Win a pair of Hi Tec Para Boots!

[Pegasus]

WIN A PAIR OF HI-TEC PARA BOOTS!!

​

Following a recent view on UK Caving (Thanks, Amy - who said 'HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend HiTec ParaBoots. They are the best combo between a hiker and wellie in my opinion. Completely rubber with full neoprene lining. Combine with fleece lined neoprene socks and they are WARM. They have deep lug sole with very agressive tread and rubber soft enough to stick on slippery surfaces yet not so soft as to wear quickly. My SO has a pair (as sadly they are not made in ladies sizing), they are two years old, and look brand new. I kid you not. They seem impossible to destroy! I'd suggest trying them on first if you can, but if you can't, know the sizing runs a bit large so if you are a half size I would size down (keep in mind wearing neoprene socks though). If you have a wider front of your foot, it should fit (my SO has a wider front foot and it does not pinch). Cannot say enough good things. I just hate it they don't come in my size')

The winner will be able to choose their preferred colour and size:

Yellow/Black/Charcoal available in sizes 6-12
Slate/Black/Army available in sizes 6-13
Black/Charcoal available in sizes 7-13

HOW TO ENTER:

Post any anecdote/story/tale here on the subject of 'Caving and Footwear'.

Best one, as judged by Pegasus and Badlad wins

Closing date Midnight, Sunday February 8th 2015.


Many thanks to Hi-Tec for offering the chance for some lucky UK Caving member to win their very own pair.

There are a couple of reasonable terms and conditions:

?            Prize to be posted to United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland residents only.
?            Prize cannot be exchanged for money, a cash alternative or any other items.
?            Prize is subject to availability and only in sizes shown above. Should the winners size be out of stock, an alternative style
              may be offered.

Hi-Tec say: 'The Para boot is perfect for wet country walks and slippery surfaces, with its exclusive Vibram outsole for traction and durability and waterproof protective rubber upper. The Para is fantastic to slip on and off due to its easy toggle lacing system, without sacrificing on comfort with the neoprene lining, great for country lovers and avid explorers'

- so avid explorers, we await your tales! 

 

[nickwilliams]

My story is that when I came to go digging last week, I could not find my wellies. I still don't know where they are.

A bit minimalist as a story, perhaps, but I think you'll find that technically it meets the brief...

 

[Pegasus]

Hi Nick - and technically you are currently winning!

 

[Mark]

While surveying Odin Mine in the late 70s, and wading through thigh deep mud in the lower levels, I lost both NCB issue wellingtons and had to come out in wetsuit socks

The socks being LC products unlined, neoprene kit form, disintegrated by the top of the 130ft pitch, and I had to do the last bit to the entrance wearing PVC gauntlets on feet.

A pair of these Hi tec boots would have been proper handy

 

[pwhole]

I had to do the last bit to the entrance wearing PVC gauntlets on feet.

I don't suppose there are any photos of that? 

 

[Bottlebank]

I reckon these competitions would be more fun with a poll, we can all vote for our favourites that way!

 

[Fulk]

OK, here's my effort:

Many years ago I went down Lost Johns? Cave on a day when rain was forecast for later in the day, but we weren?t unduly worried as most of the descent is made out of the water, and we figured we?d be OK. The trip down Centipede (so-called, I believe, because it has 100 feet) and the Battleaxe Traverse went smoothly and well. Just above the last (short) pitch there is a small drop (maybe just less than two metres, and sloping) in the stream that you hardly notice in ordinary conditions, but we figured that it might get a bit awkward when the rain came, so we rigged a short handline down it.

We arrived at the foot of the final pitch after a quick, easy descent, where we tied our SRT kits to the end of the rope, and went off to explore the Master Cave; we soon noticed that the water had started to rise, so turned round to go out.

When we reached the little chamber at the foot of the last pitch, we thought ?Shit, our SRT kits have been washed away?; they hadn?t, they were merely submerged under a metre or so of water (normal depth ~20 cm, I suppose). So we started the climb out, me bringing up the rear and derigging.

When I got to the little cascade I put my foot-jammer on the rope as a ?safety? to avoid being swept away round the corner and down the last pitch . . . which was when the fun began. The tackle bag I was carrying krabbed to my harness filled with water and prevented me from getting up the cascade; I couldn?t get up on account of the weight and force of the water, I couldn?t go back down because I couldn?t release the jammer, and I couldn?t reach the tackle bag?s krab to release it. There were two people above me, and I was sort of lying in the water at an angle of about 60 degrees, I suppose, desperately straining my neck back to keep my head out of the water. ?Pull . . . pull . . . ? but even with two people pulling and me struggling with my rapidly ebbing strength I just could not get up. I?d been married less than a month, and I even had the thought running through my mind ?Poor girl, a bride in July, a widow in August?!

Eventually I spotted a flake or some sort of natural belay and got the guys above to tie the rope to that, drop a loop with a krab in it to me, and pull with a 2:1 system; it worked.

