Boots - All Things Related - Brands, uses, and stories

[lethe]

Don't know if you can get them in the States but RM Williams are make the beast with two backsen superb. http://www.rmwilliams.com.au/springsummer/index.html


One more question, slip ons or lace up?  I prefer slip ons as laces get all manner of crap on them which eventually ends up on your hands.

Nice
and even a product line in sizes for Jud and IZ  http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/1fe7c86d#/1fe7c86d/76

[mraff]

Doc Martins. English made vs. Chinese made

Loved my Doc Martins before the production base moved to China. Bought 1 pair made in China, only lasted 1 year. I non longer buy Doc Martins, or Clarks for that very reason either

[Statler]

Belleville.

[VisceralReaction]

Whites all the way.
I've got three pairs, Calked loggers, the Farmer and a pair of Pac boots.
The only thing to put on them is Obenauf's, the best boot grease bar none.

I live 40 minutes from Whites so i just go up and have them measure me out and
make a pair just for me. My loggers are 25 years old and still tougher than hell.

[1KDS]

Red Wings rule.

+1
Docs are great but they do not hold up to actual work, even the old ones.

[cyrus buelton]

Loved my Doc Martins before the production base moved to China. Bought 1 pair made in China, only lasted 1 year. I non longer buy Doc Martins, or Clarks for that very reason either

When did they move production to China?

Curious as I had some from the mid 90's and then some from 2000


God, sounds like Triumph.

[herm]

Whites all the way.
I've got three pairs, Calked loggers, the Farmer and a pair of Pac boots.
The only thing to put on them is Obenauf's, the best boot grease bar none.

I live 40 minutes from Whites so i just go up and have them measure me out and
make a pair just for me. My loggers are 25 years old and still tougher than hell.

+1 on the Obenaufs....there really is nothing else worth putting on boots.
i have three pair of Nicks "hotshots"
1 pair of whites (cant remember which ones, they're really old..)
1 pair of whites pack boots

and for the uninitiated, we are talking about something in the area of 400.00 per pair for these boots (Nicks or whites)

[WarrenJ]

Our local boot manufacturer - 10 miles from here  -  http://www.russellmoccasin.com/  They've been making boots for over 100 years. 

I have a couple pair but I can't say they are worth the money.

[Bick]

I have been pretty happy with Wellco for work wear.

For playing in the snow, I have a 26 year old pair of Sorels that will outlive me.

[mitt]

Vasque used to be good, now are junk IMO (europe to china for manufacturing).

Leather hiking boots made in Italy are my favorites (old school Scarpa for example).

Eastern European countries are pretty good (LL bean has a decent leather hiking boot the Cresta I am wearing this year)

I would like to try a Made in the USA hiking boot, but they are very hard to find if not impossible.

mitt

[cyrus buelton]

Are La Sportiva's still Italian made?

Always had a hard on for a pair in college, but the pair I wanted were like 300$ which equaled a lot of Jim Beam and cheap beer.

[Kopfjäger]

Vasque used to be good, now are junk IMO (europe to china for manufacturing).

I have one pair of the Italian made sundowners left. These were the best boots ever. I only wear them occasionally, to keep them alive. 

[akmnstr]

Whites all the way.
I've got three pairs, Calked loggers, the Farmer and a pair of Pac boots.
The only thing to put on them is Obenauf's, the best boot grease bar none.

I live 40 minutes from Whites so i just go up and have them measure me out and
make a pair just for me. My loggers are 25 years old and still tougher than hell.

When I worked in the woods in OR the debate was Westcoast vs Whites, just like our Stihl vs Husky debate in the chainsaw thread.  Since Westcoast was our local brand, it was the more common boot.  Back in the day, I took my wife to the Westcoast factory to have her fitted for a custom pair of boots.  The owner himself came out to do the fitting.  The building looked like it dated back to the Lewis and Clark first visit to OR.  After the owner measured my wifes left foot I started asking him about the company.  I was fascinated and kept asking questions until we had to leave.  My wife always claimed that the fit of her right foot was slightly off and it was because I asked the owner so many damn questions while he was measuring that foot.  I am no longer married to that woman.  I just couldn't stand all that complaining about her boots. 

I still have a pair of Westco boots and a pair of Danner Calks.  Which for those of you who don't know what those are, they are logging boots with thin spikes coming out the soles.  They look a bit like the bottom of golf shoes with sharpened spikes.  The tops come thigh high.  Most manly thing I own, next to my chain saw

[Pip]

Italy is shaped like a boot.
Ducati comes from Italy.
Ducati comes from boot?

[ducatiz]