what are best kind of boots for asphalt shingle roof?

[Joe]

I'm going to be doing some work on the roof and I'd like to know what kind of boots would give me the best grip

[Bill]

Boots? On a hot day, boots can destroy the shingles.

I always wear sneakers.

If you can find a boot with a smooth sole, than that will work.

As far as grip.... There is a roof god, and you may pray to it as soon as you start to slip. That is where your CLAW hammer comes into being.

[RicodJour]

What gives you the best grip, regardless of the footwear involved, is to remember to not lean into the roof too much. You want a lot of contact area to protect the roof and to keep you in place. When you lean too far forward you end up putting too much pressure on too small of an area and the granules pull loose and you start to slide.

There's a lot of ankle flexing when roofing, so stretching helps by loosening the muscles, tendons and ligaments. When they're too tight you're fighting your body as well as the roof.

As far as the footwear, I wear sneakers if I'm not going to be on the roof for more than an hour or two.

R

[Joe]

I tried it with New Balance sneakers and I started slipping immediately. Maybe I was leaning too far into the roof.

[RicodJour]

It's a common tendency. Same goes for newbies in rock climbing - they think the closer they are to the wall, the better, but it's not always so. BTW, how steep is your roof? Generally a 6/12 is considered the cut off for walkability, but pros can go a fair bit steeper. There's also the visual thing of a steeper roof throwing you off more.

R

[Edward Hennessey]

J:

I'm going with sneakers too. The kind used for racquetball or handball with the multiple-finger tread pattern on the soles are good grippers. If you can find them with mesh or other kind of breathable upper construction, that is about as good as it gets. Some people use gel sole inserts to dissipate the heat. As long as that didn't add slipperiness to the equation, it could be good though I have no experience to testify. Also, if you walk down backwards, you balance and musculature are usually more stable and a headlong fall means you can splay your hands and body out to gain maximum traction. If you walk down forwards, tumbling is a lot easier as it is less advantageous.

Although not directly on the subject, gardeners use an open mesh pith helmet made of some plant fiber (jute?) which is excellent over a bandana for dealing with Old Sol anywhere out of doors.

BTW, I saw an occupational job-satisfaction survey and it was little surprise that roofers bottomed out.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

[jloomis]

[Edward Hennessey]

An important addendum is to step flat footed, avoiding turning pivots or planting on the ball of the foot.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

[Dioclese]

Look for a running shoe, or similar, that has a slip-resistant sole/heel. The less expensive ones have poor upper shoe thread material, and tend to breakdown/fall apart quickly due to repeated exposure to water and heat. If you buy these, replace once a month if you roof for a living. Common "boat deck" shoes will also work as well.