MYOG Project: Trail Runner OverBoot – Part 1

Bill,

I’m interested, but mainly in regards to the bottom. I want to make some neoprene overboots that use the running shoes’ bottom as the sole with relatively decent water resistence. This would require some type of sealing material around the inside bottom edge, perhaps neoprene, to work as a gasket against the rand of the shoe. I also envision the use of fine wire cable, or spectra cord to wrap underneath the shoe.

Jay
MYOG

I can’t see getting a good seal on a light flexible shoe and most traill runners have little rand to work with.

If you wanted to snowshoe with them, a light, thin, sole could be made from some sort of textured plastic sheet, or you may be able to mold your own using mask-making or model making techniques.

I could see making a plaster mold with traction lugs and using some sort of catalyzed rubber compound you could pour in, and then have an insert that would push the excess up the sides, giving you some control over the thickness and creating a rand to sew or glue the fabric portion of the overboot to.

A “plug” for the mold could be created with a sole-shaped plywood cutout and insert bolts through the plywood so the bolt heads would mold as traction lugs– the options for that are endless. Using plywood would make it easy to cut two soles at the same time on a bandsaw to give identical pairs– just flip one to get the other foot.

I would add a couple straps on the outside to stabilize them.

Other prototyping options might be to canabalize the soles from rubber boots or sandals (heavy though) or find textured rubber material from industrial sources and glue that to the bottom of the overshoe. With double-layered glued-on soles, you could put some sort of spikes out through the bottom layer.

I called Kahtoola to order something and when finished asked about anything new coming soon. Brian asked if I had read the review of there
Kahtoola Flight Boot and the rest of the Flight System

I will continue to work on my Trail Runner OverBoot but will also take a close look at this new Kahtoola product as we get closer to its release date in Oct.

I am looking forward to this too. Looks like a fun project.

MYOG Project: Trail Runner Over-Boot – Part 2

Fabric Decision Time:

I am still plugging away on my “over-boot” project. I have made several full size prototypes and have about settled upon a pattern I think will work.

It is time to decide on what fabric to try first for the over-boots. I have 2mm inner-tube rubber for the lower area. I have or can get any one of the following three materials listed below for the upper area:

1. Sunday Comics Paper, 0.9 oz
2. Wal Mart Plastic Bag, 0.9 oz
3. Phone Book Cover, 1.7 oz

I will try the 2mm inner-tube for the lower area first as it is kind of stretchy and should form to my trail runners nicely. The upper part will be some kind of breathable material and I think any of the three above would work. The Phone Book may be the most durable of the three but a little heavier. It is possible that some other fabric might work for the upper part but I don’t know what it might be and I have to be able to buy it. I have a plan to backup wear points with small amounts of a stronger material.

For now the sole will be a 3/8″ Wal Mart Blue Pad. If my feet are in crampons or snowshoes most of the time a sole pattern may not be necessary. I also can or may just use sheet metal screws in the sole for traction. I am checking the local dumsters for flip flops that may have been thrown away.

There will be a Saran Wrap version at some point in the future.

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Hey Bill have you looked at the stealth rubber resole kits from fiveten? I’ve never used one myself but it might fit the bill. http://www.fiveten.com or http://www.stealthrubber.com

To Ryan P. Murphy, Thanks for the suggestion. I ordered a piece of the “5/10 Dot tread material” from a “resole” repair place listed with them.

It should work better than the smooth stuff I now have.