Shoes that look better with age...

[julian-wolf]

Fracap M120 after maybe a dozen day hikes

I like these a lot, and they're a lot lighter than the White's (but also provide a lot less support)

[conqueror]

whites want $200 USD to ship a pair of boots to australia. i'm giving danner my money instead.

[shredwin_206]

Wow. That seems crazy. Maybe get someone to proxy for you and ship to you?  
ive had a few pairs of Danner but I’m a whites guy hands down these days. 

[SuperJackle]

On 12/22/2020 at 2:00 PM, mpukas said:

I have not had a pair of boots/shoe heels rebuilt specifically for this reason. I've only had 1 or maybe 2 pair with a non-sloped heel. I had a p[air of White's SJ rebuilt a few years ago, and they botched one of the heels. It was sloped inwards quite badly. I sent them back, and White's rebuilt the heel just on the one boot. 

I'm a bit of an anomaly 'round here... my boot/shoe game is pretty weak. Primarily because I've become accustomed to wearing dead-flat foot wear w/ no heel, foot friendly with a wide forefoot, no arch support or cushioning. The boots/shoes that fit that criteria are not attractive. I do have a couple pair that can maybe be SuFu acceptable, lol. 

Saying all that, I did cop some pairs of Grant Stone boots and shoes in their Black Friday sale. They'll suite me well for the rest of my days. Their one of the few makers of conventional footwear that offer a wide fit, EEE for some model, a sloped heel, and no arch support built into the last. And their price point in unrivaled for the quality. I need to post pics... I'm very pleased with them. But again, prolly frowned on my most here. 

I was reading your post and was reminded by @fre-co’s Russell Mocs below; Russell used to offer a custom minimalist boot. It’s had a zero drop vibram rubber sole, and I think they also offered leather camp sole. I believe they also did wide widths. I never ponied up, but something to think about if you’re ever in the market. 
 

Edit: they still make them apparently

https://www.russellmoccasin.com/minimalist-footwear-custom-made/

Edited January 5, 2021 by SuperJackle

[SuperJackle]

I recently picked up these OSB trench oxfords in “black walnut” roughout. 
I love the elston last and these are pretty great so far. 
Grain is pretty mismatched between the two, but wabi sabi I guess

[mpukas]

2 hours ago, SuperJackle said:

I was reading your post and was reminded by @fre-co’s Russell Mocs below; Russell used to offer a custom minimalist boot. It’s had a zero drop vibram rubber sole, and I think they also offered leather camp sole. I believe they also did wide widths. I never ponied up, but something to think about if you’re ever in the market. 
 

Edit: they still make them apparently

https://www.russellmoccasin.com/minimalist-footwear-custom-made/

I did get 2 pairs of custom sized RM - Hiker and Imperial. I never posted any pics or talked much about them. Nice boots. Very, very nice people to work with, especially Sue. Long story short I went back and forth with them countless times on sizing, and they stayed with me until we got the sizing and what I wanted right. I'm just not as thrilled with them as I had hoped. The Hikers are good beaters, very comfortable, durable. The Imperials aren't sized quite as good as the Hikers. I haven't worn either in a couple years, and I should. Overall build / construction is very wabi-sabi. Their domestic market is geared towards the hunting and outdoormans crowd. Not like the JP market. 

[shredwin_206]

I had my whites re soled. No more wedge soles ever again 

[persco_]

^^ I think those look much better now! I never liked wedge soles. Feels like pairing a boot with a running shoe...

[Duke Mantee]

On 1/2/2021 at 2:38 AM, shredwin_206 said:

I dig that sole. Which model vibram is it? 

Portland

[bartlebyyphonics]

14 hours ago, mpukas said:

I did get 2 pairs of custom sized RM - Hiker and Imperial...

Pix!!!! Pls!!!

