durable work boots - ALTAI® Footwear

ALTAI™ Pro Tip: How To Keep Your Work Boots Working

altaidev on September 19, 2018

You work hard and so do your feet. Day in and day out, your work boots are one of the most important gear you wear and need them to reliably deliver every time. Your job depends on it. So here are 3 simple steps to take to help keep your work boots working longer.

Keep Your Boots Clean

A clean boot is far less susceptible to unwanted fungus or bacteria building up. If you have an especially dirty job, it is recommended to clean your work boots off every night. Since our boots are waterproof, a quick hose-off are a low-effort way to clean off the day’s grime. For tougher debris, a soft bristled brush will easy clear away the grime and, thanks to our SuperFabric® uppers, your boot won’t get scuffed or scratched in the process.

Dry Your Boots

A dry boot is also key to avoiding fungus or bacteria. While many boots are waterproof, breathability can be a challenge for many traditional boots made of leather. Again, SuperFabric® delivers maximum breathability, while remaining waterproof; the best of both worlds. ALTAI™ boots will quickly dry overnight and be ready for work again the next day.

Cleaning the Inside of Your Boots

Baking soda is one easy home-remedy for cleaning the interior of your work boot. We cover other ways to disinfect and clean the inside of your boots in our ALTAI™ Pro Tip article here.

ALTAI™ Pro Tip: Cleaning the Insides of Your Boots

altaidev on August 2, 2018

If you have a pair of our boots, you understand the benefits of having ONE pair that does it all. From work to play, like a trusty friend, your boots are with you through it all.

You already know how easy it is to clean the exterior of our boots (just a hose and a soft bristled brush, if needed) but here are some tips to keep the interior of your boots clean and lasting longer than ever.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has powerful odor removing qualities. Sprinkle a layer of baking soda into your boots and let them sit overnight. This is often preferred over “masking” the scent as baking soda actually absorbs odors and neutralizes them. Shake out baking soda before wearing again.

Kitty Litter

Kitty litter has natural deodorizing capabilities. For lingering odors that one night of baking soda can’t eliminate, try knotting kitty litter into a thin fabric (perhaps a sock) and stuff into your boots each night.

Air It Out

Place your boots overnight in a warm dry place. Loosen the laces enough so you can allow as much air flow into the interior of the boot as possible. Placing your boots in the sun can be a safe, easy way to air out your boots and helps prevent bacteria that can cause odor.

Disinfecting Spray

Whether it’s pharmaceutical grade or a homemade version (rubbing alcohol and/or vinegar mixture), a disinfecting spray will help kill odor causing bacteria over the long term.

ALTAI™ Testimonial: Our boots vs. the rainy Pacific Northwest

altaidev on December 5, 2017

In the Pacific Northwest, lies the only area (outside of Hawaii and Alaska) in our country that exceeds over 100 inches of rain a year, on average. Outdoor jobs like construction or carpentry, and even outdoor recreational activities, demand the best performing gear, nearly year-round. So we decided to put our ALTAI™ MFM100 boots to the test with construction/carpentry professional, Andrew M. of Oregon. Here is his account of how our boots performed and more reason you don’t have to take our word for it: our boots will get the job DONE. (Note: the ‘MF’ in all of our model names indicates a Multi-Functional boot. The same high performance features of the MFM100 appear in all our boot models.)

Andrew M. – Construction/Carpentry professional, Recreational hiker

I’ve worked in the construction trades for over a decade. Over those years I’ve struggled to find footwear that is both comfortable and capable of performing across a variety of tasks; everything from heavy demolition or pouring a new concrete footing to painting, from an extension ladder or finish carpentry. The boots needed for heavy work are uncomfortable when not needed and shoes that are more ideal for lighter work don’t provide the durability or protection for heavier work. Since the nature of my work changes throughout the day not having one pair of shoes that suits all tasks is a problem.

ALTAI™ boots have solved this problem. They had a comfortable and natural fit out of the box needing little breaking in. Unlike other work boots I’ve had ALTAI™ boots are in fact so comfortable I have enjoyed using them as hiking boots. On the job they have withstood abuse, providing the protection and durability required of a work boot.

What has stood out the most about ALTAI™ boots is their ability to shed moisture, whether from heavy rains or errant sprays from a hose, keeping my feet dry. This alone is not necessarily unique, but ALTAI™ boots resist water while ALSO remaining light and breathable.

