Any Help with Grass Burrs on Socks?

[Guest jjderoy1]

Do any of ya'll Texan folk know how to get those darn grass burrs outta socks without totally frizzing out and ruining the sock?

 

I am new to this activity and today I brought home about a million of the little buggers and I sure hate the idea of trashing my hiking socks.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Guest martinp13]

I always wear jeans when caching, so I don't get any on my socks. But you should see the shoelaces on my hiking boots!

 

For the jeans, you can get them off with a brush or even a folded-up piece of paper. Do NOT use your hands to brush them off, since they leave behind (in your hands!) little clear spines. I found this out the hard way.

 

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> Martin

Magellan 330 (1.56/WAAS enabled!)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo !

[Guest dwr50]

Wear your cowboy boots...dah

[Guest jjderoy1]

Yah..that would look cool..cowboy boots and shorts

[Guest jjderoy1]

Yah..that would look cool..cowboy boots and shorts

[Guest spiny norman]

I've been thinking of getting a pair of heavy duty Gaiters. (Another great fashion statement when worn with shorts!)

 

[This message has been edited by spiny norman (edited 29 August 2001).]

[Guest dwr50]

If you want to look cool wear sun glasses. If you want to keep the stickers out, wear cowboy boots.

[Guest T-storm]

If you're talking about what I think you are (small seeds about 1/16 - 1/8 inch long that cling to anything remotely knit in texture by the hundreds) and not what I grew up calling grassburrs (at least 1/4 inch across, and *really* spiny, very sharp!)... then I haven't had MartinP13's experience when touching them. I pick them off the family's clothes one by by, with my fingers, on a vinyl floor, then vacuum up the mess. I joke with Brokenwing that when all the seeds have been picked off of the geocaching clothes and they've been laundered, we're late to go cache hunting again!

 

T-storm

[Guest mav]

As for getting them off shoelaces- baby wipes seem to work extremely well- just take a very moist wipe and gently swipe a few times, then hold the shoelace completely in it and run it thru. It works okay for some stickers on socks- I need to experiment tomorrow though to fine tune it lol! HTH!

 

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~~Smiles~~

Mav

[Guest McIrish]

My answer to the problem is buying a big bag of socks at Costco....when the socks are covered in stickers and burs, I toss em! hahahaha I know I am lazy...I admit it.

[Guest brokenwing]

I'm with Martinp13, jeans and good leather hiking boots are the ticket. I may come home with a few on my laces now and then, but T-Storm, who often wears knit pants seems to collect them by the hundreds! I used to wear shorts on occasion when caching, but after getting these things caught in my leg hair and having to pull out clumps of hair to remove the seeds, I'll stick with the jeans!

 

On another note, I discovered that if I hit the weeds that contain the seeds with my hiking stick, 95% of them will immediately fall to the ground. It makes passing through areas that are heavy with these things much more bearable.

 

Best of luck, and come try our Little Cache on the Prairie. it's relatively seed free!

 

Brokenwing

 

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http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest CACHED-AWAY]

Don't forget the chaps pardner

[Guest Serial Cachers]

Well, since I work out in it, I too wear jeans and ranch boots with tread and/or gaiters. If you wear hiking boots, trade out the woven/knit kind for leather laces - pick up only a fraction of the stickers! Or just wear sandals - unless you are in star thistle or rip gut brome!

[Guest martinp13]

quote:

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Originally posted by brokenwing:

Best of luck, and come try our Little Cache on the Prairie. it's relatively seed free!

---

 

The heck it is... there's oooooodles of em at the end of first leg. I hate those things!

 

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> Martin

Magellan 330 (1.56/WAAS enabled!)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo !

[Guest martinp13]

quote:

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Originally posted by brokenwing:

Best of luck, and come try our Little Cache on the Prairie. it's relatively seed free!

---

 

The heck it is... there's oooooodles of em at the end of first leg. I hate those things!

 

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> Martin

Magellan 330 (1.56/WAAS enabled!)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo !

[Guest martinp13]

quote:

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Originally posted by dwr50:

Wear your cowboy boots...dah

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Not sure where you're from, dwr50, but cowboy boots aren't that comfortable to wear on a long hike.

 

 

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> Martin

Magellan 330 (1.56/WAAS enabled!)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo !

[Guest brokenwing]

stick like I mentioned before really does work. Of late, I rarely bring any home.

 

I have to agree on the cowboy boots! They are great for riding, but walking in the bush is another story! Just not enough traction to be safe, if you ask me. I use a 15 year old pair of Hermann army style boots. (Not issue, but I wore them anyway because they were so much better than the issue boots.) They have great vibram soles and good ankle support. T-Storm can't understand how I can wear them though, cause she says they're so heavy. After 15 years, they are getting a little long in the tooth. Anyone got any all leather hiking boot recommentations? What about places to shop for such an item? All the places I've looked so far, only have the newfangled hiking boots with all the cloth and such on them.

