Footwear to go with our jackets

[Tom71]

 

[TLW '90]

I just received my Jim Green Workhorse Mocs.


these things are comfortable right out of the box and don't feel like they really need any breaking in at all.
I love how Jim green had their wife lasts, wide toe boxes that don't look odd.
just as I'm used to with my 2 pairs of vellies.

 

[IrishStu]

View attachment 805268 View attachment 805269 View attachment 805270 View attachment 805271

They look amazing. I'm sure you will get many years of wear.

 

[Oil Tanned]

Luke is the guy that makes 3cm thick belts for people like Jason Momoa.

3cm... s/b 3mm? A cow w/ skin 3cm thick would be a mighty slow cow!

 

[Tom71]

3cm... s/b 3mm? A cow w/ skin 3cm thick would be a mighty slow cow!

You are right. Leathermaxxing got the better of me.

Here’s a photo of a belt I got a while ago at a local shop. The angle is slightly distorted, but the thickness varies between 0,7 and 1,2cm.

Luke’s belts are more than that, but probably still shy of 1,5cm.

At this point, functionality gets compromised as well, IMO. It’s not really comfortable to wear, and there’s a real risk of the belt tearing out the loops of your trousers.

 

[Oil Tanned]

Wow! That would be tough to get the tail back through the first loop! Cool to look at but it's probably tough for others to see and enjoy unless they're pretty good at staring at other's beltlines w/out being noticed.

 

[Guppy]

I like Frye boots, but a few years ago they started offshoring production to Mexico and China. I'm not sure the quality is still there, and their sizing seems to have changed (I used to fit an 8D in Frye, now I'm a 9.)

There's also Wolverine 1000 Mile, which are made from Horween leather. I have owned cheaper Wolverine boots, and found them to be generally comfortable and of good quality, so I have no doubt that these are good, if pricey -- but comparable to expensive leather jackets if you're talking about pairing.

I've not owned Chippewa boots, but they look great, and I hear good things.

There's also Red Wing, and for more "fashion" focused people, Bed Stu.

Almost 10 years later, someone Liked my comment, above, and I read it again and realized how much has changed for me in that time.

I am wearing Nicks, Frank's, and White's almost exclusively. They are built to a different level of rugged and make everything else feel flimsy. They are very expensive, starting at $550 and going toward $1000, compared to what I used to wear, which was also expensive but more like $200-350.

I was used to wearing running shoes that cost under $100 when I was much younger, and price resistant to paying more than $150 for any kind of footwear.

In 2018-2020 I was having serious problems with foot pain, and really for all my life before then I've had a lot of foot pain any time I spent my whole day walking and standing. Standing seems to be a lot worse than walking for some reason for me. I guess walking shifts weight and gives your foot a more even distribution of the load.

It got increasingly severe and I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with plantar fasciatis. I was walking 10000-20000 steps/day for exercise and had to cut it back dramatically. Going to bed with aching, throbbing feet, waking up feeling better, but as soon as I put my foot on the floor, moderate to severe pain. I started to have to put my feet directly into something with decent arch support before standing up from my bed, it was that bad.

I truthfully didn't get better until the pandemic forced everyone into lockdown, and I finally got the rest my feet needed to heal. Months of rest, where I was walking just a few hundred steps a day. Always wearing supportive footbeds. Of course losing the exercise had negative consequences as well.

I learned stretches that helped me recover more quickly from walking, and integrated that into my day. Taking the time to do them properly was necessary for me to function. How different from being young and seemingly immortal, bouncing back from everything quickly and with no special effort. It's how I realized that I am finally old

Anyhow, sometime around 2021-2022 I became aware of Nicks Boots, but I hesitated for about a year because of the cost and the uncertainty of sizing. I eventually got over it and ordered my first pair. Breaking those in was an experience.

My first time ordering I went with a Wickett and Craig double stuffed natural leather, which at the time was a limited run item. It's an extremely stiff leather, one of their stiffest as it turns out, and I love it, but breaking that pair in required patience and a strategy. After a couple of weeks they were transformed and became very comfortable.

I wanted another pair so I could rotate them, because it's good for the leather to have a chance to dry out from the moisture of your sweat.

