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| Scorpions in Africa may be from 6″-8″ |
After reading numerous articles about appropriate clothing to wear while on safari, it only took a few sentences for me to be convinced that proper boots are a must in the bush.
Some websites recommended a short boot and others suggested a taller boot. Although only slightly concerned about creatures crawling up our pant legs, I have opted for the “long BugsAway pants tucked into the boot concept” with a lace up boot.
This will allow me to tighten the boot at the top to prevent Mr. Scorpion from running up the boot and slithering down the inside of the boot. Oh, please, no.
Tom, who’s used to heavy steel toe boot required by his 42 year railroad job, doesn’t like the idea of boots at all, hoping to toss them out with his watch on retirement day, this upcoming Halloween. With Mr. Scorpion in mind, I’ll continue to get him on board. Perhaps, he’ll come around when he sees this photo!
Over the past several weeks while enthusiastically researching boots I had a litany of requirements in mind:
Functional: Must keep creatures out. Must be sturdy, providing sure footing.
Must have a thick sole to prevent puncture by thorny brush or snake bite.
Water resistant: Waterproof, not necessary, but they must be able to withstand a rainy day, subsequently drying without damage.
Comfortable: My feet are picky. My feet insist on comfortable shoes. There is nothing wrong with my feet. I don’t have bunions or protrusions. I have a high instep which is manageable. For some goofy reason, shoes hurt my feet. Most of the shoes I’ll be selling at the estate sale will be newer shoes I’ve worn only once, blistering my feet, never to be worn again. The remainder will be comfortable, overly worn shoes, for which no one would want to pay $1.
Proper fit: Comfortable could cover this aspect, but boots may be somewhat comfortable in the foot with a poor fit around the ankle and particularly, the calf. I have skinny calves. Yes, I have skinny, muscular calves after years of working out and running around doing my 10,000 steps a day for most of my adult life. My calves are small, measuring only 12″. Most boots have a shaft circumference of 14″-15″ leaving me with a huge gap, large enough to fit my hand. A lace-up boot may compensate for this anomaly.
Attractive, stylish: Yea, yea, yea, I know. Cute boots are not necessary. If all of the above can be accomplished and, the boots are stylish, I will consider it a bonus. After we leave Africa, the boots, if stylish will be worn and enjoyed for years to come.
Lightweight: The pair of boots I purchased last night, weight 1.4 pounds. This is the nature of the beast (no pun intended). Boots take up vital space in the suitcase. Solution: wear the boots while traveling by air when weight is an issue. (All bags, regardless of the number are acceptable on cruises, provided any one bag doesn’t exceed 70 pounds.) If the boots are comfortable, wearing them for long periods will be possible. Wearing socks, I can remove them on the plane if necessary. Yes, I know, the security check at airports requires the removal of boots. OK, let’s see. Scorpion? Boots? Scorpion? Boots? Boots win!!!
Price: This was tough. How does one find all the above at a great price? Well made boots are expensive. For weeks, I watched boot sales on eBay to no avail. I checked out endless boot resellers, discount wholesale stores and sales at major retailers. On eBay most were offered at BUY IT NOW prices resulting in little opportunity to negotiate, although I did contact a few sellers with lower offers, with no results.
Last night, I decided to return to my normal process; find the product I like, then price shop. The Olympics on TV in the background, Tom at my side, contentedly in his comfy chair, playing with Ancestry.com, his favorite pastime activity, I finally found the perfect boot from a manufacturer I know is comfortable and fits me well.
Excited by this find, the price and size search began. Two hours later, frustrated with little results, I wandered over to Amazon.com, my favorite online store where I often buy everyday products at great prices, with free shipping, avoiding a trip to a store.
When I had searched for the boots on Google, a link to Amazon came up on the 2nd page indicating a “weak reference” to the product which drove me away. Usually an item comes up if the search includes the brand, the model and the size. In this case, it did not.
Although not hopeful, I pulled up the Amazon.com link to find my boots!! My size, to boot (no pun intended)! Yeah!
The total price with shipping was $161.98. Of course, I would have loved to buy these boots for less. Originally, they were offered for $174.98 + shipping. The $25 savings provided a small consolation, but then again, Mr. Scorpion definitely provided the final motivation.
Clark’s Women’s Orinoco Jump Boot
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