If you had to wear just 1 pair of boots for the rest of your life, what would they be?

[rotenone]

William lennon Canadian combat or 78 tc

 

[r.biker]

William lennon Canadian combat or 78 tc

Interesting William lennon getting another mention. These do look great especially for the price!

 

[Burnsie5463]

Yes, price is a killer. Always worth keeping an eye on sales, though. I've seen a lot of very nice new Trickers selling for half price in occasional sales as well.

I usually get my Trickers from the Factory Shop, a lot of good bargains to be had and they frequently have 20% off sales on the Factory Shop prices. Delivery from there is always very quick also, first place I look for new shoes.

 

[TartuWolf]

If you're gonna stick with one pair then why go for the budget options like RW and WL?
Might as well go for the top dogs, whatever your taste is - PWN chunky boys, JP/Indonesia/High end China Sleek boys...

Obviously something stitched for re-soling as you have to stick to that pair. Goodyear, stitchdown, hand stitched, blake stitched, rapid stitched.. I guess hand welted would be the best option as that puts the least amount of strain during re-stitching assuming you can get that done by hand as well.

In terms of leather I'd probably go for something like Horween waxed flesh for the durability and water resistance. Likely something teacore to have the best of both worlds - both black and brown. Kills the fancy/dressy occasion vibe though.

In terms of model it would be either a 6" lace up, a 8" lace up or a pair of engineers.

Healthy Munson style last to not fk up your feet like 95% of regular lasts will do long term.

Chunky lugged outsole for off road utility but have to deal with all the rocks and mud that you bring everywhere with you. V-bar style or mini lug moderate outsole to make it as universal as possible. Half-sole for looks and boot flexibility. Unpopular opinion - leather sole with a glued on topy for extra simple, fast and cheap "resoles" without damaging the other layers as you would normally do with regular resoling.

Just some thoughts yeah.

At the end of the day if I were to be spending most of my time "off-road" then it would probably be a logger style 8" lugged horween waxed flesh PWN overbuilt beast.
But since I'm a city slicker it would make much more sense to get a pair of engineers in something like black CXL or some fancy thick durable horse butt with a leather sole + topy.

 

[jfive67]

Really depends on your use case here. For desk to dinner versatility i would say a pair of RM Williams Gardeners in Black or Dark Brown. I added vibram raptor topys to mine for more traction in the snow and wore them year round for years before I really started building out my boot quiver. They are rugged enough to do field work/ride moto, and can be cleaned up to wear with slacks (and even a suit if youre feeling rakish).

If you wanted something erring more formal but still practical, I would either go with a viberg 2030 in a chromexecel of your choice or a C&J in scotch grain leather if you skew more english in tastes.

If you wanted to go fully rugged, agree with those above that a waxed flesh work or service boot is your best bet. I've got a pair of whites MPs that are seemingly indestructible but dont really make it to the office outside of casual fridays

 

[Faux59]

Viberg or a PNW brand

 

[Wellfounded_60]

Considering I do home renovation work, am more an outdoor person, and will never have an office job, I'll go with White's 350 Cruiser in Cinnamon WF. A boot I already have and go to more than any other in my collection. Versatile, comfortable, built to last..Second would be an engineer, which is my favorite style boot, but not very practical for an "only boot".

 

[RustyM]

I like Redwing Iron Rangers, they are pretty comfortable once you get them broken in.

 

[TartuWolf]

Considering I do home renovation work, am more an outdoor person, and will never have an office job, I'll go with White's 350 Cruiser in Cinnamon WF. A boot I already have and go to more than any other in my collection. Versatile, comfortable, built to last..Second would be an engineer, which is my favorite style boot, but not very practical for an "only boot".

Love my White's Cruisers as well! What makes you say that a (well fitting) engineer is not a very practical "only boot"?

 

[Aloysius]

Healthy Munson style last to not fk up your feet like 95% of regular lasts will do long term.

I don't think any reputable shoemaking firm (or bespoke maker) would be neglecting the insights of Munson before the First World War.

Even cheaper boots I've had feature the things he pointed out for ergonomics.

