Footwear to go with our jackets

[dannyk]

Thanks all! Very interesting insights and definitely quite some material to look into.

I’m kind of saturated with engineer boots (I have too many and need to unload a few pairs) but I haven’t much of other styles of boots, just a pair of White’s and a pair of Red Wing huntsman. I feel like I need a pair of monkeys

What size are you, I could use some engineers...haha

 

[Ayeteael]

Yup that's fair, but it was NOT disclosed in the actual review which bothers me quite a lot. I don't think sponsored reviews are actually helpful for consumers, just helpful for the brand.

I'm not trying to promote one over the other, I was just curious as I see them as both more similar rather than different personally.

I totally get where you are coming from. It's often difficult tell when a "review" on social media is sponsored or the subject of genuine interest, once a reviewer reaches a certain following-level. It reminds me of the rise and fall of men's magazines. GQ/Esquire/Details(RIP)/etc spend all their real estate promoting and touting the latest releases from the major brands, bc without ad revenue from them, the magazines wouldn't survive. Magazines are beholden to their advertisers, not their readers, and the entire magazine, including editorial content, becomes one big advertisement. I feel Hodinkee has fallen to the same trap.

Stitchdown doesnt seem to exclusively shill for its sponsors, but it may someday. When it does, it'll have lost a reader.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I don't read or watch stridewise or stitchdown guy but I do apperciate jake and them when they post cool boot photos. I do feel influenced by you guys a bit considering my boot purchases but now I know what I want and what I don't want in a boot. I would say it's really helpful for people like myself who likes to wear boots but not much to be so detail oriented about it.

Yup and part of my point is not to be too influenced by any one person, especially one that has monetary reasons for writing certain things.

Even my stuff is obviously biased. I also do get some stuff for free (I always disclose this) so it's important to talk to actual boot owners who paid their own money (which is true for me in most cases, but not always.)

I have a small group of friends who I trust that are knowledgeable enough without having ulterior motives. That's the best way to go in my opinion. You have to make those friends to really get good information.

One of my favorites right now is Dave who goes by The Vintage Future on Youtube. He only just did his first review where he got something for free, but he is still very honest and way more detailed than anyone else in his reviews (way more detailed than me too). The only downside for some people is that he hasn't reviewed any super high end brands, but if you want to learn about boots and things such as technical terms, break in, leather, etc... he is your best bet. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFnRfQe19WsuNjGDYfpZP9w?pbjreload=102

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I totally get where you are coming from. It's often difficult tell when a "review" on social media is sponsored or the subject of genuine interest, once a reviewer reaches a certain following-level. It reminds me of the rise and fall of men's magazines. GQ/Esquire/Details(RIP)/etc spend all their real estate promoting and touting the latest releases from the major brands, bc without ad revenue from them, the magazines wouldn't survive. Magazines are beholden to their advertisers, not their readers, and the entire magazine, including editorial content, becomes one big advertisement. I feel Hodinkee has fallen to the same trap.

Stitchdown doesnt seem to exclusively shill for its sponsors, but it may someday. When it does, it'll have lost a reader.

Well it always comes down to money vs. true passion for the items.

That's why I have a website, but I never have taken any money. Respect me or hate me, I stay independent. I will only "shill" for White Kloud because he just straight up makes the best boots in the entire world and he's now my friend , but I don't get anything from him either ... still, it again proves that everyone is biased haha.

Owning those boots has ruined me, though. Now anytime a reviewer of any kind says their boots are flawless, I genuinely get slightly upset because I know that in comparison to White Kloud, they are completely incorrect.

 

[Jin431]

Those happen to be the best things in life!! My dog has been on Instagram more than I have. I’m probably in like 10 of my fiancé’s photos, our dog like 100 haha.

I completely agree, can't go wrong with those no matter what
I'm sure you too is as well loved as your good boy/girl haha

Yup and part of my point is not to be too influenced by any one person, especially one that has monetary reasons for writing certain things.

Even my stuff is obviously biased. I also do get some stuff for free (I always disclose this) so it's important to talk to actual boot owners who paid their own money (which is true for me in most cases, but not always.)

I have a small group of friends who I trust that are knowledgeable enough without having ulterior motives. That's the best way to go in my opinion. You have to make those friends to really get good information.

