Thula Thula Series

The Thula Thula “PH” is a serious big game hunting boot...specifically designed for cat-quiet final approach for Big Five dangerous game hunters.  (Thula Thula means “Quietly...Quietly in Zulu).  The Thula Thula by design, is superbly quiet and provides excellent feedback from the ground for delicate stalks.   Built on the famous Munson Army Last, the 26 bones in the foot plus the muscles, joints and tendons can move naturally...providing more room for the toes to move which improves balanace.   Under foot S A 6.5 oz.bull hide vamp, a tough 10 oz. bull hide leather molded outer sole AND a 10 oz. bullhide slip sole between the molded sole and the vamp, plus a layer of Turtleskin ThornArmor® to prevent thorn penetration.   In total there are 26.5 ounces of leather under foot.   The end result is a soft walking boot that protects the foot from bruises and thorns while being superbly quiet.   Equipped with a cushion collar top, back pull straps and quick lacing studs.   Now available with a standard molded leather sole, optional smooth molded Grip Rock sole, or Grip Rock or Vibram Newporter sole with a thin midsole.

Ivan Carter's favorite Thula Thula's with Grip Rock Molded Sole

The Thula Thula evolved over the past few years working closely with famous Professional Hunter, Ivan Carter.  Ivan asked us to make a durable but ultimately quiet safari boot for close and personal final approaches on dangerous game.   We provided Ivan with an initial all leather prototype to test in early 2005...which he immediately wore out over the course of three months in the bush.  Working with Ivan and our sole suppliers we tried several rubber sole options as it was obvious an all leather bottom was not the answer.  We now offer three configurations of rubber soles, noted above, thanks to Ivan’s “boots on the ground” testing and invaluable feedback.

"You hunt buffalo with your feet so you need to take care of your feet and the Thula Thula’s with the molded Vibram Grip Rock Soles had done just that...not just on this hunt but for the past 175 days too!  The soles are grippy yet quiet, and as tough as could be.”

IVAN CARTER, PH

Men's	Women's
Thula Thula Custom Made	Thula Thula Custom Made Women's : Not Available on Munson Last

Grip Rock Sole - $65	Molded Grip Rock Sole - $150.00	Newporter Sole - $65
Thula Thula fitted with thin but very grippy Vibram Grip Rock sole cemented to a 1/16" thick midsole. Sole is reverse beveled back into the center of the shoe to eliminate any overhang on the outside of the shoe which reduces the chances of catching sticks, stones or other noisy debris when stalking. The Grip Rock sole is widely used by rock climbers and provides tremendous grip despite it being flat and without a tread pattern.	Shown here is the molded Vibram Grip Rock Sole which is hand molded to the bottom of the Thula Thula, wrapping around the molded leather sole. There is no midsole in this version so ground feel is identical to the original Thula Thula that had only the leather outer sole. The molded Grip Rock Sole provides excellent grip and long wearing characteristics. Russell made the first test pair of these of African PH, Ivan Carter, who is a known distance man in the bush. He brought his original pair like the ones above to show to us at the Dallas Safari Club Show in January 2010. After six months and 700 miles in some of the toughest African bush they showed little if any wear. Ivan took them back to Africa to wear again during the 2010 season. The gRiprock Thula Thula takes approximately two weeks longer to produce than other versions	The final sole option for the Thula Thula is a Vibram Newporter sole affixed to a 1/16" midsole. The Newporter provides additional traction for hillsides and walking in slick dry grass. While a bit heavier than the Grip Rock Sole the Newporter is quiet and long wearing. Like the Grip Rock sole, the Newporter is reverse beveled back into the center of the shoe to eliminate noise sources. The pair above is the original prototype of the Thula Thula and has been worn by our Russell boot tester since the summer of 2007. The Newporter is the third sole system tested on this pair of boots.
Click Here for a Field Report from African PH Ivan Carter		Click Here to Learn More About the Munson Army Last
While the original Thula Thula stood up to the expectations of many hunters and our own boot testers...the soles could not stand up to well known "long distance man", Ivan Carter, the famous African Professional Hunter, (PH). Ivan was told to put the boots to the test. He did! He wore through the original molded leather soles in roughly 250 miles of walking in the toughest terrain in Africa. Ivan puts on nearly 2,000 foot miles per year so Russell quickly began researching tough, thin rubber soles that would extend the wear life of the boot but not detract from the original concept of a quiet stalking boot. Granted, few hunters ever put on the miles that PH Carter does every year but we knew we had to solve his problem quickly. For if we found a sole that would stand up to Ivan Carter, it would stand up to anyone. Having had Ivan test several options over the past two years Russell landed on the three sole options to the right. Ivan wore a pair of Molded Grip Rock soled Thula Thula's for part of the 2009 season. When he brought them to us in Dallas in January 2010, the soles showed little if any wear and Ivan reported the sole did not distract from the quietness of the shoe at all.