True North, 2004

Media Coverage

True North, 2004
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Beatriz Muse parked in a puddle on a rainy autumn day. Muse, a nursing student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, opened her car door and peered down at the mud.

"I really wished I was wearing XTRATUFs," said Muse, referring to her favorite brand of rubber boots.

Muse's first XTRATUFs were handed down to her from her older brother, Benny, when he outgrew them. Ever since, Muse has been loyal to the chocolate brown boots bearing the XTRATUF name.

Like many Alaskans, Muse knows the value of a good pair of boots. Alaskans rely on boots to protect their feet from cold weather, falling objects and deep puddles. When we find a pair that can survive the conditions we live and work in, we don't experiment with other brands. Right now, Alaskans prefer XTRATUF boots, which have achieved cult-like status here and come highly recommended by those who wear them.

Larry Shafer, an employee at Anchorage's B&J Commercial, has been selling XTRATUF boots in Alaska for 20 years. At work, he wears a white short-sleeved polo shirt with red and blue XTRATUF logo embroidered in the upper-left hand corner, right next to his heart. Shafer attributes XTRATUF's popularity to the boot's chevron sole.

"These boots will not slip on a wet [boat] deck," said Shafer.

With deep grooves, the tread on the bottom of the XTRATUF boots is rugged. The patented design incorporates several chevrons, which give the pattern its name.

Because XTRATUFs have traction on wet decks, they are the standard boots of the Alaska fishing industry.

"Ninety-nine percent of all [Alaskan] commercial fishermen wear them," said Shafer. "Sometimes, captains put it in their contracts that anyone working on their boat has to wear XTRATUF."

XTRATUFs are hand-made neoprene boots. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber that resists damage caused by flexing and twisting, and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Out-of-the-box XTRATUFs smell like fresh tires because of the fresh neoprene. Used XTRATUFs smell like sweat, wood smoke, and fish guts because of wool socks, camping trips, and successful fishing outings. Plus, neoprene is waterproof.

Tom Good, owner of Good Enterprises, distributes XTRATUFs in Alaska for the boots' manufacturer, Norcross Safety Products. Good revealed the technique for waterproofing XTRATUFs.

"The secret is in the seamless construction," said Good.

First, boot linings are dipped three times in liquid neoprene. Between each dipping, boots are hung to dry. Then, they are dipped in a saltwater bath and baked in an oven to congeal the neoprene. The last step is tracing white banding along the top and bottom of each boot.

"When you buy a pair of XTRATUFs, you'll notice a white powder on the outside," he said. "That's the salt left over from the saltwater bath."

XTRATUF boots, which cost about $70, are made in an 80-year-old building in Rock Island, IL, Good said. The boots were first developed in the '60s by BF Goodrich for fishermen on the West Coast. Now, five styles are on the market. One style, the steel-toed XTRATUF, which comes with and without insulation, is approved by the American National Standards Institute for industrial use.

For approval, the Standards Institute requires boots to pass several tests. The ANSI label on XTRATUFs means the steel toe built into each boot can withstand up to 75 pounds of pressure per square inch. Steel-toed boots protect feet from falling or rolling objects. ANSI requires the tread on approved boots to be able to push aside water on the floor so the boots can make direct contact with the floor. Direct contact increases friction and decreases the chance of slipping. Steel-toed XTRATUFs are popular on Alaska's North Slope oil fields where heavy mining and drilling equipment is used daily.

"XTRATUFs are a function over fashion thing that has spawned into a culture thing," said Eric Carpenter, a German major at UAA.

"And they go well with Carharts," added Sarah Wells, an engineering major at UAA.

"When I was at the post office yesterday," said Good, "I saw a man wearing XTRATUFs. I asked him why he was wearing XTRATUFs and he asked me 'Why are you wearing socks?' I said, 'Because I always wear socks.' And he said, 'Well, I always wear XTRATUFs."

Declines in the fishing industry haven't affected XTRATUF boot sales yet, said Good. He credits the boot's staying power to the expanded market and the creation of different styles of XTRATUF.

This year is the first year that Norcross Safety Products is selling XTRATUFs in a color other than the traditional chocolate brown. The company now sells a 12-inch boot in navy blue designed for sailing.

While commercial fishermen and industrial workers swear by XTRATUFs, regular folks use them, too. Muse, the nursing student, wears hers for hiking.

"They are more comfortable than hiking boots," Muse said. "They don't give me blisters."

Wells wore XTRATUFs everyday during the summer when she worked as a kayak guide in Whittier. The company she worked for required its employees and customers to wear XTRATUFs.

Carpenter wears his to class. Would he consider buying a different brand of rubber boots?

"No," said Carpenter. "You get shot for saying things like that around here."