Green Gear: Work boots and long-range WiFi hub

© Photo courtesy of Brunt Workwear

The Perkins is a foundational work boot for the relatively young workwear company. But despite being just 2 years old, the Brunt brand seems to be working tirelessly to meet the needs of tradespeople in all lines of work.

The Perkins has a lot to offer horticultural workers. For one thing, the full-grain waterproof leather upper means that watering won’t lead to soggy, uncomfortable feet. Also, Brunt says the upper is “barnyard resistant,” which it claims helps The Perkins boot to “resist the damaging effects of oleic acid, urea, sodium chloride and ammonium hydroxide” — and one can only assume any damaging effects from horticultural pesticides and fertilizer.

Other benefits include electrical hazard qualities to offer secondary protection for caccidental contact with live wires and an oil- and slip-resistant Brunt rubber sole. There’s also a hard toe (to keep toes safe from dropped pots) built from a composite material that will not conduct heat or cold into the interior of the shoe.

In our home tests, the boot stood up to months of yard work and was comfortable in both summer heat and fall cold. The footbed was soft enough to keep us on the move while being supportive enough to provide stability on uneven natural terrain.

Released in August 2023, Ayrstone’s AyrMesh HubDuo is a piece of wireless comms tech designed for agriculture. With a range of up to 2 miles, greenhouse growers with far-flung additions can use it to connect everything from crop monitoring equipment to cameras on a single network operated out of the office. Additionally, the HubDuo can be configured to connect areas that are under half a mile away, allowing it to provide coverage and equipment connection to modest grow operations.