Huddle close together with team members to conserve and share body warmth. Boots Up until the last decade almost all climbing and hiking boots were made of leather. Now there are plastic boots and special fabric boots of many makes and brands. The best material for all around hiking and general heavy duty work is still leather. A good pair of boots for search and rescue in the Pacific Northwest Mountains must be versatile.
Leather offers that option like nothing else on the market.
It must be tough enough to withstand scraping of rocks, stiff and solid enough for kicking steps in snowfields, yet comfortable enough for long hikes and cross-country walking. They must be warm enough for cold winter conditions and capable of being waterproofed against the miserable wet weather often encountered in the Olympics and Cascade Mountains. Typical terrain that ESAR operates in includes mud, streams, gravel, brush, scree, hard snow, soft snow and swamps and steep hillsides. A high quality leather boot is preferable for these conditions and if cared for properly will last many years. Rubber rands sealing the soles to the uppers, to aid in waterproofing and simplify boot maintenance Beefed up toes and heels with multiple layers of leather for durability Top that opens wide so the boots can be put on easily even when wet or frozen These boots tend to be expensive and if feet are still growing there are lower priced boots that may work until the feet stop growing.