Slippery Boots

Q. Hi

I've just purchased some Karrimor KSB 300, Gortex boots.

They fit fantastic as I have a wide foot and unlike the Burghaus range that I tried, have a UK last and not a european one.

The only problem I've found with them is that in the 3 times I've worn them I've find they slip on wet/damp/rock.

Is this common? - or do they require some kind of scrubbing up?

They are supposed to be this special 'rubber' but I'm concerned as that sounds a bit 'French!!!' (only kidding).

Any help would be appreciated, cheers.

Martin Hodgekiss, Featherstone, S Staffs

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A. The boots I have are Karrimor 300 leather Skye Event boots which have a vibram sole.

I've recently ask this question about the slippery sole to a product manager at Karrimoor.

His reply was...

"I appreciate what you are saying about the sole units. Basically, Vibram have only a few different compounds of rubber. The compound used on trekking boots has to be hardwearing but the compromise is that they won’t grip as much as the softer compounds (The softer compounds are used in rock shoes etc). This is the case with all the footwear brands (Scarpa, Meindl etc) and you will find that many brands share the same sole units made by Vibram like the Werewolf sole unit that Berghaus, Scarpa, La Sportiva, Blacks and others use. What you will find is that once the boots are worn a little more then the traction will improve. When a boot is brand new then they can be worse again because a release agent needs to be put on the sole unit mould to allow it to come out. That can make the rubber very slippy early on. You’ll find that wet wood, stone, slate and similar is the worst."

I hope this helps

Dave Eaves, Halesowen

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