Footwear to go with our jackets

[Tom71]

Lovely looking pair of boots. With the right marketing they could sell a lot of those at that sort of price. Hide reminds me of the Horween steer (I think) on the small run of boots SJC did years ago. The deep gusset reminds me a bit of the Lewis Atlantic:

View attachment 678625




Nice socks! Alden Indys are on my "one day" list. Not realistic with how weak the pound has been this last nine years, but one day, probably on a visit to the Us to avoid import tax... For now, I have the Wested copy boot. Mine are from the early, Chinese made run. They're very nice - not, I'm sure, up to the standard of the Aldens, but for a much smaller outlay. I hear tell the new version is made elsewhere and is better again.





I love my WLs. On a par, qualitatively, with my Iron Rangers, and a smidge more affordable.

I hear you on the price. I bought mine from a very nice fellow-lounger from the APac region who bought online and miss-sized. That got them into C&J territory where they belong, IMO.

Socks are Chup socks. Stubbornly keeping on buying them despite them regularly disintegrating after ca. 18 months.

 

[milkbaby]

Not that I know. That’s really why I brought it up. Every foot is different, so I guess it’s fair to assume that such “issues” may be very individual too.

I have experienced the connection “speed hooks - tongue slip - loosening of the laces” with the Aldens and two pairs of Crockett&Jones, so I rally can’t call it a “pattern”.

I'm of the opinion that tongue slip is highly dependent on the interaction of a specific boot with a person's specific anatomy and walking biomechanics.

I have boots that are all eyelets where one boot suffers very bad tongue migration to the side. I also have two pairs of boots which are the identical model and brand just different color where one pair has tongue slip and the other does not! I have pairs where the left tongue slips and the right does not, whereas other pairs are the opposite with right slip, left none. And of course I also have boots where tongue slip is not an issue at all!

 

[dannyk]

How is the support? My only concern is that the moccasin design wouldn’t be firm (if that’s the right word) enough.

Here’s the exact pair from the video I mentioned. If you notice the weight they are just under PNW models. As it says the model name is the South 40. Heavy bison hide, vibram sole. It’s thier most heavy duty stock model. You can do some customizing of their various models and maybe make something up; but off the shelf this is their heavy duty model

 

[Bfd70]

Yeah, maybe more boot than i’d want

 

[dannyk]

Yeah, maybe more boot than i’d want

Me too haha. Just figured since I mentioned it I may as well show it.

 

[navetsea]

Just 2 days wear, start showing grains and bumps and creases.

The upper is just chrome oil pull leather, so i think as usual smooth pullup it has no initial grain so it must have been pressed or sanded. The leather is soft and pliable, so it wont make much creases, i think this is tipical leather used for moctoe wedge sole work boots, after 2 days of full wear i see pretty tight grain on the vamp, no loose grain anywhere so its not bad.

The buckle is so shiny and so bland i hope to knock off the shine on it sooner

stitching is ok, not to high spi but whats there is ok, triple stitched, in rust color
View attachment 677966
I asked the rubber pad not to be stitched to make for easier replacement and the edges rounded so the sole looks less blocky and so the worn side doesnt look too starkly visible. The blackening of the sole edges are just black shoecreme not dyed but since the stitching matching that color I will leave it alone for now.
View attachment 677967
I like the chiseled toe, looks different.
And i like the spring toe, i can punch extra holes on the side strap to pull the edge closer together, but again this is oil pullup so the straps are way to soft to function, one day when i service the sole, i would love to switch the straps with natural vegtan and to use nicer buckles

And this is a low budget boots sub $300, so what is not to love.

I blackened the side of the sole and the welt more with black shoe polish, and polished the toes and heel abit, I think it upgrades the vibe a bit.

Lovely looking pair of boots. With the right marketing they could sell a lot of those at that sort of price. Hide reminds me of the Horween steer (I think) on the small run of boots SJC did years ago. The deep gusset reminds me a bit of the Lewis Atlantic:

View attachment 678625




Nice socks! Alden Indys are on my "one day" list. Not realistic with how weak the pound has been this last nine years, but one day, probably on a visit to the Us to avoid import tax... For now, I have the Wested copy boot. Mine are from the early, Chinese made run. They're very nice - not, I'm sure, up to the standard of the Aldens, but for a much smaller outlay. I hear tell the new version is made elsewhere and is better again.