I'm about 10 pairs in now, and I think I'm done. I don't have room for more and I don't need all that I have. But I wanted to try a variety and see what I liked.

MMy favorites are probably my White's Bounty Hunters, 8", horsehide, bought through Baker Shoe. They are the most comfortable. My Frank's Ryker AT, Rainiers, and Monkey Boots, are all great, I like each of them for different reasons, but all of them fit great and are comfortable and give my feet the support they need. And yes that original pair of Nicks along with several others are still in my foot repertoire.

They're very heavy and I'm slow in them compared to other hikers in their modern lightweight footwear, but I don't care that much about going fast.

 

[AeroFan_07]

You are right. Leathermaxxing got the better of me.

Here’s a photo of a belt I got a while ago at a local shop. The angle is slightly distorted, but the thickness varies between 0,7 and 1,2cm.

Luke’s belts are more than that, but probably still shy of 1,5cm.

At this point, functionality gets compromised as well, IMO. It’s not really comfortable to wear, and there’s a real risk of the belt tearing out the loops of your trousers.

View attachment 805495

I had a belt of similar width proportions. I wound up giving it away, it was nearly un-wearable. Now I still have a belt of slightly thicker proportions, but it's for a very specific use - it's a Pioneer Weight belt.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Almost 10 years later, someone Liked my comment, above, and I read it again and realized how much has changed for me in that time.

I am wearing Nicks, Frank's, and White's almost exclusively. They are built to a different level of rugged and make everything else feel flimsy. They are very expensive, starting at $550 and going toward $1000, compared to what I used to wear, which was also expensive but more like $200-350.

I was used to wearing running shoes that cost under $100 when I was much younger, and price resistant to paying more than $150 for any kind of footwear.

In 2018-2020 I was having serious problems with foot pain, and really for all my life before then I've had a lot of foot pain any time I spent my whole day walking and standing. Standing seems to be a lot worse than walking for some reason for me. I guess walking shifts weight and gives your foot a more even distribution of the load.

It got increasingly severe and I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with plantar fasciatis. I was walking 10000-20000 steps/day for exercise and had to cut it back dramatically. Going to bed with aching, throbbing feet, waking up feeling better, but as soon as I put my foot on the floor, moderate to severe pain. I started to have to put my feet directly into something with decent arch support before standing up from my bed, it was that bad.

I truthfully didn't get better until the pandemic forced everyone into lockdown, and I finally got the rest my feet needed to heal. Months of rest, where I was walking just a few hundred steps a day. Always wearing supportive footbeds. Of course losing the exercise had negative consequences as well.

I learned stretches that helped me recover more quickly from walking, and integrated that into my day. Taking the time to do them properly was necessary for me to function. How different from being young and seemingly immortal, bouncing back from everything quickly and with no special effort. It's how I realized that I am finally old

Anyhow, sometime around 2021-2022 I became aware of Nicks Boots, but I hesitated for about a year because of the cost and the uncertainty of sizing. I eventually got over it and ordered my first pair. Breaking those in was an experience.

My first time ordering I went with a Wickett and Craig double stuffed natural leather, which at the time was a limited run item. It's an extremely stiff leather, one of their stiffest as it turns out, and I love it, but breaking that pair in required patience and a strategy. After a couple of weeks they were transformed and became very comfortable.

I wanted another pair so I could rotate them, because it's good for the leather to have a chance to dry out from the moisture of your sweat.

I'm about 10 pairs in now, and I think I'm done. I don't have room for more and I don't need all that I have. But I wanted to try a variety and see what I liked.

MMy favorites are probably my White's Bounty Hunters, 8", horsehide, bought through Baker Shoe. They are the most comfortable. My Frank's Ryker AT, Rainiers, and Monkey Boots, are all great, I like each of them for different reasons, but all of them fit great and are comfortable and give my feet the support they need. And yes that original pair of Nicks along with several others are still in my foot repertoire.

They're very heavy and I'm slow in them compared to other hikers in their modern lightweight footwear, but I don't care that much about going fast.

