Why don't boot soles grip anymore?

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Geoff
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I know it's been wet and all my paths are green and greasy but every time I go down the garden I seem to slip. My current gardening boots have soles with the Vibram label that used to be reliable. I don't hill walk anymore but I hate to think what would happen if I had boots that performed like these.
I had some waterproof lightweight boots like superior trainers from Karrimor a couple of years ago and they were impossible. I mentioned them to my brother-in-law and he said he bought some for dog walking and ended up binning them for the same reason.
Is there a make out there that works or have they all lost the correct rubber formulation, probably to save cost?
robo
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I've had around 3 pair of karrimor I would not buy another pair I normally use the cheap as chip ones from a local shoe chain but they are out of stock they are normally between £15 to £18 they just about last twelve months but that is Waring them every day
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Tony Hague
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Geoff wrote:I know it's been wet and all my paths are green and greasy but every time I go down the garden I seem to slip. My current gardening boots have soles with the Vibram label that used to be reliable. I don't hill walk anymore but I hate to think what would happen if I had boots that performed like these.
I had some waterproof lightweight boots like superior trainers from Karrimor a couple of years ago and they were impossible. I mentioned them to my brother-in-law and he said he bought some for dog walking and ended up binning them for the same reason.
Is there a make out there that works or have they all lost the correct rubber formulation, probably to save cost?


I do still head up mountains, and I find Vibram soles to be too hard a compound. A small improvement on hobnail boots, but so hard it well outlasts the rest of the boot. I find Salomon's Contagrip soles rather better for wet surfaces. Not that I would buy them for gardening.
PLUMPUDDING
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I had a very nasty accident crossing a river on some rocks in Thailand. I was wearing Merrill sandals that were great on dry surfaces but deadly on any damp or wet surface. My son used to be a tour guide and said that a lot of the European brands of footwear had no grip in the wet, but people wearing boots and shoes with real rubber soles had no problems.
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