rugged 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™ Advice: Keep Your Hard-Working Feet Healthy and Happy

altaidev on August 31, 2017

It goes without saying, but it is important to always remember that the first step to having healthy, hard-working feet is having the right, comfortable fit from your footwear. For more information, including sizing and fit, you can learn more about the ALTAI™ experience here.

If you stand at a station or a small work area, be sure to adjust heights of surfaces, depending on your needs. Bring things easier within your reach and prioritize by how frequently a piece of equipment, for example, is used in a day. Make sure when you are standing, you have enough comfortable room for proper posture and be sure to give your knees and legs plenty of space when seated.

Staying fit will also improve prevention of injury, especially long-term damage. Calf stretches are an easy way to keep limber and ensure use of full range motion. Calf ‘drops’ [http://www.active.com/running/articles/8-exercises-to-prevent-foot-injuries] are a simple, effective way to strengthen and condition leg muscles key to these kinds of working conditions. In general, if your job demands your feet to perform, maintaining through conditioning will keep you performing at your best.

And lastly, don’t ever neglect signs of injury; see a doctor for more detailed information. Your feet at your most basic, necessary vehicle so take good care of them so they can return the favor.

ALTAI™ Advice: How Hard Work Will Improve Your Life

altaidev on August 29, 2017

Whether you have an office-bound job or a physically demanding one, if you’ve experienced the rush after a successful hands-on project, you understand the powerful mental benefits of working with your hands.

Mental health experts have pointed out the all-around benefits of physical work, from improved sleep to increased learning abilities. Endorphins require the body to move and endorphins are that “feel good” chemical released when physical work is engaged. This process reduces stress and becomes a beneficial, repeated cycle of sharpening the mind through physical activity which, in turn, increases overall productivity.

With that reduction in stress comes a good night’s sleep. Being physically tired, not just mentally, is what allows the body to maximize the benefits of deep, necessary sleep. People who dedicate an average of 5 hours of physical work a day tend to sleep well through the night and feel rested the following day.

In addition to lowering obesity, hands-on work also encourages better learning abilities. Take learning a bike, for example. Reading about how to ride a bike or watching a video online can provide a little insight to the imagination, but actually grabbing a bicycle and getting on it are the only real ways to ever learn the skill. With a rewarding activity like riding a bicycle, the drive to learn new things is enhanced.

So in the spirit of today’s blog post: get out there, roll up your sleeves, and get down in that dirt! Scale those rocky trails to a new viewpoint in your local national park. Get your gardening gear on and tackle that monstrous project, head-on. All the benefits point to having a healthier, happier body and mind.

The Rise of the ‘Blue Collar’

altaidev on August 24, 2017

It may be surprising, but a resurgence in what are sometimes referred to as ‘blue collar’ jobs could be coming back stronger than you may have expected.

With higher education costs continuing to rise, more younger groups are choosing pursuits like on-site training or job-specific certifications. While college is still a main goal for many, others are beginning to hedge their bets on starting a skill-based career with hands-on experience. There are a litany of available ‘blue collar’ jobs that seek experiential knowledge, over a general degree.

Coinciding with this trend, there also is a shortage of skilled and semiskilled workers for these types of roles. Carpentry occupations, for example, are expected to grow 24% by 2022; and many other similar occupations will likely rise as well. Some 600 or more of these kinds of occupations will see significant growth and demand in the next few decades.

That being said, we are proud to see a potential future where ‘blue collar’ jobs gain interest and respect from a new generation that can take up labor roles for many other generations to come. Power to the labor workers of the world; society runs on the fruits of your labor.

ALTAI™ Toughest Jobs Spotlight: Wildlife Enforcement Officers

altaidev on June 20, 2017

Wildlife Enforcement Officers – You can’t begin to imagine the variety of terrain wildlife officers have to face on a regular basis; not to mention, the amount of steps they can rack up in a day! (The average person puts in approximately 10,000 steps per day, so you can safely triple that for these men and women!) Whether they face marsh, desert, or bad stormy weather, these professionals’ feet are practically their main vehicle.
Keeping feet dry is tantamount to being able to keep performing on the job well. But many waterproof boots do not use breathable materials and, ironically, can cause a moisture problem from within the boot. This, of course, leads to quick failure: smelly boots mean bacteria growth and that lands those pair of work boots straight in the trash.
Once again, the super-material SuperFabric® saves the day and a big reason we are able to engineer a superior work boot. Locally hard (protective) and globally flexible (breathable), our work boots don’t have to compromise between thick, heavy leather for protection or delicate meshes for air flow.
If you or someone you know works in the grueling profession of wildlife enforcement, do them or yourself a favor: get the ALTAI™ experience.

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.