One of my favorites right now is Dave who goes by The Vintage Future on Youtube. He only just did his first review where he got something for free, but he is still very honest and way more detailed than anyone else in his reviews (way more detailed than me too). The only downside for some people is that he hasn't reviewed any super high end brands, but if you want to learn about boots and things such as technical terms, break in, leather, etc... he is your best bet. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFnRfQe19WsuNjGDYfpZP9w?pbjreload=102

Are you kidding me? Why say no to free stuff? That is always welcome in my book. Nothing wrong with that. Always great to get a little something something on the side but being upfront with full disclosure makes it better for the audience.
Great friends is always welcome especially if you share a common passion.
That's a cool tip, it's probably time I learn about the specifics of it.

 

[Ayeteael]

Well it always comes down to money vs. true passion for the items.

That's why I have a website, but I never have taken any money. Respect me or hate me, I stay independent. I will only "shill" for White Kloud because he just straight up makes the best boots in the entire world and he's now my friend , but I don't get anything from him either ... still, it again proves that everyone is biased haha.

Biases are ok - in fact, they are natural. I got no problem with you or anyone else blogging, posting, writing, 'graming, or sharing about cool stuff they like and are into. If I don't like it, I can tune out! I appreciate everyone, including you, who takes the time to post about cool boots, jackets, and other hobbies that I'm into. It helps me learn about new brands and ferret out what I like and what I don't like. Cuz at the end of the day, these websites, blogs, and instagram accounts should help you develop and hone your interests.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I completely agree, can't go wrong with those no matter what
I'm sure you too is as well loved as your good boy/girl haha




Are you kidding me? Why say no to free stuff? That is always welcome in my book. Nothing wrong with that. Always great to get a little something something on the side but being upfront with full disclosure makes it better for the audience.
Great friends is always welcome especially if you share a common passion.
That's a cool tip, it's probably time I learn about the specifics of it.

I don't say no to free stuff. Well, I do. If it looks like absolute junk, I say no. What I do refuse to do is receive money, sponsorship, or use affiliate links. I basically refuse to do anything that will cause me to be biased more than necessary.

Receiving free product is OK because in many cases, it's the only way for me to review certain products. I'm not made of money so I'm not going to buy everything on the planet. If a maker or brand wants me to review something that I may not otherwise buy, then they would have to send it to me for free. It's sort of like car reviewers. Can they afford to buy every Ferrari, Porsche, or heck, even every Honda on the market? No, they need to be loaned them in order to review them.

However, if I were to accept payment, there is no way I would be as critical. I don't care what anyone claims, if they say that affiliate links or sponsorship does not alter their reviews at all, they are either lying to you or are delusional and I don't know which is worse.

My philosophy is that a reviewer should have more of a moral obligation to fellow consumers than to any brands or to money. If I accepted money in any form, I would no longer be looking out for fellow customers like myself first, I would be looking out for myself and/or brands first.

Even with White Kloud, as much as I adore his boots- if he sent me **** or makes mistakes on my next pair, you can damn well be sure that I will point those flaws out.

@Ayeteael bingo - the point is for you to develop your own knowledge and interests. I just think it's important for some review sites to do a better job of disclosing their biases in reviews.

Also, please keep in mind that I don't dislike Ben or Nick. I talk to both of them and like them both a lot as people. I also think both if them are excellent writers and they have both done some articles and/or videos that I really like.

It's just the sponsorship stuff I take some level of issue with and I'm not saying everyone else has to feel the same way as me. I still read and watch content from both of them as well and talk to both regularly.

My original question was simply due to the fact that I view both websites in a similar vein. I don't think either of them have reached the point of other style or fashion sites and I hope they don't.

 

[Jin431]

All this talk about indonesian shoe makers made me wear my Junkard Co Monkey Boots in Tobacco Badalassi

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Very nice! how do you like the Badalassi? I have it on my White Klouds and it's one of my favorite leathers. Different color, but otherwise at least a similar leather.

 

[Jin431]

Very nice! how do you like the Badalassi? I have it on my White Klouds and it's one of my favorite leathers. Different color, but otherwise at least a similar leather.

Love love love items made from badalasi. I have two monkey boots with olive black overdye and Tobacco brown. I also have the Tobacco Aero Bootlegger. I want to get another badalassi jacket actually lol So yes I'm a big fan of it.

