Footwear?

[Travellar]

What do you people wear in hot weather? I'm playing a Barbarian, but fur trimmed boots just seem like such a bad idea!

[freiman]

Actually, I wear leather boots.

Good footwear is A Good Thing.

I had somebody drop a steel helmet on my pinky toe and break it a few years ago at a big function called Pennsic War. It sucks to have a broken pinky toe. Seriously. For the first day, it hurts like farging hell, and then your back starts to hurt, because you are always walking funny.

Then, you are gimping around the site, lucky if you could compete with a toddler in the forty, and you are in constant pain, so you are getting really grumpy, and being a jerk to everybody around you.

And your back starts to hurt even when you are sitting or laying down.

But the pain isn't quite bad enough to stop you, and you just end up being a jerk, and getting unpopular.

And the worst part is, you feel like such a wimp because it's your freaking pinky toe.

Then, on Monday, you have to go back to work, almost unable to walk.

Wear good shoes. Really, wear good shoes.

f

[Talen]

At the very least, a good pair of sandals. Hiking ones. (Thankfully, LARPS tend to be less abusive to the toes, but good footing is important)

Fuzzy additions optional. :P

[freiman]

At the very least, a good pair of sandals. Hiking ones. (Thankfully, LARPS tend to be less abusive to the toes, but good footing is important)

Fuzzy additions optional. :P

Dude, trust me.

In a whole lot of ways, "Foam fighter larps" (Sorry) are much more strenuous than almost any other game. Charging through underbrush, across ground that is obscured by foilage is par for the course.

Of course, there are many here who know more than I do about that.

My advice is this. Don't wear sandals.

Wear good boots. for the summer, leave off the fur.

Protect your feet. You depend on them.

f

[Sebastian K]

Turnshoes work fine for me. Superior ground rapport and a thinner sole more than make up for any perceived lack of sturdiness in my book.

[Travellar]

The feeling is overwhelming, on both this board and the Valor boards. I need boots. I have a pair, that definately aren't "period", but I'll have to make do with them this event.

[freiman]

Turnshoes work fine for me. Superior ground rapport and a thinner sole more than make up for any perceived lack of sturdiness in my book.

Yeah, but Sebastian, you are fargin' mighty. Seriously, you don't quite get how big and strong you are. You tower over me, and I am six two and two twenty, not to mention the fact that you could probably lose two chevy big block engines in your chest cavity, and still have to hire native guides to help find them.

Not everybody can pick up and toss around Japanese compact cars. Some of us are fragile.

f

[Talen]

Dude, trust me.

In a whole lot of ways, "Foam fighter larps" (Sorry) are much more strenuous than almost any other game. Charging through underbrush, across ground that is obscured by foilage is par for the course.

Of course, there are many here who know more than I do about that.

My advice is this. Don't wear sandals.

Wear good boots. for the summer, leave off the fur.

Protect your feet. You depend on them.

f

Heh. I've been doing this since the early 90's...and I do wear boots when the weather is rough or cold. But in high heat, I stick with my sandals- if I don't, my feet tend to be a blistery mess from the sweat buildup...so I have to wear something that breathes more. Given, they're heavy leather (none of this synthetic stuff) and made for hiking. It was good enough for the Romans, they're good enough for me. Whatever you wear- it needs to be made for outdoor work. I nearly murdered someone for wearing high-heeled boots on a module...we had to run, they literally spiked themselves into the ground hitting a soft spot.

Fortunately for me, the NPC's were too busy laughing to mump them, we called a hold and pulled the poor guy out.

Good boots are the best LARPing footwear IMHO (*hugs hus Son of Sandlars*) , but a sturdy pair of hiking-type shoes that look decent are solid stuff as well.

[greyloch]

I still have an old pair of tall suede boots by Sandlar (they have Goodyear imprinted into the sole, they're that old!) but I love my bullhide leather moccasin boots (from Catskill Mountain but Bald Mountain's are identical) and were well worth the investment (i.e., mucho $$$). I don't LARP but used to work at a Renfaire and they were/are the best footwear for that environment. Only downside is that you can't get them real quick as they're custom made. :d/:

Don't think that is of any help to you and I'm sorry 'bout that. You may want to check out eBay as it's your friend in finding odd stuff. :D

[Karkiln]

I usually where Engineer boots all year round.

You can look into canvas combat boots for support and breathablity.

and if you need to just attach a piece of fur around the top of each boot to make them look barbarianish

[sableagle]

I just wore combat boots for LARPing. I have leather proper hiking boots and some suede-and-breathable-stuff imitations of the Gore Tex Line 7 pair I used to wear. The Line 7s were (totally unsuitable for LARPs but) marvellous walking boots, quick-drying, comfortable, breathable, waterproof and light, offering protection and support and wonderful grip ... then they stopped fitting quite so well, and then they stopped being waterproof, and they didn't make them any more so I went back to clompy brown leather for hiking.

Maybe these?

http://www.copshoes.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/85501.jpg (http://www.copshoes.com/p-B-85501SA.html)

[Travellar]

Nah, these. (http://www.oaksarmoury.com/ajsabs.html)

Greaves and sabatons. At the very least, steel greaves with a leather sabaton.

[sableagle]

Surely those go over a boot with breathable construction, good ankle support, several inches of quag-proofing and a thick, strong sole.

[Travellar]

My boots have all of those, so it's just a matter of trying to make my feet look appropriate.

[Karkiln]

Those sabatons are nice. but to much leg weight for the long term wear.

Also any modern boot can be made to look medevilish with a bit of fabric and lace.

[Travellar]

I need better boots.

I managed to generate a couple of pretty good sized blisters, and a whole lot of noise running around in my working boots. I ust find some with much softer soles. Fortunately, I got a lot of really good reccomendations on site, all for the same thing.

[Talen]

I need better boots.

I managed to generate a couple of pretty good sized blisters, and a whole lot of noise running around in my working boots. I ust find some with much softer soles. Fortunately, I got a lot of really good reccomendations on site, all for the same thing.


So, what's the thing they suggested?

(As I said before- for me, boots + heat = blisters for me, so I'm curious.)

[Travellar]

Son of Samus, I think they said. Available at the Maryland renasanse faire, next fall.

[Talen]

Heh, I actually do wear Son of Sandlar's boots, so that's not gonna help me- this time of year, I just end up needing something that breathes more. Ah well. :P

[sableagle]

Can you get some sort of wicking sock to draw the moisture up and out of the boot? A tight fit might inhibit that effect, but any help is good help.

Short of that, I think you're stuck with getting brave and shoving grommets into the non-structural parts of a pair of perfectly good boots ... then avoiding the mud.

[Travellar]

Wool socks have been advised for just that reason.

[Talen]

Wool socks have been advised for just that reason.

Hmm. I may just try to do that, then. Sorta felt odd putting wool on my feet in midsummer, but if it works, why not?

[Travellar]

Haven't tried it yet myself yet, so no promises.