The ugliest moccasins ever!

[Chris Shelton]

#5452

So I dont know exactly where it came from, but it has always been a dream of mine to hunt in moccassins. Not just any mocs though. I wanted to make my own! I tan every skin that I can get my hands on, I even tryed catfish last summer:lol:, which actually would be some really nice leather if I would soften it! Anyway, I have finally completed my task! So this fall, I will finally be able to walk afeild in a pair of home made mocs!!! They are ugly, because I was inititally going to make anything out of dads deer. So I left the fur on :roll:, which really adds to the comfort, but makes deerhair poke out of every seem, lol

Anyway check them out and tell me what you think!!!

they are definatly one of a kind! 😉

[Bert]

#41036

Hey Chris- Those are the UGLIEST looking mocs I’ve ever seen! Have you decided to change your major to ‘seamstress’? of the Frankenstein model of sewing or perhaps, with the evidence before me, a career in plastic surgery is not out of the question!
They’re so ugly they are cool, Chris- nice job! Let us know how that first jagged rock and/or thorn feels as it slides into your cold, wet foot as you toboggan down the muddy trail. Don’t forget to bring some real shoes with you as you venture forth!
What’s next from your fertile imagination?- a possum skin breechcloth or loincloth made from tanned catfish skin? We await with bated breath your next project!
Don’t let the deer hair tickle your instep!-Bert

[David Petersen]

#41058

Those could be museum artifacts from the Pleistocene! I also went through a moc phase many years ago — they still hang on the wall in a corner of the cabin. But here in the Rockies they just didn’t work. As Bert semi-jokes, they don’t do much to buffer sharp rocks so at the end of a day my feet were bruised. Also the soles were like roller bearings on pine needles, and even a heavy dewfall had my feet wet in no time. But your circumstances are different and they might be just the ticket. Sure can’t get any quieter than a good moc. You might try using a good insole to add some footbed protection. I admire your creative energy. dave

[SteveMcD]

#41070

Chris…. They are absolutely FANTASTIC!!! 8)8)8)8)

[Chris Shelton]

#41116

thanks guys!

Dave I like the insole Idea, because I am not one of those guys that needs to feel the ground. I just like them because they are so darn quiet.

Water is definatly a concern. I walked across the street the other day in the rain, and although the sides were fine, the bottom got wet, not my feet. Just the bottom. I am currently in the process of spraying them with water resistant “scotch gaurd”. Which will make anything water resistant to a point.

I left this out on accident before but the leather is Chrome tanned, with a veggy dye(vegitable tan without salt). So water is not going to “rot” away the leather. But it still gets soggy, and then gets hard afterwards. But with the good amount of oil and scotch gaurd, I expect them to repel dew at the least!

Bert- I will always have my boots, I am not that much of a fool:roll:

[David Petersen]

#41403

Chris — “Scotch Guard” sprayed on boots once cost me a magnificent bull elk. Deer can smell that stuff from 10 miles away (so to speak)! I think our resident primitive expert, Chad Sivertsen, may agree with me that there can be no compromise with primitive. While most of life resides in the gray zone, primitive seems either white or black. But then, you/I never know what Chad is thinking, he thinks far much farther ahead (that is, behind) the rest of us! Just have fun and do no harm, and we can’t go wrong. I can’t imagine a life lived with no mistakes ever made to learn from. What fun would that be? My compromise “mocs” for years now are L.L. Bean Main Hunting Shoes. Oops, time to walk the dogs. dave

[Patrick]

#41426

Chris, very admirable, no matter how ugly! I admire your williness to do things like that.

Dave, you’ve sold me on the L.L. Beans, and not just from this post.