 

[Edward]

I usually get my Trickers from the Factory Shop, a lot of good bargains to be had and they frequently have 20% off sales on the Factory Shop prices. Delivery from there is always very quick also, first place I look for new shoes.

I was aware of the factory shop, but not seen it online - is there a link? I'm fortunate that I'm a UK8/US9 in (almost all) shoes, which I gather is the industry norm for samples and such. I've had a few bargains with various brands selling off that sort of thing over the years as a result.

 

[rotenone]

Interesting William lennon getting another mention. These do look great especially for the price!

Interesting William lennon getting another mention. These do look great especially for the price!

For price vs quality W.L simply can't be beaten imho

 

[TartuWolf]

I don't think any reputable shoemaking firm (or bespoke maker) would be neglecting the insights of Munson before the First World War.

Even cheaper boots I've had feature the things he pointed out for ergonomics.

Depends on how broadly we consider "the insights of Munson", but to my experience the vast majority shoemaking firms and makers rather follow aesthetics-first tradition of footwear rather than anatomical shapes.
Obviously this is only my opinion but I believe that 95% of footwear is shaped in a way that is harmful to the foot long term. I'm solely talking about the toe box area in this case and how the lack of space there tends to push your toes together/inwards resulting in various foot issues, especially in older age.
Most people don't notice it and find the footwear comfortable anyway because they are used to it from childhood.

 

[Will Zach]

@r.biker what a great thread idea. I am not a great boot guy, living in South Florida it is mostly sneakers (gasp). My favorite boots though are White's Semi-dress. Comfortable toebox and last. I almost believe White's claim that these were mostly worn by clerks and assembly workers who were on their feet all day.

 

[Edward]

For price vs quality W.L simply can't be beaten imho

Absolutely. The only shame is that if you want anything from the custom line you have to jump through a few more email hoops rather than just being able to order on the website. Of course that said it does mean that only those who really want to go custom order such, which probably means the waitlist is significantly shorter than it might otherwise be. Swings and roundabouts. I would eventually like a pair of their derby boots in the grained oxblood leather with a smooth toecap and the leather sole. I do have a pair of their WW1 B5 boots, picked up in "used but unworn" condition from eBay about a decade ago. Mine must have been a custom order for someone - shiny black leather and regular leather soles, no hobnails. Cracking pair of boots. If they but did a brogue shoe they'd be very hard to pass over for someone else. Like for like, within the range they offer, I've never handled qualitatively better at any price.

 

[Thetanhands]

Hi all,

I'm on the hunt for my next pair of boots. Currently have some cool chippewa monkey style boots that I've had for a long time with a nice wedge sole (will post some pics if anyones interested in seeing how they're aging..) I have had redwing in the past which I rate highly.

But I thought it would be interesting to hear thoughts on, if you could pick just one boot to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?

(Apologies if this has already been asked elsewhere, couldn't find a thread)

Hi all,

I'm on the hunt for my next pair of boots. Currently have some cool chippewa monkey style boots that I've had for a long time with a nice wedge sole (will post some pics if anyones interested in seeing how they're aging..) I have had redwing in the past which I rate highly.

But I thought it would be interesting to hear thoughts on, if you could pick just one boot to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?

(Apologies if this has already been asked elsewhere, couldn't find a thread)

If I’m answering the prompt in the title….last pair of boots I’d own…i.e. apocalypse boot…def just a pair of blunnies. I can ride motorcycles in them, walk in the rain or snow, hike, and I’ve even played a full set of tennis in blundstones.

However my favorite boots are just some Chippewa engineer boots

 

[Herrvallmo]

If the sad reality came through and I could only wear one pair of boots it would be these engineers from Råland Bootmaker.

They are insanely comfortable and fits me like a glove, they are made here in Sweden to a very high standard, the design is spot on and the black color makes them super easy to wear/match


Cheers!

 

[3.14nche]

I was aware of the factory shop, but not seen it online - is there a link? I'm fortunate that I'm a UK8/US9 in (almost all) shoes, which I gather is the industry norm for samples and such. I've had a few bargains with various brands selling off that sort of thing over the years as a result.

It's this one I think

Tricker's Factory Shop - Sample and Past Season Shoes and Boots

Tricker's Factory Shop

trickersfactoryshop.com