Ok,
so here we go. First the background and
then I’ll get into what I think so far.
I was just getting into this sport and needed a
pair of shoe’s to play in. I had a pair
of high topped hiking boots that I could of
worn. But hey! I was going for an image
and was buying new gear so what the heck. Let’s buy some shoes too!
I looked around the
web and had heard that Bite (from a PB mag article I think)
had a pair of shoes made for Paintball. So what the heck I checked them out.
Well, they are in Preston Washington and I live
in Washington. I do think everyone
Should support their local companies and fields
when ever possible so I ordered a pair.
I live and play in
Washington State. As some of you know
it rains a good portion of the
Time here.
The field I play at is along a river and can get wet easily and has
standing water
in places at times esp. during the winter/spring
months.
Updated 4/29/01
Looks like Bite is now concentrating on Sandals
and Golf shoes. I no longer see their
Hiking line
On the web site.
I really love my Diggers though. The thread fraying is no problem. They have updated their website
And have a few more lines now. Check them out! They now have Online ordering too!
My
shoes arrived within a couple of weeks after ordering them on their web
site. There is
A little story to go along with this. When they did arrive they were the wrong
shoes. They were
Golf shoes.
Now I know I didn’t order size 11 ½ golf shoes. So I called Bite up and spoke to
A wonderful person there (sorry I forget her
name) and she apologized profusely and told me she
Would get a new pair out pdq (pretty quick). Then I said hey,
(thinking I’ve already waited 2 weeks
For these things and I only live 15 minutes from
your office. Which btw they don’t have
a retail
Outlet, they only sell direct to
Proshops/Online) Can I just come over and pick them up? I live
In Bellevue?
She said sure and saves the hassle of getting me a RMA packing slip sent
out.
So I drop by in an hour or so and there they are
waiting for me when I arrive.
Now
I got my new shoes to go out and play in.
They are made of waterproof leather
and I would call them mid-top shoes. They have a fairly aggressive sole but not
too much.
These shoes are actually part of their hiking
line. Except that they call them
paintball shoes
And sell for $10 cheaper than the hiking
pair. I can’t see any external
differences between the
Two and the box says Rough Hauser II. So hey save 10 bucks.
They
are brown waterproof leather mid top shoes.
When I got them home I tried them on
around the house and they felt fine. So I took them outdoors. Right off the bat I slipped on my
back porch.
My back porch is a concrete slab that has a few coats of concrete paint
on it. The
ugly grey concrete bugged me so I spruced it
up. Anyway, after a couple of months of
rain
the porch had a coating of green slime on it
(plus it was February and raining).
Right away this tells
me they probably won’t work well on indoor
fields (I haven’t played any yet this is just extrapolation)
but my local indoor field has concrete floors and
put some paint on it and you should have pretty
similar conditions.
I
played at least 12 days with them (3
months more or less and some weekends I played
2 full days with them) so I’ve got about 70-80
games in them at the minimum and I use them
around the house to cut the grass and for yard
work.
They
are waterproof. I can attest to
that. Many a time I was standing or
kneeling in
Puddles of water and didn’t even know it
(coupled with REDZ Pads). They give
good ankle
Support.
I did manage to twist my ankle one game really bad. Kept me out one week and
I was in pain for 3 days and couldn’t walk. Were they the shoes? I was not running or
Anything, just going over a rather large log and
put my foot down and it twisted and down
I went like a sack of potatoes. Another time I was running up to a bunker
and it had some
Shiny mud in it. (you know, the kind not dry but wet and slick). I did lose my footing and slipped
In it.
My
take on them is: If you are looking for
a multipurpose shoe these will get you by.
They are waterproof, they have good grip on
grass (I mow my yard in them) and on roots and
Rocks.
They could have a more aggressive sole.
Being hiking boots they should have better
Grip in mud.
I was a backpacker for many years and do know this. If you are looking for a
Good general-purpose not specific paintball shoe
that can be used for day hikes and has
Other uses than these will work.
They
don’t work well on “hard” flooring due to the raised lugs on the sole. They lack
an aggressive lug so they do not work well in
slippery/muddy conditions.
