Although the manufacturer no longer recommends it, until recently I used these boots with replaceable rubber pads for years while accessing both steel and aluminum roof panels on my own home and outbuildings.

The original Cougar Paws became the only boots I wear while roofing or conducting elevated training exercises. Soon thereafter, Cougar Paws began further research and development of an 8-inch high leather roofing boot using Donaldson’s patented magnetic design, specifically for the steep pitch steel roofing and ironworking trades in North America. Donaldson invented, designed and manufactured an excellent roofing shoe for the low pitch roofs in Australia, where steel roofing dominates the market. A year before that, Cougar’s company entered into a licensing agreement with Ben Donaldson, founder of M-Roofer Magnetic Roofing Shoes Co., a patent holder based in Merewether, Australia. Last year, Dan Cougar, owner and CEO, contacted me to conduct further static load performance tests on a newly-designed roofing boot with magnetic soles. Since then, I’ve tested, worn and written about Cougar Paws boots several times for RC. I was first introduced to Cougar Paws ® boots in the winter of 1999 at the first Northeast Roofing Contractors Association (NERCA) Convention in Boston.

Cougar paw boot pads