Wow - that's a lot of discomfort and down time. I am certainly glad you have recovered here as you have Guppy.

I agree with what you are saying here. You may like this review I did a while back, and yes, I rarely wear any other boots now besides the PNW usual suspects. https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/extended-use-review-nicks-ranger-boots.120941/

 

[Guppy]

You are right. Leathermaxxing got the better of me.

Here’s a photo of a belt I got a while ago at a local shop. The angle is slightly distorted, but the thickness varies between 0,7 and 1,2cm.

Luke’s belts are more than that, but probably still shy of 1,5cm.

At this point, functionality gets compromised as well, IMO. It’s not really comfortable to wear, and there’s a real risk of the belt tearing out the loops of your trousers.

View attachment 805495

My thickest belts are about 0.25" thick, which is close to 16-18oz leather, something like that. It's definitely as thick as I have any need for. They will last forever. They also broke in pretty quickly.

 

[Tom71]

You are right. Leathermaxxing got the better of me.

Here’s a photo of a belt I got a while ago at a local shop. The angle is slightly distorted, but the thickness varies between 0,7 and 1,2cm.

Luke’s belts are more than that, but probably still shy of 1,5cm.

At this point, functionality gets compromised as well, IMO. It’s not really comfortable to wear, and there’s a real risk of the belt tearing out the loops of your trousers.

View attachment 805495

I managed to track down a photo of one Luke’s belts in real life. They are definitely thicker than my ca. 10mm belt, although it’s hard to tell by how much.

Guy speaking to me is Luke. The picture is from Insta, so I guess it’s ok to replicate it here for educational purposes.

 

[Arin666]

I managed to track down a photo of one Luke’s belts in real life. They are definitely thicker than my ca. 10mm belt, although it’s hard to tell by how much.

Guy speaking to me is Luke. The picture is from Insta, so I guess it’s ok to replicate it here for educational purposes.

View attachment 805817

Woah. I am wondering how one would even fit that thick of a belt into regualar trousers or jeans waistbands - and even if once could, there is a distinct danger of the belt loops tearing off. Thats an insanely thick belt. Never seen anything like this before.

 

[Tom71]

Woah. I am wondering how one would even fit that thick of a belt into regualar trousers or jeans waistbands - and even if once could, there is a distinct danger of the belt loops tearing off. Thats an insanely thick belt. Never seen anything like this before.

Totally agree. I can hardly see this a s functional. Just look at how massive the whole construction gets when buckeld up. I mean, you enter a room with the belt-loop and five minutes later the rest of you follows...

At this point it´s not about sensibility but rather about the outer limits of what´s doable.

 

[Bfd70]

Still too hot for jackets, but cool enough for boots.

 

[Edward]

Wow! That would be tough to get the tail back through the first loop! Cool to look at but it's probably tough for others to see and enjoy unless they're pretty good at staring at other's beltlines w/out being noticed.

Yeah, full on. I can see that sort of thickness being useful for, say, an equipment belt (or something like a *** belt) where the additional stiffness would stop heavy tools or laden holsters from stretching or distorting the belt where they pull. Or something like a kidney belt for motorcyclists or weightlifters. For general trouserage, though, I don't see much point to anything north of 3-4mm. That feels like a nice, thick, stiff belt to me (as long as it's decent leather), without it getting impractical.

Almost 10 years later, someone Liked my comment, above, and I read it again and realized how much has changed for me in that time.

I am wearing Nicks, Frank's, and White's almost exclusively. They are built to a different level of rugged and make everything else feel flimsy. They are very expensive, starting at $550 and going toward $1000, compared to what I used to wear, which was also expensive but more like $200-350.

I was used to wearing running shoes that cost under $100 when I was much younger, and price resistant to paying more than $150 for any kind of footwear.

In 2018-2020 I was having serious problems with foot pain, and really for all my life before then I've had a lot of foot pain any time I spent my whole day walking and standing. Standing seems to be a lot worse than walking for some reason for me. I guess walking shifts weight and gives your foot a more even distribution of the load.