By providing the endurance and protection of a work boot but not sacrificing in comfort ALTAI™ boots have been an ideal choice of footwear for construction work.

Shop the ALTAI™ MFM100 and see for yourself.

The History of Footwear for Labor

altaidev on August 22, 2017

If you’ve ever worked a tough job, 10 or more hours on your feet, hauling, grinding, or patrolling away, you can appreciate what difference your favorite pair of work boots make. It’s quite the wonder, then, to take a look back at where footwear for laborers started and its evolution through the ages.

Around the 16th century, sabots were the common “protective” footwear for steel workers and the like, all the way up through the Industrial Revolution. The word sabotage originated from the known act of workers’ throwing a sabot into factory machinery, in order to shut down production.

However, as you can imagine, wooden sabots were protective only to a degree and mobility was gravely compromised. Leather boots came out on the rise but without any real protective qualities, protective toe components became the compromise to satisfy performance capability and safety.

Seeing how far work footwear has come over the years, we are proud to be part of the newest generation of footwear innovators. From space-age material SuperFabric® to world-reknown Vibram® soles, we will continue to outfit the hardest working people with the hardest working boots.

ALTAI™ Toughest Jobs Spotlight: Tree Fallers

altaidev on June 13, 2017

Some of the toughest occupations in the world are not the ones you always expect. Tree fallers, wildlife officers, paramedics, the list goes on… and so do the folks in these types of jobs. Today we spotlight tree fallers and the occupations that demand 110% from its workers and how we strive to improve every single step.

Tree Fallers – Chainsaws, sharp axes, broken branches, rock, and typically, some of the most untamed forests make tree falling an extremely rugged job; not for the faint of heart. While leather is a common material used to fend off these kinds of nasty, sharp objects, we all know how easily leather erodes under long-term, daily abuse. All it takes is one decent scuff and that’s the beginning of the decline of your work boots.

SuperFabric® materials change the game when it comes to long-lasting, durable work boots. With this futuristic level of abrasion and slash resistance, we were able to engineer a better boot, meant to thrive in these kinds of harsh environments.

Are you a tree faller or work in a similar rugged environment? We dare you to take the next step and experience the ALTAI™ Difference.

Hard-Working Boots Just Got Smarter: The ALTAI™ Difference

altaidev on June 8, 2017

Your old work boots. You’ve put them through the ringer, day in and day out. But if your job is anything short of a desk job, you know how quickly that relationship ends. The typical work boot lasts anywhere from 7-8 months; we decided to push those limits and, once again, future material SuperFabric® was key in extending the durability of a reliable work boot.

Used in a variety of applications, SuperFabric® is the solution for many industrial-grade wear and tear problems. Many Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) companies incorporate the guard plated textile for some of the highest safety standards. Our boot engineers thought, “Hey, hard-working feet deserve that kind of durability out of one pair of boots, too.”

After 500 miles of training through rain, snow, hot weather, these pair have really shown their Born To Outperform™ roots. Many of our customers still have their original pair of MF Tactical boots from our early days! We’re proud to be give you exactly what we aimed to: a super-rugged, work boot that works as hard as you do and can also throw down in any tough situation.

The Next Level of Protection That Hard Working Feet Deserve

altaidev on June 5, 2017

Leather, suede, nylon, canvas, waterproof sealed seems, plastic, metal, and rubber; the list of traditional boot materials goes on. We, at ALTAI™ realized that for the hardest working feet in the world, these materials just won’t make the cut. And here’s why.

Suede, leather, and other animal skin or faux version has a relatively delicate surface texture. A quick scuff against a cement block or an unexpected tangle with a thorn bush are kinds of activities that put that brand new “pristineness” out of a new boot in an instant. Overtime, thousands of little scuffs and scrapes add up to eventual boot failure. Seems like a waste: we want to build a stronger boot.

It’s just one of the reasons our boots are all made with SuperFabric® materials for the upper construction. SuperFabric® is made of tiny guard plates covering the boot, deflecting rock, ice…. Whatever you throw at it. In fact, many motorcycle gear makers use the same material in their protective gear. SuperFabric® creates a protective barrier between the pavement and a rider, especially in the event of a crash that causes the rider to slide across the road. A material that can save a motorcyclist’s life; we decided that hard working feet deserve that level of protection, too.

And like we always say, don’t take our word for it; take our real-world reviewers’ words. Watch as Ghosthawk Prepper demos what happens when a machete and box cutter meet our boots.