 

Thanks,

brokenwing

 

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http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[Guest s]

In Colorado here, we wait till there is snow on the ground and wear snow shoes. (kinda like tennis rackets to you southern folks)

[+Smokehouse]

The best way to get them off is to pour about a 1/2 gallon og gasoline on each shoe and then light them on fire and let them burn out.

 

hehe

 

The KGB

[+Smokehouse]

The best way to get them off is to pour about a 1/2 gallon og gasoline on each shoe and then light them on fire and let them burn out.

 

hehe

 

The KGB

[+GatoRx]

My method is to just pull them out with my hands, and move to tweezers or pliers if my fingers get too sore. Then I flush them down the toilet, in the hopes that the little buggers won't have a chance to grow a new plant.

I used to live in a house that had tons of those plants growing in the yard, and of course I did most of the mowing. Those things really hurt when they come shooting out of the side chute and hit your legs.

[katiem]

I was so intrigued by this word, I immediately looked it up. I guess it is rather obvious that I have never skied or lived in a really cold weather climate. Never heard of those before in my life. Interesting. What exactly IS the purpose of them in Texas? Just to protect your legs or what? You guys can't get THAT much snow, can you?

 

"Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more." ~Mark Twain

[+Snowtrail]

I've used gaiters in the rain. Now, I wear my snowboarding pants so they cover the boots and do the same job.

 

In these parts, the little buggers are called sandspurs. I use suede garden gloves to protect my fingers and get them off my laces. We also have softer, sticky burrs that I haven't figured out where they come from yet. They stick to anything, so I end up wiping them off when I clean my boots.

[TikimanHSA]

As far as all leather hiking boots go I baught a pair of Danner Mountain Lights a few years ago and they are the best I have ever had! I am new to geocaching, but already addicted and usually go caching on my lunch hour. Luckily I don't have to wear a suit to work, man that would suck, sticker burrs in an Armani! Although I have been asked several times why my legs are bleeding, dadgum mesquite trees. I was thinking about some good quality gaiters as well. Jeans are working great right now but I just can't hang with jeans in 100+ degree heat come this summer. HTH

Later, TikimanHS

 

Later,

Hunter

[+Brokenwing]

quote:

---

Originally posted by katiem:

I guess it is rather obvious that I have never skied or lived in a really cold weather climate. Never heard of those before in my life. Interesting. What exactly IS the purpose of them in Texas? Just to protect your legs or what? You guys can't get THAT much snow, can you?

---

 

Gaiters aren't necessarily cold weather things at all. Yes, skiers also wear insulated gaiters, but I think the purpose of those is more to keep the snow out of your boots than anything else. (I'm not a skier though, so don't quote me.)

 

Most avid hunters , military personnel, or back-country hikers are familiar with gaiters as a form of leg protection. Some gaiters are very lightweight and breathable considering that they are made to be relatively puncture-proof. They are great for walking in areas with low growing "pokey things" such as vines, stickers, yucca, cactus, etc.

 

Scott / Brokenwing

http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching

[+Moore9KSUcats]

Those might be from the burr clover. It has a small yellow flower, and a very soft burr. It can be real annoying, and makes a mess in the long fur of a dog! Our first dog had a beautiful tail, with long feathers until we moved here... the yard was full of that stuff, and his tail never looked that good again, even after we got rid of the clover. The hooks on the clover are slightly hook shaped, so they cling easily to anything, but do come off without much pain. Sure is easy to spread that stuff to a new area, though!

[+Moore9KSUcats]

Those might be from the burr clover. It has a small yellow flower, and a very soft burr. It can be real annoying, and makes a mess in the long fur of a dog! Our first dog had a beautiful tail, with long feathers until we moved here... the yard was full of that stuff, and his tail never looked that good again, even after we got rid of the clover. The hooks on the clover are slightly hook shaped, so they cling easily to anything, but do come off without much pain. Sure is easy to spread that stuff to a new area, though!

[+GeoVamp]

This tread is a little old but a saw it and had to tell you all about what I found.There are these little brushes you buy at the pet store called a Cat burr brush,they are square and have short little metal brisles that are angled.The best burr remover I have ever found-even works on leg hair.

 

If you eat a live frog in the morning,nothing worse will happen to either of you for the rest of the day.

[+GoJoey&GoPollyanna]

BURRS>>> Somehow world problems seem so insignificant when we discuss something so crucial as burr removal. Or Burr Repelent. Or Burr Disolver. Maby someone soon will invent Burr Zapper.