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TIL that the ASTM standard for boot soles says 500 miles of walking is the minimum, which means most people replace them way too early
I was digging through the ASTM F2913 standard last week for work (I do safety compliance for a small construction firm in Akron) and stumbled onto the actual lab test protocol for slip resistance and wear. The standard basically says a decent boot sole should hold up for 500 miles of normal walking before it fails the traction test, and I had no idea that number was even a thing. For years I've been tossing my Red Wings every 8 or 9 months because the tread looked smooth to me and I figured they were done. Then I did the math. I walk maybe 3 miles a day on site, so 500 miles is over 5 months of pure walking, but that's just for the sole. The leather and stitching are a whole different animal. I ran my last pair to 14 months before the sole finally gave out on a wet ramp at a job site in Canton, and honestly the uppers were still solid as a rock. My coworkers think I'm nuts for resoling instead of buying new, but a $65 resole beats a $240 new pair any day. Has anyone else actually tracked mileage on their work boots or am I the only weirdo keeping a log?
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harperp312d ago
Kept a little notebook in my truck for two years tracking miles on my Danners like some kind of boot accountant, so yeah you are not the only weirdo. Hit 620 miles before the tread failed the wet concrete test at a site in Barberton, and the uppers still looked fine. Resoling for 65 bucks makes way more sense than dropping 240 on a new pair every time the tread thins out.
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