This was originally going to be a quick sketch to see how boots would work for a furry character and I just kept adding to it.

What we have here is the Explorer Engineer crew gear. Lightly armored, thee guys are not meant to be in the front line. Carrying all the tools they need either in their backpack or one of their multiple pockets leaves their hands free to carry a small rifle (mostly for defense from wild creatures). Those with long tails can protect them using the flexi plastic tubing, guaranteed to protect from accidental amputation from most things.