riff

Just lovely Tyler. Your cats paw/Indy collection is fantastic!

Masataka is terrific! Great communications, fast delivery. A pleasure to deal with - I will definitely work with him again!

The Burfords look great Braidkid! I've always loved the wide, well define welt on the Trickers. Orange Docs????? Blasphemy!! Hear you about the leather sole though... I've been having the same problem with the navy workboots, but don't want to put anything on them just yet...

White Shark, seems like some retailers can make special orders from Alden that are unique to their stores. Was just by accident that I came across these navy workboots, selling at Anatomica in Paris. They also have a plain toe version, and I believe both come in either black or cordovan color.

Do an Alden search on Rakuten, and you'll find all kinds of amazing models that have never been seen in north america

I really like the look of the vintage 405's - thanks for posting!

So many Aldens, so little time... Well, I've added to my growing collection... . A big thanks to Ryan for his Paris proxy service! These are the captoe black cordovan "navy workboots", on the modified last, from Anatomica. This last, compared to the Truebalance last, seems to fit narrower, and longer. the 7.5 C/E corresponds well to my 8B/D Indys.

Some shots:

The AF60's are on a different last, with a commando sole, and speed hooks.

You can sometimes find the Trickers Burford cropping up on Ebay, or online in the UK.

Can the cats paw soles be ordered online? I've checked a few cobblers in my area, and no one has even heard of them.

Fre$co, while not in NYC, Alden-of-carmel does have some limited sizes left of the AF57. http://www.alden-of-carmel.com/index.cfm/Shoes-Cigar_Shell_Cordovan_Chukka_Boot_162.htm

No, in Canada. I've bought some trickers off Ebay, both from Retricker and sausages234. Sausages said he could probably find me some conistons, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

Thanks Greg & Fre$co! Appreciate your help!

Very nice Dick! I got the indigo version from 2nd, because I wanted something baggier - but was surprised that I did not find them much looser than the 510 series.

I read recently that Take Off still ships overseas. Try this.

Tom, those look amazing!

Greg, I had ordered my LW carpenters from Hinoya, back when they were still shipping overseas. It's possible that some of the other rakuten shops that carry them still ship outside of Japan. Otherwise, you may need to go the proxy route.

No problem! It was painful trying to nail down my size in Aldens, but now that I've done so, I expect I will be a repeat customer!

And thanks for the + rep!

Sure thing Dave. I will take a bunch of shots now!

Edit: here they are

Finally bit the bullet... I recently got these from Tom at Leathersoul Hawaii! I have a feeling they will just get better and better!

It's a tongue guard - keeps the laces from abraiding the generally thinner leather of the tongue. It attaches to the laces via threading them through two holes on the fringed side.

Tom, these would be a "mid" weight boot. They are flexible, and not suitable for crampons and ice-climbing - I have very heavy mountaineering boots for those activities. The DMLs are very supportive, not restrictively so, and are heavier than a Red Wing style boot.

As I remember, they took a few weekends of light hiking before they broke in and became extremely comfortable. The sole, because it is a thinner layer of hard rubber, with a lighter weight cushioning foam underneath, is relatively light - very similar to the sole of the oiled leather Indy's at Alden-of-Carmel (which I recently purchased ). This pair has been re-soled twice, and probably has 3-5k miles on it, mostly in the White Mountains and the Adirondacks.

I really only use these for hiking, and with the recent cuts & scrapes they acquired this past season, the leather has deteriorated to the point where I am now planning to buy a replacement pair of the same model. Like you, I am far prefer to wear the Alden range of boots, or Red Wings, for everyday.

Hi Guys...first real post here...

Question...anyone have any experience (and pictures of aged ones) with Danner Mountain Lights? They're popular in Japan but I don't have too much experience with them.

Thanks and aloha,

Tom

Tom, the Danner Mountain Lights are great quality. Mine are on their seventh season of hard use. Here they are after the end-of-summer cleanup and conditioning with Obenaufs:

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