Rigger Boots

You will probably have heard the term "Rigger Boots" before, and never thought about where the name came from. Rigger boots, Rig boots, or Riggers, are a particular type of safety boot, which were originally worn by riggers, the men who attended to the rigging on a sailing ship.

To be quite honest, I think there are many other types of boot more suited to this job, The boots have since been worn for many more occupations, including Oil Rig workers, another possible origin of the name. You will also see these being worn on building sites, oil refineries, in factories, and many other places where sturdy safety boots are required.

The boots are always slip ons, and the toecaps must meet specification EN345, but this is where reviews tend to get boring, so we will leave details like this out. The traditional colour is tan, and I have seen others in black, and even one pair having been hand painted by the owner in a Psychedelic livery! - He also sported a "Tie Dyed boiler suit! - Far out man!

You will find versions of these from as little as £26, or you can pay over Fifty! You should also have the provision of a fur lining, and in some cases the insole liner can be removed for drying.There are even Rigger boots made from synthetic materials for vegans.

If you would like more info on this type of boot, there are countless sites on the internet, I would advise buying local, so you can try them on, but if going down the mail order route, please remember the cost of delivery, these boots are heavy.

Make sure the boots you buy have a steel sole plate, to prevent injury from penetration (pause for shoolboy titters). They should also have steel toecaps, and the uppers should be acid resistant. nother feature of these boots, are the two pull up loops, these make life so much easier when putting them on over thick socks.

The better makes of these boots, are in European sizes, see below what size you need.:-
British 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12
Euro 38 38.7 39.3 40 40.5 41 42 42.5 43 44 44.5 45 46

Having looked at your size, I would strongly advise trying several pairs on, with the correct socks of course. It makes an enormous difference.

As for getting the Smudgeybabes seal of approval - Nah! Sorry but these are great for slipping on for a short time, for a particular task, but if you intend wearing them all day, there are a lot better boots out there. Personally I would recommend lace up boots, these can be worn all day long. Whatever boots you decide on, make sure they fit, wearing the right socks is a must too. Your feet can suffer long term damage if boots do not correctly!