Making the RAT

By Peter Buchanan-Smith 

The Rapid All Terrain “RAT” boot, designed with — and commissioned by— the United States Marine Corps is made in the hundreds of thousands each year, some in a size 20, all of them made in the Danner boot factory in Portland OR. Among the many Danners I have proudly worn my RATs have become my go-to, a second skin: they are able to miraculously keep my sweaty feet cool, warm, dry, and comfortable, all at once, in most any condition. 

Strolling the factory floor I peppered Casey Rakoczy, a gung-ho manufacturing engineer at Danner, with questions and grew impressed by the technologies that go into making each Danner boot: the latest, the oldest, and always the best. I watched in awe as the Gore-tex® lining of every single boot on the line was inflated like a balloon and submersed in a tank of water where someone would inspect it (by eye) for leaks. It was my interpretation that the people behind these machines were energized. Making such a good product should give its makers purpose, and this notion was on proud display last week at one thriving boot company in the USA.  

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