and I DO have
several pairs of steel toed-shoes for operations where they are
desirable.....chainsaw work (actually have Kevlar, steel toed boots for
that), landscape work moving boulders that could crush your feet, etc.
1. Can put added stress on your toes, since zero flexibility there.
2. Suck the heat from your feet in cold wx.
3. Heavier
4. Zero "give", which sometimes you might want to have, particularly on
the narrow tower like a Rohn 25, or even worse a Rohn 20. Same for the
BDX and other towers with no horizontal members to stand on.
73,
Karl
WD9BGA
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Alker (ka6ken@alker.net)
Date: 09/22/21 16:11
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] tower climbing shoes or boots - suggestions
needed
Why "non-steel toed for climbing"? Is the steel toe a detriment when
climbing?
--On Friday, September 10, 2021 8:24 PM -0500 towers@mhtc.net wrote:
Ditto for Redwings. Non-steel toed for climbing. Vibram soles give
you the "gap" that Chuck referred to. Can use them for hiking/lawn
mowing/you name it between tower climbs, so a good investment.
Karl
WD9BGA
EN53ba
----- Original Message -----
From: Chuck Dietz (w5prchuck@gmail.com)
Date: 09/10/21 19:21
To: Ken Alker (ka6ken@alker.net)
Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] tower climbing shoes or boots - suggestions
needed
I use Redwings. They have work boots with shanks in the soles. They also
have soles with a small gap between the heel and the front that will
keep your foot from slipping off a tower rung. They have stores all
over.
Chuck W5PR
On Fri, Sep 10, 2021 at 7:08 PM Ken Alker <ka6ken@alker.net> wrote:
Can I get some suggestions for comfortable tower climbing shoes with
some kind of very stiff (metal?) soles to support myself without my
shoes curling around the horizontal tower members while I am stationary
for long periods of time while working upon the tower?
My tennis shoes barely fit between the Rohn 25 verticals, so I ASSuME
boots
would be too wide, although I've never seen tower climbing shoes before
(vs. boots), but maybe they are made.
The thought occurred to me that some simple metal plates could be
strapped to the bottoms of my tennis shoes, kind of like the old metal
skates I had in the early 70's, for a cheap alternative without
investing in a pair of shoes that I'll use only a couple dozen times in
my lifetime. However, I've never seen such a thing on the market, but
maybe they exist.
Anyone selling anything used?
Thanks in advance for suggestions.
Ken Alker
KA6KEN
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