What, you might ask, has this got to do with caving footwear?

Well, when I got out of the water, I found I?d lost two wellies (not to mention a wetsuit sock), which made for an interesting and painful journey out of the hole ? in particular, the Battleaxe Traverse with one bare foot was ?entertaining?.

 

[Pegasus]

I reckon these competitions would be more fun with a poll, we can all vote for our favourites that way!

I'll see what we can do...... - You don't ask, you don't get - !

 

[caving_fox]

When I started caving with the CCCC that doesn't seem very long ago in '98, as a club we had a bit of discussion over the 'best' footwear to use. Obviously a lot of people were favourites of wellies and still are. They do however have their disadvantages and everyone was looking for the perfect alternative. Caving Supplies had 'Chemical Safety' work boots, ankle high fully sealed but laced, and the lacing frequently tore through, besides which we didn't get to Caving supplies very often. As it happened my work also used safety boots, so when a pair were replaced I used the old ones to go caving. Very comfortable well worn in, the leather dried out a bit but soon loosened up when wet. Of course being leather rather than rubber, they wear out somewhat faster, especially over the toes, but the steel toecap kept me safe.

One trip we were exploring the streamway of Agen Allwedd - we'd done the Sand Caverns many times, but were unsure of the further reaches. The 2nd boulder choke is a little bit loose with a warning sign, and the crux is window at a slightly awkward height which requires a bit of careful flailing of the feet to get through (trying not to kick anything loose!). My mates behind me in my efforts to get through were more than a little concerned as each contact of the toecap and rock struck up sparks!

Said shoes finally disintegrated altogether one trip and the toe cap is still washing about in a south Wales sump.

 

[Griffin]

When I started caving about 5 years ago, I was talking about needing a new pair of wellies as that's what everyone else seemed to wear. My sister gave me her Hunters saying they were too heavy for her, I warned her that these silly ?60 wellies were going to get wrecked very quickly however they proved me wrong, lasting over a year and being the best pair of wellies I had ever owned! Over time I learnt that I preferred to wear boots and wet socks in most caves, and I used the wellies for mines and digging at Alderley. Those wellies should have lasted a lot longer if it were not for this tale...

It was on my first trip to Cwmorthin, camping in Ffestiniog for the weekend. Our unofficial trip leader was supposedly Joel (Suboffender), the ubiquitous member of UCET. In slate mines, I have always worn boots. However I took Joel's advice on wearing wellies as there was some water but crucially, not above the critical welly depth. As we planned to do CRTT the next day, I wanted to keep my boots nice and dry for the hike. Anyway long story short, the water was thigh deep and the slate destroyed the lovely hunter wellies. They were full of holes by the time I got out of there. I have never taken Joel's advice on anything else prior to a trip!

Lauren :-[

 

[Judi Durber]

I help with children?s caving camps.  There can be up to 20 children and 10 to 12 adults all fitting into a caving hut on Mendip. We move in (or rather take over, the hut, garden, wood, mine workings ?) and even with best intentions of keeping boots in the entrance hall, wet gear in the changing rooms, nothing dirty up stairs, somehow all the bags seem to explode and the tooth brush is found next to the washing up and someone is curled up with your fluffy towel while the bag with your pants in is never seen again until they are held up and paraded with the rest of the lost property (mainly soggy socks) at the end of camp.

One particular week a few years ago spawned a new game: at the first ?Raleigh? (meeting) everyone brings their wellies and lounge on the sofas (they are all nice & clean & shiny. Some people have cut frilly tops & others ?water holes? in anticipation of what is to come) they then have to write their names on them & throw them in a pile in the middle of the floor.  You then have to pick up 2 wellies (not your own) & find the owners, they have to introducing themselves before they get their wellies back. (Wo-be-tide any lone wellie left in the middle.)

Now this came about because at the end of the previous camp the camp leader, who was the last to pack, found that there was only 2 right foot wellies left and they were odd sizes. Now the rest of the camp have to pack before breakfast to enable a thorough clean-up of the hut. (We do do a rather good job, even if I say it myself  )They were already on the coach with bags stashed in the hold. Well everyone was hauled back into the hut, rucsacs were ferkeled in and out came the wellies. One rather small child had packed huge wellies, while others had odd sizes and the biggest lad had chosen some dinky ones to take home, one black & one green! The camp leader?s wellies were with 2 separate children. Of the 30 odd people only a handful had the correct size but were not necessarily their own.

So now the regulars are getting smart & we are seeing flowers, bumble bees, frogs & smiley faces already painted on them ready to be thrown into the centre of the room.

 

[paul]

One Sunday morning we decided on a short easy trip and picked the Yordas roof traverse. Pete was in front on rigging duty with a number of us following with Dave second after Pete.

At one point there is a short abseil and then a swing across to a traverse on the opposite wall. For some reason Dave though it would help to get off the short abseil and onto the loosishly-rigged traverse by attaching his to the traverse rope. He then found that he could not subsequently release the Pantin as he couldn't get his weight off that foot. So, he ended up removing his foot from that welly and continuing onwards for the short bit near the Chapter House waterfall.

