 Lloyd S. Riddle Creator of The Boot Topper Sock I have been an avid outdoorsman my whole life. I enjoy nothing more than spending a few days outside – hopefully with my dogs by my side! I love to hunt, fish hike, work in the yard, and generally just knock around outside. I like being off the beaten path, and sometimes that means getting a bit grubby. Much of the time in warmer weather, we hike in boots and shorts.
What I don’t enjoy is all the debris that gets stuck inside my boots whether I am in the woods, or doing carpentry or yard work. I don’t like untied laces, and I don’t like it when my hiking socks fall down inside my boots. While I think I have a fairly decent collection of outdoor gear, I have never been able to purchase anything that can eliminate all these annoyances in one fell swoop.
My love of nature and the great outdoors is why I decided to develop The Boot Topper Sock. I came up with the concept several years ago while on a hunting trip in the great Rocky Mountains. My aggravation over the amount of ground debris stuck inside my boots was starting to overshadow my pure enjoyment of being outdoors. I tried wearing two pairs of hiking socks, pulling one pair up, and folding the other pair over the top of my boots. That worked great at keeping everything out of the boots, but the same debris was getting stuck between the two pairs of socks. I have never been a big exterior gaiter fan due to the hassle of putting and keeping them on.
I was reminded of a news clip I had watched about the U.S. soldiers in Kuwait and Iraq, marching through a sandy and rocky land destroyed by war. I watched a soldier pouring sand out of his boots and thought that there must be a solution to that problem. Sure, you can always wear bulky gaiters, but two pairs of socks would work great if there could be a way to attach them together, thus keeping debris out all together. Why cant we put a gaiter and sock into one item? The Boot Topper Sock story continued... I was so excited about this possibility, that I stopped on my way home from two weeks of archery hunting in the Rockies and purchased several pairs of outdoor socks and a sewing machine. Busting through the front door with two weeks of beard, badly needing a shower, mumbling about socks, and proudly showing off my new sewing machine merely served to confirm my wife’s views of my IQ. The first few prototypes were rough, to say the least. Thank God our founding fathers had Betsy Ross and not me for the flag! Suffices to say, several months and dozens of pairs later, I had a couple of great working prototypes!
Just to make sure my idea was a good one, I sent a few pairs to some experts in the field; hunters, fishermen and even a couple of general contractors. I also took a couple pairs along on a five-day hunting trip to see how they would hold up in the real world. They worked like a charm in keeping all the debris out of my boots, and I was happily surprised to find out that they didn't fall down inside my boots, and they kept my laces tied and dry!
The positive response to the sock was overwhelming. I had shared my idea with a few friends and colleagues before placing my first order with the manufacturer. Once people starting trying them out, they were hooked! Phone calls and emails started pouring in, and today, we are happily producing the Boot Topper by the thousands for customers around the world! I am particularly proud that some of my customers are the brave souls serving in our military overseas.
Please try a pair for yourself. I know you will love them and if you are not 100% satisfied, I will personally refund your money.
Thanks for visiting my web site and I hope you visit again soon! Sincerely, Lloyd S. Riddle |
Boot Socks With Patented Gaiter Cuff That Seals Out Debris!
Great gift for soldiers serving overseas. Send your loved ones a pair today.
To be honest, when I designed the sock I really only had the outdoors person in mind. So I was happy to find out that they work great for construction workers and landscapers as well. My customers now represent almost every industry or recreational activity in which boots are worn, including the U.S. military! Basically, if you wear boots outside, you don’t want junk in your boots, want you laces to stay tied and clean, and want the boots to stay up on your leg, the Boot Topper Sock is for you! And here is the kicker – if you are wearing low cut shoes or just don’t want to use the cuff, then just leave it tight on the leg and don’t use it – this is really the only outdoor sock you will ever need!