There is no more important first step when one heads to the field than to put on quality footwear, and many times this means a great pair of boots. In my search for long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable footwear I found Helm Boots, of Austin, Texas. I got to know Brad Day, their CEO, and am grateful that he was willing to join us for a shift On the Dogwatch. In our conversation, Brad and I discuss his background and experiences in footwear, the development of the Helm Boot brand, and aspects of how boots are made. We also discuss how to choose a boot, some of the attributes of Helm’s current offerings, and new styles that are in the pipeline.
Our feature on this episode is the Endurance, which is both one of the core principles of Helm Boots, and the ship that Ernest Shackleton took to Antarctica in 1914 in an attempt to be the first to cross that continent. Despite now lying under 3000 meters of water in the Weddell Sea near Antarctica, the Endurance is a symbol of perseverance, fortitude, and the human spirit, and the expedition that bears its name is certainly one of the best exploring adventures of the modern era. The current location of the Endurance was only recently discovered by the Endurance22 expedition on March 5, 2022.