By Mark Kakkuri

Safe, dry, comfortable. Good goals for any kind of protective gear but especially so for work boots, which not too long ago used to be really good at “safe” but not necessarily waterproof nor comfortable, for that matter. What’s more, Rocky Ironclad Wellington Boots add “easy-on and easy-off” to the list of features, slipping on and staying on with just the right amount of friction on the heel and top of your foot as you put them on. Double pull straps aid in getting feet in and once they’re in, you’re floating on Rocky’s Air-Port Cushion Footbed. For safety boots (ASTM F2413-05 1/75 C/75 Protective Toe Classification and ASTM Electrical Hazard Standard), they’re very comfortable.

I recently put in an 8-hour day landscaping in these boots, work requiring stepping on and around large stones, plenty of walking, squatting, lifting and lots of mud. It was raining (of course) and while my wet jeans felt awful, my feet were safe, dry and comfortable. Yep, I would have been better supported with lace-up boots but I certainly wasn’t hurt wearing the Wellies. They were most definitely up to the task.

Now, a clarification about what I mean by “comfortable.” This is not just an absence of pain and a tolerable amount of stiffness due to the boot’s safety features. The comfort in these Wellies is truly a soft, cushioned ride with no abrasiveness or ill fit to cause any kind of discomfort anywhere on my feet. What’s weird: I almost wanted something to give me what my preconceived notions considered a “work boot feel.” It didn’t happen with these Rocky’s and I was finally able to understand safe, dry and comfortable was happening in a modern work boot, right on my feet. $181.99. For more info: www.americanhandgunner.com/index, (866) 442-4908

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