I love my WLs. On a par, qualitatively, with my Iron Rangers, and a smidge more affordable.

Thanks Edward, i'm pretty satisfied with it so far, that Lewis has a very nice waist on the ankle. I think many indonesian bootmakers prefer MTO model, they are afraid to stock sizes that will take long time to sell, they are able to sell at conpetitive price perhaps because they have no risk as every pair they make already sold, perhaps a group purchase model also a nice idea to make semi production but every pair is already booked.

 

[navetsea]

I'm of the opinion that tongue slip is highly dependent on the interaction of a specific boot with a person's specific anatomy and walking biomechanics.

I have boots that are all eyelets where one boot suffers very bad tongue migration to the side. I also have two pairs of boots which are the identical model and brand just different color where one pair has tongue slip and the other does not! I have pairs where the left tongue slips and the right does not, whereas other pairs are the opposite with right slip, left none. And of course I also have boots where tongue slip is not an issue at all!

since you walk with the same biomechanic gait yet your experience vary from boots to boots then perhaps biomechanic is not the factor, perhaps more on the leather itself since leather is organic, and tongue is not picked with the best part of the hide but perhaps the less prioritized, then maybe there is some weak spot or softer spot on one side that is not found on the other side so they behave differently, and since they are loose piece mostly not connected to other panels then this variety between each tongue is more visible after some wear, perhaps tongue that is fully connected as a full gusset like in combat boots will not have this problem since they cant move

 

[Edward]

Not yet adept enough at the tricks of FDL to insert multiple quotes / replies (where can I find guidance?) - but the Grant Stones do some very nice affordable and quality moc-toe boots (a la Indy) and my view is they’re likely better quality then most Indy’s or Alden's generically. BTW - proxy shippers can give you options in buying from the US… if your heart is set on Original Alden Indy’s! DM me…

Thanks, I'll have a look at those. The Westeds do the job nicely for now, but always worth knowing what else is out there!

For multi-quotes on TFL, if you look at the bottom of the post you want to reply to, there are three options - like, quote, and reply. Just Click on the '+Quote' option in the middle on all the posts to which you wish to reply, then scroll to the post window at the bottom of the page and click "insert quotes". That brings up a list of all the quotes you've hit '+Quote' on - then you just nix out any you want to exclude, or keep them all in and press the button to insert quotes. They appear in the post composition window then, and you just work with them as normal after that. Easy done once you know the button's there.

Also have some William Lennon’s branded Dundas, but made by WL. They’ve served me well.

I have to say I’ve also been eyeing @navetsea’s Engineer boots enviously, …would be up for an FDL GMTO if anyone else is so inclined?

Lennon do great boots. Back a decade or so ago when Aero did the first run of boots in its modern era, they were made by WL. The Jarrows onwards were made elsewhere, though they're now retired, so Aero are currently not restocking boots. I hope Aero get back to selling boots again, I was very keen on a pair of cordovan Jarrows with the Dainite sole, but missed the window. Wonder if they'll try WL again? The Aero price was, inevitably, a little higher (only by about twenty notes) than buying direct from WL, but on the flip side Aero were selling from stock, so the small upcharge bought you delivery within the week rather than the couple of months wait for a custom order from WL. Not a bad trade off.

I'm of the opinion that tongue slip is highly dependent on the interaction of a specific boot with a person's specific anatomy and walking biomechanics.

I have boots that are all eyelets where one boot suffers very bad tongue migration to the side. I also have two pairs of boots which are the identical model and brand just different color where one pair has tongue slip and the other does not! I have pairs where the left tongue slips and the right does not, whereas other pairs are the opposite with right slip, left none. And of course I also have boots where tongue slip is not an issue at all!

I would think so. I've had a coupled of boots over the years (and shoes, especially sneakers back when) that had this as an issue; I've always thought it was just a combination of my feet and specific boots. With a heavier leather tongue I also discovered I could 'train' the boots to centre the tongue by careful fastening. Not that I'm going to fixate on getting it dead centre, but when I can *feel* that it's off to the extent one side of the laces have no tongue behind them, that's an issue. Agreed a bellows (or partially so) tongue can help a lot.