The Tobacco monkey boots is smooth grained, hand feel is medium but feels like a hardy leather for footwear even though it's full aniline and does not repel water well. The olive black ovedye seems more supple to touch but still feels it can take a good beating. I remember Aero didn't offer it before because of how thick the leather was to work on and then they had it skived and as you know it's now being offered as a midweight leather.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Love love love items made from badalasi. I have two monkey boots with olive black overdye and Tobacco brown. I also have the Tobacco Aero Bootlegger. I want to get another badalassi jacket actually lol So yes I'm a big fan of it.

The Tobacco monkey boots is smooth grained, hand feel is medium but feels like a hardy leather for footwear even though it's full aniline and does not repel water well. The olive black ovedye seems more supple to touch but still feels it can take a good beating. I remember Aero didn't offer it before because of how thick the leather was to work on and then they had it skived and as you know it's now being offered as a midweight leather.

Yeah I've found it to be quite nice on both boots and jackets. I've noticed that it feels a bit more firm on boots than on jackets and one of my friends on IG said the same thing, though I'm not sure if you feel the same way.

It definitely doesn't repel water well, but it does a fine job of absorbing it.

My Badalassi boots are cognac and they have darkened so nicely. That's one of my favorite aspects of this leather.

 

[Jin431]

Yeah I've found it to be quite nice on both boots and jackets. I've noticed that it feels a bit more firm on boots than on jackets and one of my friends on IG said the same thing, though I'm not sure if you feel the same way.

It definitely doesn't repel water well, but it does a fine job of absorbing it.

My Badalassi boots are cognac and they have darkened so nicely. That's one of my favorite aspects of this leather.

I feel the same way. I'm sure the leather intended for jackets use is thinner, probably between 2.5- 3 oz. I'll confirm that number with Aero and get back to you.
If I remember correctly Junkard mentioned to me the hide they used for boots is about 5-6oz.

I've seen that cognac boots and it pairs well with the deerskin FW you have! Very very nice indeed. I am not into naturals/tans yet because how clean they look at first and it doesn't really look good until it's darkened a few shades with wear but that's probably people like you enjoy seeing the development and evolution of the leather.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I feel the same way. I'm sure the leather intended for jackets use is thinner, probably between 2.5- 3 oz. I'll confirm that number with Aero and get back to you.
If I remember correctly Junkard mentioned to me the hide they used for boots is about 5-6oz.

I've seen that cognac boots and it pairs well with the deerskin FW you have! Very very nice indeed. I am not into naturals/tans yet because how clean they look at first and it doesn't really look good until it's darkened a few shades with wear but that's probably people like you enjoy seeing the development and evolution of the leather.

Yeah my favorite leather colors are usually very rich golden tans and orange/reddish mid browns. Plus, I do like having at least a couple leathers that will darken a lot over time.

 

[Jin431]

Yeah my favorite leather colors are usually very rich golden tans and orange/reddish mid browns. Plus, I do like having at least a couple leathers that will darken a lot over time.

I noticed the earth tones you wear a lot, you dress yourself very well and have a great knack of mixing/matching different shades so hats off to you.

That's a great perspective to have, I don't have a leather boot or jacket intended for that purpose. It's probably something worth looking into. I do have a tan waxed canvass jacket that might look better or look grimy with wear, only time will tell lol

Ill probably go for russet badalassi for my next jacket purchase, that should hopefully darken over time.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

So I thought it might be interesting for me to post my boot collection on here, but doing it all at once would be too much. Instead, I'll do it one at a time, hopefully posting them once every couple of days or so. I will be posting them in reverse order of my favorites. This also is not my entire collection, I have several other pairs that I will not even post because I would absolutely not recommend any of those, so I don't want to promote them here in any way.

The first pair is my pair of Mark Albert Uptown boots in Coyote roughout. I have actually worn these in the past 6 months. I think I have only worn them once in that time, but given that I am not wearing any footwear as much thanks to COVID, the fact that I’ve worn them at all says something. My particular pair is certainly flawed as they have a lasting issue that makes the boots uneven, but otherwise they’re decent. My actual least favorite aspect of them is that they have synthetic materials in the soles instead of just leather, but I have heard that the new models have upgraded to leather instead which is great. The reason that I actually wear these is because they are decent enough boots and I actually like how they look. They are not my personal preference in terms of style, but I still think they look good and I like the dull roughout leather which is tan with a sort of sage green tinge to it. Every once in a while, I like to bust these out as a change of pace.

Quality-wise their OK, but certainly not great. They would be Red Wing level if it weren't for the lasting issue which certainly makes them worse. I got these sent to me for review, but they still had problems. Decent price and if you don't have this issue that I had, I think they might be worth the price.