We, who were following behind, had not seen hat had happened but were very puzzled as to how a welly became to be abandoned, attached to the rope by a Pantin...

 

[Alex]

One wonders once he removed his welly from the pantin why he did not simply take it off the rope and put it back on as there would only be the weight of the welly on it now.

 

[CB]

My husband and I both take the same size in wellies.  I tend to pack my caving gear in a rush which has unfortunately led to me packing two same footed wellies on a couple of occasions.  This meant that once in Matienzo in Northern Spain I took the right footed wellies, not discovering my mistake until I got to Renada where I had an uncomfortable trip as far as the Breakdown Chamber.
Meanwhile my husband was gripped by exploration fever in Fresnedo, a cave in an adjacent valley.  I knew I was too stout to get through the initial boulder choke here.  I didn't want my wriggling to bring down the whole lot.  So off he went to insert his snake hips into the choke and stomp off into caverns measureless.  It was with irritation that he pulled two left footed wellies out of his caving bag at the entrance. Now, not far through the choke, is a piece of cave called "one foot print passage" due to the marks only of left footed wellies along the muddy floor.
The revenge of the welly to make up for his discomfort came when I went on a club trip down Lost John's.  I opened my caving back to find I had packed two right footed wellies again.  Battle Axe traverse in two same sided wellies is horrible.  Plus prussicking with your instep on your outstep is one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever done.

 

[mrodoc]

Some years ago My new warmbac boottees vanished after a trip to Wales. I rang everybody turned the place upside down - no luck. Around then I went to see my daughter do a charity abseil dressed as wonder woman. A few weeks later, inspecting the photos I discovered my boosters - on wonder woman's feet. My daughter had 'borrowed' them!

 

[damo8604]

Many years ago I joined the Army as a 16 year old junior entrant.

Part of the training was a week of adventure training in South Wales comprising of hill walking, canoeing, climbing and of course caving.

Caving was an activity pretty much new to all the recruits and in 1990 we weren't issued any fancy kit, it was just layers of long johns, lightweight combat trousers, wool jersey covered with waterproof jacket/trousers and green overalls worn over the top to 'protect' the thin materiel of the waterproof suit, foot wise it was a pair of woolen socks and combat boots.

Now I enjoy caving, but my recollection from this particular caving trip was one of pure, torturous hell..... It was December, we'd already been put through hell on the Brecon beacons by sadistic training corporals who seemed to take great delight in our abject misery, and so we descended Porth yr Ogof, most of us were terrified, I have no shame in saying it, none of us felt safe, the leaders sensed this and seemed hell bent on making at least one of us cry.

I was with a friend who was not a particularly good soldier, he was targeted throughout training as someone who needed 'extra encouragement', unfortunately for him, the leader also happened to be the section corporal in charge of dealing out this 'extra encouragement'.

No-one knows how long the trip was, indeed I have very little recollection of the trip, but what I do remember is that it almost put me off caving for life. The final straw came when we had to swim out of the resurgence pool, my friend turned to me and said "I'm not a very strong swimmer", the look of panic in his face spoke volumes. This didn't stop the sadistic psychotic training corporals laughing about it, even joking about how people had drowned there.

The combination of exhaustion from the week as well as the caving trip, cold, terror and a weak swimmer had me poor friend thrashing about in the water as we exited, we were all alarmed, even our training corporal was concerned as he had to rescue the struggling lad.

Revenge was sweet though as during the course of the rescue, my friend managed to kick off the welly of our section corporal and he had to walk back up to the truck from the river with only one welly (which he was furious about).

I spoke to my friend a couple of months ago and he still remembers it so vividly...... none of us have any good memories of that week

 

[Burt]

top tip - if you're photographing a cave where there is a risk of dirty footprints, take a pair of flipflops or similar stuffed inside your bag / oversuit to wear on the non-tramply bits. They take up next to no space, are cheap and lightweight but still stop your feet hurting on rocks.

 

[owd git]

Next competition; 'win a pair of caving flipetty flops.' ?

 

[Antwan]

Short but sweet - got a small hole in one of my wellies just where the steel toe cap ends on a trip into peak, only realised after exiting the mucky ducks as said welly then proceeded to squirt me in the face like a water pistol every step through the show cave and most of the way back to the chapel. I did empty said welly, but fury drainage re filled In only a few steps.

 

[cavermark]

Short but sweet - got a small hole in one of my wellies just where the steel toe cap ends on a trip into peak, only realised after exiting the mucky ducks as said welly then proceeded to squirt me in the face like a water pistol every step through the show cave and most of the way back to the chapel. I did empty said welly, but fury drainage re filled In only a few steps.

I once had a similar hole in the instep of a pair of wellies - with practice, I could aim the jet of water into someone's ear from a feet away!  It was a sad day when those wellies eventually passed away..