[David Petersen]

#41457

Hey, no deer is going to see those mocs. To a deer, what is ugly is how we smell! And in a rare serious moment for me here (where I come to have fun, but never at anyone else’s expense) … what counts most and only is your enthusiasm to find self-expressive and productive ways to utilize your “traditional” energies during times we can’t hunt. Just get that education (I much favor “liberal arts,” as xenophobia born of big-picture ignorance, which is rampant today, is the first enemy of peace and truth on earth; but whatever) and don’t let the passions of the moment sidetrack you from that absolute necessity (along with any international travel you can manage) … and you’ll have most of us beat all to hell for a happy life and wisdom on down the line. Ooops, sorry all. This should be a PM. See what a pair of ugly mocs can get us into! Thanks the gods we have Wweet Mother Robin here to keep us Wild and Crazy guys in line! But enough now. My wife tells me I need to wash the dishes … :oops::P8):wink::D

[Clay Hayes]

#41495

Hey Chris, if you can get your hands on a piece of sheep skin with the wool on, it makes a great insole. If you put the wool side down, it’ll help to keep the bottoms of your feet from getting wet. The wool won’t soak up moisture.:wink:

Nice job BTW.

[Idabow]

#41543

Chris,
Those are the fugliest mocs I’ve seen but like many things in nature that don’t look too nice, I think they would be a pleasure to slip into. So simple and with a few mods. for added durability and comfort, I’d order a pair (size 10.5)! In regard to waterproofing, how about Bee’s wax rubbed into the leather?
Bill

[William Warren]

#41545

Reminds me of some mocs I made in the Boy Scouts. They were a kit. I wore them everywhere even while hunting birds and rats with my Shakespeare recurve and quiver. My buddy would say,”why don’t you just get some boots?”

Like Dave, I’ve been shod with LL Bean boots for longer than I care to remember. Best moccasin substitute made on earth.

[Stephen Graf]

#41965

Chris – how about a lesson on working the leather after it has been tanned…

I have tanned several deer hides using alum, but have been unwilling to do all the work to soften it. How do you work the hide without working yourself to death?

I made a pair of mocs once. Planned on using them for camp shoes. First night I put my feet up to the fire after walking around in the wet. Woops!!! the mocs shrank up like spandex and turned to rock. I barely got them off. Never wore em again.

[Mark Turton]

#42063

I really like them.
That Bert has a wicked sense of humour.
Try gortex liners and how about a pair of sandals to slip on when things get uncomfortable, no need to take the mocs off then.

Mark.

[Chris Shelton]

#42066

steve graf wrote: I have tanned several deer hides using alum, but have been unwilling to do all the work to soften it. How do you work the hide without working yourself to death?

Well I thought that was impossible untill this last deer hide I did. Before I was doing it the old way of using a 2×4 with a edge on one side and sawing the skin back and forth. But that was tooooo much work. So what I do now is kinda simple. When the hide was doen tanning and dyeing. I had to stretch it out. I used a saw hourse, a rather big one actually. It is one of those saw horses where they are 2×4’s with that metal hindged top that all you need is another 2×4 for the top and you can take it appart when you are done with it. I strectched it out and nailed it to the 2×4. When it was just about dry, not bone dry, the hair was still damp, and there were spots of hide that were damp, I added the softening oil. Then after two more days of letting it dry out completely. It was stiff like a board, but it could still bend.

I had the hide pinned to one side of the saw horse and stood at the other end. I took my fleshing knife(8″) and ran it across the hide, not digging it in or anything, just sliding it across the hide. That worked like a charm!!! Hope that helps, wish I had pictures. Some of my youtube freinds want to see the whole process, so eventually there will be a video, lol

[kingwouldbe]

#42706

Chris I like um, get some blood on’um this year, that will set’um off

[William Warren]

#42785

steve graf wrote: Chris – how about a lesson on working the leather after it has been tanned…

I have tanned several deer hides using alum, but have been unwilling to do all the work to soften it. How do you work the hide without working yourself to death?

I made a pair of mocs once. Planned on using them for camp shoes. First night I put my feet up to the fire after walking around in the wet. Woops!!! the mocs shrank up like spandex and turned to rock. I barely got them off. Never wore em again.

I wonder if the alum increased the hides natural tendency to draw up when heat is applied. Alum is known for it’s tendency to make things draw up a bit.

[Chris Shelton]

#43263

that is true duncan and that is probably why they got so hard so fast, but on the flip side alum in my opinion is easier to soften. I dont know why it seems to be, but it seems to come out alot softer.
This time I did something weird. Origionally the hide was just going to a throw on a couch or something like that. So it was alum tanned. And it came out pretty soft. Then I decieded to go with chrome. Because Alum is not water resistant. If alum tanned skins get wet they will shrink and get hard, and they WILL rott. Chrome, vegitable, and brain tanned skins will not rott. They will still skrink and get hard, but not as bad if you take good care of it, oil, something water resitant.