 

[Jin431]

So I thought it might be interesting for me to post my boot collection on here, but doing it all at once would be too much. Instead, I'll do it one at a time, hopefully posting them once every couple of days or so. I will be posting them in reverse order of my favorites. This also is not my entire collection, I have several other pairs that I will not even post because I would absolutely not recommend any of those, so I don't want to promote them here in any way.

The first pair is my pair of Mark Albert Uptown boots in Coyote roughout. I have actually worn these in the past 6 months. I think I have only worn them once in that time, but given that I am not wearing any footwear as much thanks to COVID, the fact that I’ve worn them at all says something. My particular pair is certainly flawed as they have a lasting issue that makes the boots uneven, but otherwise they’re decent. My actual least favorite aspect of them is that they have synthetic materials in the soles instead of just leather, but I have heard that the new models have upgraded to leather instead which is great. The reason that I actually wear these is because they are decent enough boots and I actually like how they look. They are not my personal preference in terms of style, but I still think they look good and I like the dull roughout leather which is tan with a sort of sage green tinge to it. Every once in a while, I like to bust these out as a change of pace.

Quality-wise their OK, but certainly not great. They would be Red Wing level if it weren't for the lasting issue which certainly makes them worse. I got these sent to me for review, but they still had problems. Decent price and if you don't have this issue that I had, I think they might be worth the price.

Definitely your colorway. That's a nice shade for a rough out. Too bad about how the last not being very well made, the shape of toe box look really nice.
im most likely getting a waxed rough out sometime this year dedicated for outdoors use

 

[dannyk]

Definitely your colorway. That's a nice shade for a rough out. Too bad about how the last not being very well made, the shape of toe box look really nice.
im most likely getting a waxed rough out sometime this year dedicated for outdoors use

That’s what I’m doing as I said with my new army service boots. Just going to wax/dub the hell out of them myself. I’m also interested in Truman’s oil tan rough out. It’s not waxed, it’s kind of like if you had a super oiled and waxed impregnated leather but then turned it inside out. So kind of like regular cxl rough out haha-just really oiled up and from Seidel; and they say it’s about a 7oz leather that’s built to take a beating. And actually it’s one of their cheaper offerings.

 

[Mich486]

What size are you, I could use some engineers...haha

Whoops I missed this! I’m a UK8/EU42/US9 normally. I’ve a pair of Attractions, one of Clinch and one of Trophy Clothing engineers (same a s Attractions) that I could part with (though the TC would fit a UK8.5 if not 9). I’m not in a rush to sell but if of any interest to anyone we can discuss. UK based.

 

[dannyk]

Whoops I missed this! I’m a UK8/EU42/US9 normally. I’ve a pair of Attractions, one of Clinch and one of Trophy Clothing engineers (same a s Attractions) that I could part with (though the TC would fit a UK8.5 if not 9). I’m not in a rush to sell but if of any interest to anyone we can discuss. UK based.

Ah I’m US but would be willing to negotiate shipping charges. The issue is you’re borderline my size. Depending on last and construction I’m anywhere from 7.5 in big lasts like Irong Rangers and 9 if slimmer less round lasts. Or even 9-9.5 in some sneaker brands. Your engineers are really great engineers so they wouldn’t be cheap flips if they don’t work out. I could always sell them for what I paid and then just lose out on shipping. I’ll have to think about that. In any case I would still love to see photos of them just in general. I’m sure you’ve dropped some here and there in this thread, but a photo of the ones you mentioned side by side would be a really cool pic. I’d love to see them side by side to get an idea of the different makers styles. Thanks!

 

[Jin431]

That’s what I’m doing as I said with my new army service boots. Just going to wax/dub the hell out of them myself. I’m also interested in Truman’s oil tan rough out. It’s not waxed, it’s kind of like if you had a super oiled and waxed impregnated leather but then turned it inside out. So kind of like regular cxl rough out haha-just really oiled up and from Seidel; and they say it’s about a 7oz leather that’s built to take a beating. And actually it’s one of their cheaper offerings.

That's a great score, plus the fact you can wax your own boot is a fun little project. I haven't seen that new Truman leather offering, I'll look them up. I doubt that 7oz'er will ever be tested that much for what I normally do lol

Good luck with the engineer venture! Hope you get something that will work out, if it's too big maybe a little insert could not hurt.