Thanks Edward, i'm pretty satisfied with it so far, that Lewis has a very nice waist on the ankle. I think many indonesian bootmakers prefer MTO model, they are afraid to stock sizes that will take long time to sell, they are able to sell at conpetitive price perhaps because they have no risk as every pair they make already sold, perhaps a group purchase model also a nice idea to make semi production but every pair is already booked.

I can well understand that. It's what makes me wary of ordering them online; if I get the measurements wrong, or it turns out the engineer pattern is looser than I anticipated (I find with a lot of EBs I need an insole to soak up about a half-size, but sizing down made the boot too small - nature of the beast), and I can't wear 'em and have to take a bath on resale. But if somebody was making them to a known quantity such that I knew they'd fit the same as my RedWings or w.h.y., I'd be all over that. A TFL group order is a seductive idea!

 

[DweezilMac]

For multi-quotes on TFL, if you look at the bottom of the post you want to reply to, there are three options - like, quote, and reply. Just Click on the '+Quote' option in the middle on all the posts to which you wish to reply, then scroll to the post window at the bottom of the page and click "insert quotes". That brings up a list of all the quotes you've hit '+Quote' on - then you just nix out any you want to exclude, or keep them all in and press the button to insert quotes. They appear in the post composition window then, and you just work with them as normal after that. Easy done once you know the button's there

Thank you! very clear....

Lennon do great boots. Back a decade or so ago when Aero did the first run of boots in its modern era, they were made by WL. The Jarrows onwards were made elsewhere, though they're now retired, so Aero are currently not restocking boots. I hope Aero get back to selling boots again, I was very keen on a pair of cordovan Jarrows with the Dainite sole, but missed the window. Wonder if they'll try WL again? The Aero price was, inevitably, a little higher (only by about twenty notes) than buying direct from WL, but on the flip side Aero were selling from stock, so the small upcharge bought you delivery within the week rather than the couple of months wait for a custom order from WL. Not a bad trade off.

"and as if by magic..." It works!

If I was back in the UK, I'm sure I'd be looking to get a pair or two more from WL, and I hear what you say about the convenience of ordering from stock. Have to be honest that I came to jackets and FDL via Boots first (if that makes sense?) but the jacket rabbit hole has absorbed me recently...

thanks again!

 

[cbez]

Old wesco horsehide

 

[Bennarion]

Old wesco horsehide
View attachment 679115

It looks like a tank

 

[MrProper]

Now that I've worn the shoes for a few days, here are a few pictures. Apart from the fact that they are super comfortable, they look more like work boots than barefoot shoes, which I think is pretty cool.

 

[Jon Crow]

Bought these on a vintage site a long time ago, they came from France, lovely pair of boots, I wear them with everything! Maker I have no idea though

 

[Jonanah]

For me, these are the coolest barefoot shoes. Unfortunately not my price range. But I've ordered the black Carpenters from Gaucho.Ninja and will see how they are. If I'm blown away by them, maybe I can talk myself into the brown ones.
View attachment 667964 View attachment 667965

Woah, who makes these?

 

[Jonanah]

Now that I've worn the shoes for a few days, here are a few pictures. Apart from the fact that they are super comfortable, they look more like work boots than barefoot shoes, which I think is pretty cool.
View attachment 679260 View attachment 679261 View attachment 679262 View attachment 679263 View attachment 679264

And what are these? Always looking for good barefoot style work boots. Have been considering Jim Greene’s African rangers for awhile but never pulled the trigger on them

 

[MrProper]

And what are these? Always looking for good barefoot style work boots. Have been considering Jim Greene’s African rangers for awhile but never pulled the trigger on them

These are from Gaucho Ninja.
They also make work shoes with toe caps.

Goodyear welted barefoot carpenter's safety boot

Award-winning barefoot carpenter's boots with the features you need for safety and comfort. Certified and handmade from hard-wearing washed calf leather

gaucho.ninja

 

[MrProper]

Woah, who makes these?

Also Gaucho Ninja (See other post)

 

[Nykwil]

Gonna go stomping at a peaceful protest.

Briselblack Keeper 2 Engineers

 

[Canuck Panda]

Trickers Henry Castorino,

 

[navetsea]

I found video about training your engineer boots to make it creases in certain way, japanese people are very thorough with everything