Bite
shoes manufactures specialty shoes, Golf, Hiking, Paintball etc. They are the
Manufacturer/Distributor. They have no retail outlets. The Rough Hauser II sells for $79.95
Plus shipping.
They also have a less expensive pair that is not leather (or
waterproof?)
That retails for $59.95. You can find them at http://www.biteshoes.com/
At
about the time I twisted my ankle I was looking for a new pair of Paintball
only shoes.
I had seen a couple of the guys wearing Nike
cleats and some other brands. I had
heard about
Diggers the same way I did the Bite shoes. Since I wanted to keep playing paintball and
not
Risk getting hurt (I am a strong advocate of any
safety gear) I decided to look into them.
I
checked out their website. You can only
order them buy phone. I emailed them
for
a local store and in Washington there is only
one. The first time I called the phone
rang a couple
of time and I hung up. I called back and let it ring.
You will get voice mail. I left
the usual and
my phone number. About a week later I got a call and gave them my CC info. Two days later
they were on my door step. The day before my 40th
birthday. Happy birthday Wayne.
So
I went out to my field on my birthday and just happened to bring my gear along
as well as my friend who was checking out the
field with me. He offered to buy me
paint
and pay my fees for the day (the field I go to
is open 7 days a week. http://www.kccrusaders.net)
Wow,
I only played 2 games that day but they were sweet. So I played Saturday and
Sunday too.
I’ve now played in the Seattle PAN-AM tournament and about 40 games in
them.
I ordered a pair for my wife. She has a pair of EXTREME’S. I have a pair of SILENCERS.
The
Silencers are what you see on the web page.
High Tops. They have a very
aggressive
Lug. The
Extremes are their new mid tops (like the Bites) with the same lug (tread) as
the Silencers.
Once
my wife wears them a few times I’ll get her input and get it up here.
Update 6/26/00
So
my wife played with them once now. She
has a pair of the extremes (I’ll get a picture
Up soon of them). They have a bit more leather material and less mesh fabric. So they are a little
Stiff upon first wearing them. She likes them. Definitely helps in the traction department. She had
No problems and it was raining out when we
played. More later.
I
also managed to play 4 games of Sup-Air with them also.
All
I can say is if you are serious about paintball buy a pair of these. They work well in most
Conditions.
The only down side is they are not very waterproof. I do have a pair of 2 mm neoprene
Socks to wear with them but haven’t needed them
yet. I did get a little damp playing
with them.
The Seattle PAN-AM this year was very wet to say
the least. I played in the Rookie
division
On Saturday afternoon in 4 straight Sup-Air
games in the pouring rain. My feet were
a little wet
But nothing bad that you couldn’t live
with. They are not as waterproof as the
Bites. They are light and
Comfortable.
They are made of leather and a mesh material. They have ample padding in the
Top and tongue.
I have not had a problem with them yet.
I do see a bit of fraying of the stitching
On the seams now. I do not see that with my bites.
Time will tell if the construction is there.
Diggers
is out of the San Francisco area. They
cost $55 plus $7 shipping UPS ground.
I got both pairs of shoes in 2 days. You can order them by phone only and you can
check out their
Web site but there’s not much there at http://www.diggthis.com and order them at
1-888-55DIGGER
Comparisons
Bite’s
Rough Hausers
Pros:
Sturdy,
well constructed
Leather
– requires some break in
Waterproof
A
good general purpose shoe
Cons:
Tread/Lug
needs to be more aggressive
Cost
– $79.95 vs. $55
Diggers
Silencers
Pros:
Very
aggressive Tread/Lug
Comfortable
(I like high tops)
Good
padding
Good
ankle support
Lightweight
Cost
Cons:
Construction
(thread fraying) might be questionable
Final Comments
If
I played occasional paintball and couldn’t justify “Paintball Only”
Shoes than I would say the Bite’s are a good
multipurpose multiuse shoe.
If
you play serious paintball and don’t have cleats or play in sneakers/boots
I would get a pair of Diggers. For $62 you can’t go wrong.
© 2001 By Wayne Perry