[Broark]

Continuing with the Russel Moccasin love, I dig these Oneida's that Warehouse is selling.
Don't see anything exactly like them on the RM website, but I could probably forward a picture to them and see if they'll make me a pair.
Torn between something like this or a pair of Sporting Clays chukkas.

[fre-co]

Another way to replicate the build is if there is a picture of the code on the inside of the shoe. That is all RM need to reproduce it. 

[Broark]

Good idea @fre-co, however I don't think the number is visible and the shoes aren't on WH's website.
I'd like a pair of Clays in this same makeup, I'll have to check and see if they can make it happen.
What do y'all think, these Oneidas or Clays? 

[volvo240thebest]

Clay all the way

I need to get rid of.some extra stuff myself and get my paws on a pair too.

I've been trying for two years now to get a second hand pair from yahoo Japan but bigger sizes never come up unfortunately. It's however a great opportunity for peeps with smaller feet.

[fre-co]

I’d probably sell my clays as I hardly ever wear them these days

[volvo240thebest]

Oh oh history tells they'll fit like a charm pm coming in 3, 2, 1...

[fre-co]

Bit dirty but these are mine. 
laramie rough out, us9.5e, vibram gloxicut sole

[bartlebyyphonics]

looking fwd to the fit pix @volvo240thebest ...

those look in great condition where it matters @fre-co

@Broark  -the oneida has it own charm ... am enjoying both the chukka and the saddle oneida slip on, but the lamarie suede is most def. suited to yr warmer climes ... some of the cosmicjumper set ups of fishing oxfords look really nice too... 

Edited January 7, 2021 by bartlebyyphonics

[Broark]

I've sent RM an email, let's see what they come back with. 

[mlwdp]

Ordered another Boss boot from Wesco, this time in black Chromexcel.

[JMS]

Just got a pair of Yuketen Alan boots they did back in 2015 with SE that are essentially BNWT...

HOLY MOTHER are these on another level. From the leather quality to the construction, the fine and subtle quality all around... it's superb. 

These are like Aldens on steroids. Stitching that puts my Lofgren's to shame... These feel properly hand made, through and through. 

Plus 1 to Yuketen! (These were made in Mexico, and I think it goes to show, it matter WHO makes the footwear, not where they are LOCATED. Looking at you Lofgren...)

 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by JMS

[Broark]

Let’s see some photos! I’ve always wanted a pair of the Blucher Rockers, just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

[JMS]

@Broark It is late and dingy here unfortunately. I will take some (half decent) photos tomorrow! 

[shredwin_206]

Had my Whites x 4q69 boots re soled and also re lasted. 
much better boot now 

[the shivman]

Nice, who did the resole?

[mpukas]

OK, here're my Russell Moccasin boots. Hiker, 7" tall", double vamp, leather lined, waterproof leather from Redwing (can't recall the leather name) and Imperials, 10" double vamp, leather lined, French calf leather. My criteria was Munson last, wider at the toe box, flat with no heel or arch support. One pair for hiker and beating on, one pair for nice wear.

It was a really long back and forth process with RM.  I started the process in June 2016, and got the final pairs in November 2017. Sue, the grand daughter of the founder, was just great dealing me. I had several issues along the way, and she was very accommodating in getting things sorted out. I did foot tracings and complete measurements. Originally, I wanted bison leather boots, so I sourced some shrunken bison leather and sent it to them. They made me 2 pairs, but were sized way too big despite the tracings and measurements. They took the boots back and worked with me on getting the sizing right. They made me a new pair of Hikers, still didn't fit right, and took them back. They sent me sample pairs in different sizes to try. Finally settled on the size, and had the Hikers made first. They fit well, except the upper closure was way off - too small over the ankle and too big at the top where the upper corner touched when not even laced tightly. They modified the upper by cutting the stitching at the pull tab, cutting the upper seam and re-sewing, but the pull tab couldn't be re-sewn so it's just floppy. I requested a thicker leather mid-sole, but they couldn't do it. The grinding of the outsole edge was very uneven and inconsistent, so they cleaned it up. Still a bit wonky and uneven around the perimeter and from boot to boot. 

