Survival Footwear
Copyright © April 2, 2025 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
Most of the people who have lived their entire lives in the USA do not understand how their choice of footwear will increase or decrease their chance of surviving a serious long-term hardship event.
The purpose of this article is to provide some practical information on how to evaluate your footwear based on the situation in which you will be using your footwear.
Discussion
During normal times most people purchase their footwear based on some combination of the following criteria:
- Cost: Most people have a limited amount of money that they can spend on footwear for everyone in their family. This limits their footwear choices to what they can afford.
- Durability: All types of footwear will eventually wear out and when that happens the footwear will be discarded. It is no longer cost effective or practical to have footwear repaired. However, there are exceptions such as replacing broken shoelaces, or gluing a loose sole back onto the bottom of a shoe. The life expectancy of shoes or boots is directly related to how much walking a person does when the person is wearing the footwear. The shoes of a person who has a "desk job" will last significantly longer than the shoes of a person who has a job that requires them to walk back and forth between different locations during most of the workday, such as a warehouse employee.
- Function: The basic purpose of footwear is to protect the feet and especially the toes. However, the footwear should also help to prevent the person from having an accident. For example, slip-resistant soles are preferred to smooth soles.
- Appearance: Most people are very concerned about how they will be perceived by other people based on the type of footwear that they are wearing.
- Comfort: Footwear that is comfortable will allow a person to focus their thoughts on other issues. However, footwear that is uncomfortable or painful to wear will be constantly intruding on the thoughts of the person.
- Availability: Most people will select their footwear from what is actually available at the time they need to purchase footwear. Most people want to try the footwear on before they buy it in order to avoid the effort required to return or exchange the footwear.
- Quality: Quality is usually related to the cost, the craftsmanship, and the design of the footwear.
- Fashion: The footwear needs to be compatible with the reason the footwear is being purchased. In most situations, the footwear needs to be reasonably compatible with the clothing the person will be wearing.
However, during a serious long-term hardship event many of the above issues will become of trivial importance. The reason is because your life expectancy will be directly proportional to how well your footwear can protect your feet when you are required to walk through areas that could seriously injure your feet, or that could cause you to have an accident.
Most of the people who have always lived in the USA have never had to depend on their feet to keep them alive. The reason is because they have been able to move between locations in heated and air-conditioned vehicles. And when they exit one of those vehicles they usually only have to walk less than a thousand feet over a surface that has been designed for foot travel, and that is level, and that is free of dangerous obstructions.
However, during a serious long-term hardship event you may be forced to walk through an area that has been damaged by a natural disaster such as a hurricane, or a tornado, or an earthquake. Or you may have to walk through an area that has been seriously damaged during a war or by terrorist activities. Or you may have to walk through a forest where there are no safe paths for people to walk on.
Therefore, during a serious long-term hardship event the most important issues for the evaluation of footwear will be the following:
- Protection: The primary purpose of footwear is to protect your feet while you are walking. The footwear should fit comfortably and the footwear should not be too loose or too tight on your feet. The footwear should not cause any type of damage to your feet such as blisters or bleeding.
- Safety: The most important safety issues are:
- Slip-Resistant Soles: Any footwear with smooth soles is a disaster waiting to happen. Ribbed or tread type soles will help you maintain your balance while transversing slippery areas, or areas with loose gravel, or ascending or descending a steep hill. The ability to avoid a potentially disabling accident (sprained ankle or broken leg) will be critical to your long-term survival.
- Reinforced or Steel Toes: If something really heavy falls on or is dropped on the front part of your feet then your toes could get crushed. If this happens then you will be either temporarily or permanently crippled and this would significantly reduce your chances for long-term survival. Therefore either a steel toe or a reinforced toe is highly desirable in footwear. However, the vast majority of the reinforced toe footwear that is available is extremely uncomfortable to wear. The reinforced toe area rubs against your toes and blisters soon appear. Therefore before you invest in this type of footwear you should try the footwear on while wearing two thin pair of socks and see if the entire shoe and especially the toe area feels really comfortable. In other words, never purchase footwear over the internet or out of a catalog.
- Fit and Comfort: The footwear must fit correctly and it must be comfortable. During a hardship event most people will be required to walk a lot more than they did during normal times. A person who is not accustomed to walking a lot will probably notice that their feet will swell just a little bit due to all the exercise they are now getting. This means that their footwear will begin to feel tight on their feet and it will start rubbing blisters on their feet. One way to avoid this potential problem is to purchase footwear that is just a little longer and a little wider than usual. A small piece of cloth can be pushed into the toe area of the shoe and this will take up the extra space in the toe area and the shoe will fit comfortably and not slide back and forth on your foot. But if your foot starts to swell then you could easily remove the small piece of cloth and put it in your pocket and this would increase the amount of room inside your shoes to make them more comfortable.
- Waterproof: Survival footwear should be waterproof. This does not mean that you will be walking through streams or water puddles. It means that your feet should not get wet when it rains or snows. And your feet should not get wet if you have to walk through an area that is covered with the morning dew. Wet feet are the cause of many different types of problems and these problems can be avoided if your footwear does not allow moisture to easily penetrate the footwear. Foot problems will significantly reduce your chances of survival during a serious hardship event. Therefore keeping your feet dry and fungus-free should be a high priority.
Survival Footwear Options
- Manufactured Footwear: This will be the best choice for most people if the purchase decision will be made before the footwear is desperately needed. This option will probably not be available after a serious long-term hardship event has begun.
- Homemade Moccasins: A very practical pattern for making moccasins is in my book: "How to Tan Animal Hides and How to Make High Quality Buckskin Clothing." My book also includes very detailed instructions on how to make moccasins that will correctly and comfortably fit and protect your feet. I created the design for these moccasins based on six years of working as an engineer in the textile and apparel industries, and after reading several books on how to make shoes and boots. My moccasin pattern does not require the investment in any special tools or equipment. All you will need is a tanned deerskin, or a similar manmade material that would serve the same purpose, and a sharp knife.
- Homemade Sandals: They usually have an open area for the toes. They may or may not have a strap around the heel. Sandals are better than no shoes but sandals do not protect the feet from dirt, insects, sunburn, moisture, cuts, scrapes, or bruises. Sandals will not keep your feet warm in a cold climate. And a person wearing sandals cannot walk as fast, or a far in one day, as a person wearing shoes or boots.
Conclusion
The best time to invest in survival footwear is during normal times. After a survival hardship event begins, it will be extremely difficult to find some good survival footwear that will fit your feet and significantly increase your chance of surviving the event.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com