They’re not designed for traipsing for miles over yonder hill and dale, though, I do plan to give that a got this spring turkey season and for some long hauls to a secret creek well off the beaten path. Also, realize that these aren’t hiking boots. Granted, the WPS is a marriage of both of these boot options, essentially combining the best qualities of each to make a do-it-all boot. That’s nearly a pound more than my leather and nylon snake boot and more than a pound heavier than each of another pair of “rubber-style” boots I own. What Doesn'tĮach of my size 11 boots weighs three pounds and three ounces. Outside of a gash, rip, or hole in the boots, your feet will most assuredly stay dry even while standing in water. The usual weak links in the quest for submersible footwear are the seams, but every seam on the WPS looks to be welded tight. The 100-percent rubber outer covering on the WPS translates to what should be 100-percent waterproofing. ![]() The lugs are advertised as self-cleaning and, in my experience, they are. There’s a burly feel to the WPS I suspect will carry over into the long-term ruggedness that is a Muck hallmark.Įxcellent marks for sure-footedness across rocks, creeks, in the woods, and even in the mud. I don’t have high mileage on the WPS boots yet, and the snakes are mired in lethargy awaiting the warm days of spring, but the briars and barbed wire (my superpower is the ability to find a random string of barbed wire on even the most remote of public land) are ever-present. ![]() The WPS feature pull tabs and small heel kicks that make both of these actions simple, contortion-free exercises. Or maybe you do, but I don’t.Īlso factoring into comfort, putting the boots on and taking them off. Nobody likes to slip their feet into a pair of dank and stanky boots. But they’re added to the package because of their no-frills practicality. That is indeed a mouthful of trademarked verbiage. The boots do seem to breathe, which is a tough trick for a rubber boot.Īdding to the creature comforts is an EVA midsole for your stepping pleasure and bioDEWIX antimicrobial footbed insert topcover with NZYM for odor control and moisture management. There is some concern that in hot weather -when snakes are most active - my feet might overheat, but I’m not convinced that that will be the case. It’s winter as I write this with highs mostly in the 40F-50F scale, and my feet have been warm and cozy with minimal perspiration on every hike. Muck says the temperature range for the WPS is sub-freezing to 65F. The 3D Airmesh lining does an admirable job, but the WPS is warm. There is a bit more rigidity because of this extra rubber, but the boot is far from stiff. The Neoprene bootie allows the boot to flex with your movements even with its extra rubber sheathing that Muck claims is “certified against snake bite”. Tops on the list are the 5mm Neoprene bootie and Muck’s 3D Airmesh lining. In my more adventurous, and some would say stupid days, I even caught a couple of venomous snakes with nothing more than my bare hands and a hickory stick and neither reptile even took a swing at me.ĭespite their Spartan looks, a lot of thought went into civilizing the Muck Wetland Pro Snake (WPS). I know this because I’ve been within striking distance of countless and, so far (knock on wood) no bites. Snakes bite because they’re terrified for their lives, and you have to nearly make physical contact to elicit a strike. They don’t want to risk injury or waste energy, and they certainly don’t want to waste that precious venom - the only means of defense and procuring food that a venomous snake owns. They bite only as a last resort, and they don’t want to. Snakes are relatively small, legless animals that aren’t very fast. But living in the South, as I do, it would also be nice to have an extra feature built into your boots - snakebite protection.ĭespite the prevalence of so many snakes on my stomping grounds (I don’t know that I’ve ever been to a creek from April through October and NOT seen a cottonmouth, usually several) and the overblown phobia of snakes, the odds of being bitten by a venomous snake are extremely low. I’ve always looked for three standout qualities from them: durability, comfort, and 100-percent waterproofness. ![]() Rubber boots were a daily wear item back when I owned a farm and have been a vital piece of equipment for a lot of my hunting, fishing, and exploring.
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