[Bert]

#43307

Chris- If you go to www. hollowtop.com/sandals. htm there are some cool tire sandals that a fellow designed to fit over his mocs for wear and water resistance. Just don’t use steel-belted radials! Then you could take them off for the final part of the stalk and get blood on ’em as KWB suggests.
Keep your tootsies dry and warm! Bert

[lee c]

#57912

Great job!! I REALLY admire your zeal and willingness to “re-learn mans old technologies!!! I enjoy learning and practicing primitive skills,but,i’ll tell ya,making buckskin or tanning hide…no way..nada..just aint getting it. I clearly missed something! Not to mention,that stuff is WORK!!!..lol Again,I think your new mocs are great. I hope you continue learning and keeping the primitive skills alive!!..
Take care,Lee 😀

[Cottonwood]

#57956

Its awesome you made some, and I got to think about what kind I’m going to wear this year.

[MontanaFord]

#58463

Nice moccs, Chris!! Very nice. I’d be interested to see the video, when you get it done, too.

Michael.

[David Petersen]

#59682

I like the primitve look of them, like the real “work” mocs likely appeared hundreds and thousands of years ago. But I admit that I was hoping for something a bit more artistic — like maybe two baby badgers with their south ends cut out for the feet, a la Cottonwood’s quiver. :D:lol:

[Cottonwood]

#59728

Hey David I think your onto something there 😛

[adirondackman]

#60572

Nice mocs. I’m working on a pair myself and hoping that they finish up as ugly as yours. Sometimes I like to hunt with very simple primitive items. The uglier the better.

Walking in mocs. is actually better for your whole body (foot,knees,hips and back) then walking with a stiff high soled boot. The body is a very well designed machine and if there was any advantage in having an elevated heel you would have been born with one. They do take sometime to get used to in very wet and rocky areas. My backside is well aware of that.

[Hubertus]

#60813

Mocasins (or mukluks, for my frigid dogs) are my hunting wear of choice, even on the rocks of the Canadian Shield. Mine leak a bit at the seems, but a good oiling has made them remarkably dry. And while a far cry from mountaineering boots, a crepe rubber sole certainly helps with the grip issue. With a few layers of wool socks, nothing is warmer!

[WICanner]

#61012

Boy, if I had those, I think my dogs would rip them to shreds. I have a tough time defending my slippers. Mocs with hair on them would be in serious jeopordy. Rabbit fur would be in dime size pieces. Looks like a fun project though. And I say your assembly skills will improve with each pair.

[Steve Branson]

#61374

Chris, I have been into primitive muzzleloading and re-enacting since 13, and through the years, I have come to the conclusion that the uglier it is, the more true they are. A longhunter during the 1700’s that needed a pair of mocs or shoepacks would barter heavily for those mocs! If they wear good and serve the purpose, they’re perfect!

[rayborbon]

#12244

Nice looking boots. I bet they are good for sneaking up on things.

[1/2traditional]

#12284

a pair of ‘one star’ ‘converse’
canvas shoes feel alot like mocs too

[Randy B]

#16811

nice. I made one so far and have to get motivated to making the other one. The hard part for me was getting the fit right. I unstitched them I think three times and redid them to get them right. I used elk leather I bought and some suede deer for mukluk like wraps as they go above the calf. I think maybe they should have gone above the calf to have them stay up better?
I am going to make some ankle high, center seam, stalking ones too.
I haven’t tried tanning my own hide yet.

[bursby]

#16871

nice job! I use deer tallow to “water proof” mine.Wool liners are a must in fall and winter.

[WICanner]

#19325

Fresh Bear Fat/Grease is great stuff for leather. Years ago I took some from a fresh kill and smeared it on my leather boots before packing the animal out. By the time I was back in camp, I was pouring water out of the boots. Next time, I treat only the welt seams, not the entire boot. Surprising how well that worked.

[Ed Zachary]

#28153

Chris, I don’t think they’re ugly at all, especially by
early Kmagnum Man’s standards, hell, he’d be proud wearing
those in a line dance.

[Author]

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