It got increasingly severe and I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with plantar fasciatis. I was walking 10000-20000 steps/day for exercise and had to cut it back dramatically. Going to bed with aching, throbbing feet, waking up feeling better, but as soon as I put my foot on the floor, moderate to severe pain. I started to have to put my feet directly into something with decent arch support before standing up from my bed, it was that bad.

I truthfully didn't get better until the pandemic forced everyone into lockdown, and I finally got the rest my feet needed to heal. Months of rest, where I was walking just a few hundred steps a day. Always wearing supportive footbeds. Of course losing the exercise had negative consequences as well.

I learned stretches that helped me recover more quickly from walking, and integrated that into my day. Taking the time to do them properly was necessary for me to function. How different from being young and seemingly immortal, bouncing back from everything quickly and with no special effort. It's how I realized that I am finally old

Anyhow, sometime around 2021-2022 I became aware of Nicks Boots, but I hesitated for about a year because of the cost and the uncertainty of sizing. I eventually got over it and ordered my first pair. Breaking those in was an experience.

My first time ordering I went with a Wickett and Craig double stuffed natural leather, which at the time was a limited run item. It's an extremely stiff leather, one of their stiffest as it turns out, and I love it, but breaking that pair in required patience and a strategy. After a couple of weeks they were transformed and became very comfortable.

I wanted another pair so I could rotate them, because it's good for the leather to have a chance to dry out from the moisture of your sweat.

I'm about 10 pairs in now, and I think I'm done. I don't have room for more and I don't need all that I have. But I wanted to try a variety and see what I liked.

MMy favorites are probably my White's Bounty Hunters, 8", horsehide, bought through Baker Shoe. They are the most comfortable. My Frank's Ryker AT, Rainiers, and Monkey Boots, are all great, I like each of them for different reasons, but all of them fit great and are comfortable and give my feet the support they need. And yes that original pair of Nicks along with several others are still in my foot repertoire.

They're very heavy and I'm slow in them compared to other hikers in their modern lightweight footwear, but I don't care that much about going fast.

Eesh. That's tough. When I was at my heaviest I went through a stage of having pain in my feet when I woke up in the morning, and occasionally if I stood too long. Never went to the Doctor about it, though it eased off when I shifted the wait so I suspect not PF. Definitely a lot to be said for a sturdy pair of boots for all-day comfort, though. When the Summer heat hits its worst I often retreat into a pair of Vans Authentics (I have I think five pairs - all picked up on end of line / end of season sales for about half price). Not my ideal, but vastly more bearable when the hellheat hits and leather shoes are like having my feet in the oven all day. Nothing like a good, solid pair of boots to make my feet feel supported for al-day comfort, though. I don't think I could go back to sneakers beyond those crazy-hot days even if I wanted to.

I managed to track down a photo of one Luke’s belts in real life. They are definitely thicker than my ca. 10mm belt, although it’s hard to tell by how much.

Guy speaking to me is Luke. The picture is from Insta, so I guess it’s ok to replicate it here for educational purposes.

View attachment 805817

By that stage, they look to be more of a showpiece than actually practical, though I suppose they will sell to people who also want the heaviest jeans they can find, just because. Fair enough, really - it's all subjective. Not for me, though.

Still too hot for jackets, but cool enough for boots.
View attachment 807980

Those trews are still outstanding. Really great look.

 

[TLW '90]

with many of my boots, including my work boots, I like 325 paracord for my laces.
It's plenty strong, and flows very freely through the eyelets and speeds hooks making them very easy to lace up and to adjust on the fly.

I just got an order in from Paracord planet and put some Kelly Green 325 on my Jim Green workhorse mocks.

these things have been amazing so far, felt like slippers right out of the box with zero break in needed.

 

[Pandemic]

American bourbon, Indonesian boots

 

[Pandemic]

I’ve had these Bronson pants in the closet for over a year. Finally pulled them out to wear with the Brisselback boots in Maryam horse:

 

[Herrvallmo]

I’ve had these Bronson pants in the closet for over a year. Finally pulled them out to wear with the Brisselback boots in Maryam horse:

View attachment 810073

Absolutely gorgeous pants + boots combo mate! very nice

Cheers!

 

[Leathergato]

White’s CMP Sherman boots
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