mocassin tread

[Stringman]

I got a pair of moc's that I've been wearin for a while (on and off for 10 years.) Wore out the soles once and had to repair them, so they got great soles on 'em now. Problem is, the new soles are slicker than snot! Has anyone tried applying something to the bottom to give more traction?!? Like maybe pitch and sand or something like that?

[Pat B]

Wade(n2everything) used something on the bottoms of the brain tanned mocs he made. I think it was truck bed liner spray or something like that.

[Lee Slikkers]

I've used "Sportsman's Goop" on mine, worked real nice.  You can smear a thin layer on the soles (used cold water on your fingers first and as you continue to smear it and it won't stick to your fingers much and makes applying it much easier or I suppose you could use some type of plastic putty knife or something.

[JW_Halverson]

Wrap a very long thong around the ball of your foot on the moccasins.  Tie it off with a knot you can undo...kinda like puttin' chains on!  I do that with my moccs in snow and ice.  Also have done it in dry weather when on slippery sidehills littered with pine straw.

[Marc St Louis]

I wore soft soled mocs both to grade school and to high school when I was young, I'm sure I was looked on as a savage.  I didn't care, I loved them and wore them most everywhere I went.  Wet weather was a pain and snow was also a pain, you just learn to walk gingerly in the snow after awhile.

Good idea JW

[agd68]

I believe it was Paleoplanet I read where a fellow used barge cement and small pieces of car tire to sole his moccs

[Marc St Louis]

I have to admit that I don't care for the rubber soled mocs.  My dad wore them all the time in the Winter and I know it makes them more user friendly but quite frankly I always thought that if you want a rubber sole then just wear modern footwear.  Probably why I like JW's idea

[JW_Halverson]

Historical trekkers and serious Rendezvous participants look very poorly on rubber soled mocs.  Kinda like we do at a nice stave bow with effing-glass on it.  It sorta spoils the effect you are shooting for. 

[Stringman]

Thanks guys! These were the kind of ideas I was looking for. Frankly, I'm leaning toward the leather thong for the same reasons.

[jamie]

use the flesh side, not the hair side, for the outer part and you'll get a better grip. i like a heavy leather for the soles similar to what old fashioned shoes were made of

[eorr]

I bought a roll of conveyor belt (maybe 30 ft.?) on ebay to use for moc soles.  I glue it on with contact cement.  As it wears thin, I just pull it off and replace it.  Downsides are that it's not cool , when you replace it, sometimes a little moc comes off with it, and it picks up all manner of hair and debris... like Velcro.  And if you do mt. man rendezvous I don't think it would be allowed. But you can't normally see it and it saves a lot of wear and tear on your mocs.

[Josh B]

I use beaver tail rawhide for soles on my mocs. 

[726whk]

Gotta agree with some of the folks here.....if your gonna put rubber soles, glue, etc etc. on the moc soles ya just as well wear modern foot wear.  Leather thongs or natural fiber small diameter rope work great.Unless ya aren't tryin' to be PC ( period correct) then it doesn't matter. I used small diameter manilla rope on some beaver hide boots i made and wore in alaska when trappin' and had problems stayin' upright on the ice....the rope worked well.
   "Gun Doc" says  he uses beaver tail rawhide....i suppose it's possible but i've skinned a lot of beaver tails as i like usin' 'em for small knife sheaths but i can't imagine they'd be tough enough or thick enough for moccasin soles that would last any amount of time.
Tim

[Josh B]

My mocs all have a thick rawhide sole that I sew the beaver rawhide to.  If you have ever had the pleasure of trying to remove a moccasin that has essentially been nailed to your foot with prickly pair thorns, you would then fully understand the need for double thickness soles.  The beaver is to thin on its own but when combined with thicker rawhide, it not only protects the foot, but provides a little extra traction on some surfaces. You lose a little sensitivity to twigs and the like, but it is still far superior to modern foot wear IMHO.   Josh

[JW_Halverson]

My serious mocs are made of buffalo hide, lined with elk (oooh, so soft), with a boar hide outsole.  I walk right thru cactus like I was wearing cast iron.  Pity the guy that made 'em retired due to arthritis in his hands.