Footwear

[Groundhog]

What footwear did the Early Longhunter really wear ?
... did he turn to mocs when other footwear wore out ?
did they go barefoot ...
just wondering what the veiwpoints are

[Adam Wetherington]

I remember reading in Mark Bakers book that several of the hunters working out of the Illinois country purchased shoes prior to going on their hunts.

I'd say the most common things would be period shoes of some sort and moccasins...

Adam

[Loyalist Dave]

Shoes, mocs, shoepacks, barefoot  (:shock:  ouch).  Whatever you think you need.  Baker has an article in the current Muzzleloader on that subject.  He covers barefeet and shoepacks.  He also sites a letter from Bouquet that the riflemen won't go into the woods without mocs, and can he have some dressed skins shipped to him for them to make mocs.  Doderidge also references that a center seams was what everybody wore, they needed daily repair, and it was a decent way of going barefoot.  I tend to agree.  

One interesting tid bit..., Mark Baker mentions that he has found that greasing mocs for wear in warm weather tends to cause the leather to break down faster than if he uses the leather as tanned.  His feet get wet, and so do the ungreased mocs, and both have to be dried out (so you have to carry additional pairs to wear while others dry).  I hadn't made that observation.  I will have to try that out.

LD

[Eric S Campbell]

All of the above would be correct. They used shoes until they wore out, then mocs, then they went barefoot at times. I would but these fire ants down here. Shoespacs..?... That is open to discussion and interpertation.

On Mark's newest article, I did like his Doddridge frontier shoes based on his descriptions, what did you guys think of those?

[Groundhog]

Covering ya paws is important.
Honestly I think hard soled shoe n boots played a major roll...
More so... than moccasins...
but once away from the settlements... hide got made into footwear...would be cool to see the different styles they came up with.
hunt well n safe

[Loyalist Dave]

Baker cites in his book that prior to the AWI, some of the hunters for Morgan, in Kaskaskia, drew shoes from the store.  Others used only mocs.  Depends on what your feet can take, AND what the terrain is like. Afterall , Apache wouldn't be caught in the SW desert with eastern center seams.  Too many cactus thorns.  So even NA's varied their footgear for the same reasons.  The Roman sandal worked fine until they reached northern Gaul and Brittain.  Then they started wearing what we would call socks.  Again, what worked in one place had to be adapted.  When I do military, I do hi-low boots, as my ankles need the support.  Others use shoes and half-gaiters.  Do what you need to do.

LD

[Groundhog]

Need some low heel boots...
Feet cannot take the mocs...

[Loyalist Dave]

Check out the Fugawee hi-lows,  the heels are only about 1.5" high.  I had a second full sole put onto mine at the Rockville (MD) Shoe Hospital.  THEN I had them put on the hobnails!  Really cool!  (BUT they suck on linoleum when making an ice-run at the convenience store sorta like being barefoot on hydrolic fluid on glass..., think about it  )

the only caveat..., go two full sizes larger on Fugawees for a proper fit.  

LD

[oomcurt]

Kind of amazing what one can do if one "builds" up the toughness of thier feet. I have a good friend that as a kid was able to run barefoot through an alfalfa field after it was cut. Not something I would want to try for sure. Years back, when I was still living in Wisconsin the bunch I hunted deer with always rented a cabin up north from the same folks...over time we became friends. I recall one night up there, the temp was below zero and the owners home was about 50 yards from our cabin...there was a knock on the door and when we opened it there was the owner's little girl with a plate of homemade cookies here mother made. The girl was about 10 or 11 years old...was in a sort of nightshirt and was barefoot. When asked if she was cold...she said no. When I was a kid back there...if my buddie and I got bored in the winter time...we would put our swim suits on and wrestle in the snow. Never got sick either, come to think of it.

[Groundhog]

This here is one Groundhog with tender feet
                                   TENDERFOOT

[Minnesota Mike]

I would imagine that for travel they'd stick with the heavier duty footwear - shoes if they had them, otherwise mocs.

But I figure for hunting, you'd shift to mocs to be quieter and help in the hunt - which was their reason for being out there in the first place.

Of course that's if they had the option. If all you have is one set of boots or a set of mocs and nothing else - then that's what you wear.
--------------------

Loyal Dave - Do the Fugawees really run TWO sizes small? I'm looking at getting a set of boots; buskins or fugawees, so any added info would be appreciated.

r/
MM

[Eric S Campbell]

I could and still can but not as easy since I moved to the hot south, walk through ice covered creeks up to my waist in the water, snow, and ice and way below freezing and not get cold or sick at all.

[Wilawane]

I used on the last weekend trek two pairs of moccasins on the trail. They did get soooo wet. Half way on the trail I changed for a dry pair and had a pair of wool socks in them but pretty soon they also went wet. Those wool socks helped a bit because even wet the wool warms your feet a little bit but only when you are walking along.

[Loyalist Dave]

MN Mike,

(sizes mentioned below are in the American system)

I wear a 10 - 10.5 in shoes, maybe an 11 in hunting boots where I want to wear a pair of socks on each foot.  

The shoes from Flying Canoe Traders that I own are wonderful, buckle type, and they are 9.5, and I wear thick, wool, knee length socks in those.

For me to get the proper width in my Fugawee Hi-lows (purchased to give me better ankle support) I had to get a size 12.  I wear very thick socks as well, but that's what I had to do, and I tried several different sutlers when I went looking, so it wasn't a case of me getting an "odd" pair (imho)

I also had the Rockville Shoe Hospital put on a second sole, so that I could put proper hobnails on the things.  They are good shoes/boots, just not very wide.

LD

[Minnesota Mike]

Thanks. Appreciate the info.

r/
MM