The 2nd pair was the Imperials. This pair was built quite a bit better than the Hikers. There are fewer boot makers in their shop that work on these boots due to the higher level of skill required for the hand-stitching. This French calf leather is really nice, some of the better leather I've had in any footwear. There's a massive twist in the right boot. Not sure why, maybe it's the way the grain of the leather runs when the pattern was cut. It got a little better with wear, and didn't affect the way the boots fit. In one of the boots, they didn't put the footbed liner in. So they sent me one to install myself. It's about a half-length liner. The issue there was the liner was cut square from stock leather, and the front edge was not skived. I tried to skive and sand it myself to make a smooth transition, but it's not as clean as the the left boot finished in the factory. I can feel that small transition. The Hilers still felt a tad big, so I had the Imperials built 1/2 down. For the first 2-3 months they felt great, but then it felt like the toe pulled back and I could feel the front of the boot. I have to tie them really tight at the instep to keep my foot back in the heel pocket. I should have stayed with the same exact size in the Hikers. 

As much as I want to, I can't say that I'm 100% pleased with the end product. I guess I had much higher hopes. Sue and customer service overall were fantastic, and nothing negative to say about that at all. I was very particular in what I wanted, and how I wanted the boots to fit. Sue told me at one point that doing full custom fitting lead to far more frustrations that she thinks it's worth, and that RM should just go with a wide range of standard sizes. I wouldn't not recommend RM to anyone, but not sure I'd get another pair myself. When it comes to true moccasin footwear they are in a league of their own. I don't think the other companies that use this method can compare with their experience, options, and durability. Their overall fit and finish is very wabi-sabi. Their main market in the US is the hunting world. Sue told me the JP market is much more fashion-forward, and I think the footwear they make for export is finished to a higher level. But that's a guess on my part and I could be completely wrong. 

Here's my first pair of bison leather Imperials that were too big. Can't recall the leather color name, but it was very red, much redder than I expected. This is the pair RM took back and sold off. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by mpukas

[mpukas]

Hikers when new, and currently after quite a bit of wear and sitting in the closet

 

[mpukas]

Imperials when new, and currently after quite a bit of wear and sitting in the closet. The twist in the right boot is rather obvious in the new pics. 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by mpukas

[mpukas]

This a pair that I fell ion love with. Cavalier built for a JP retailer on Old Bull Hide. This would have been my next pair of RM, but with a flat sole. 

[mpukas]

I like Grant Stone boots a lot. I got my first pair in 11/2017. Size 9 1/2 E. The width was good, but far too long. I wore them quite a bit, but always wanted to get a size better suited to me. They do EEE widths in some models. During their BF sale, I ordered several pairs and spoke to them on the phone. They said to ordered a couple different sizes, and return the ones that didn't fit. I settled on  size 8 1/2 EEE. I maybe could have gone down to an 8 EEE, and the 8 1/2 EEE still look really long to my eye. But the overall fit of the 8 1/2 EEE is so good in width, volume, and where the ball of my foot bends. 

There are many things that I like about GS: Their Leo last is great and offered in EEE width; and they do some models in double leather outsole. This is my preferred construction for casual boots/shoes, as I have a cobbler install a rubber overlay that can easily be replaced when it wears out, and have to go through the expense of a full resole. For work / heavy duty boots this prolly wouldn't be a good option. 

For the price, GS can't be beat. And at the sale price, I ended up getting 4 pairs. Boots and shoes for life, for me. I'll only wear these casually, and I don't often have occasion to weart the dressier shoes. It's kinda sobering to think that I'll have these boots & shoes until I can't wear boots and shoes any longer. 

If you're curious about the build quality of GS footwear, here's Anvil_Rose cutting a pair of Diesel boots in half: 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by mpukas