fsmassey

Greetings from California! I'm on a hunt to find the most practical, durable, and functional pair of boots for hiking/outdoor living. Still trying to understand all that I can about the leather, I believe I understand most of what I should know about shoe designs. Finished Leather boot: http://www.redwingheritage.com/boots#&f=&m=/detail/9016-heritage-us/9016-red-wing-heritage-mens-beckman-boot-cigar Unfinished Leather boot: http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/899-red-wing-shoes/899-red-wing-mens-8-inch-boot-brown What I'm looking for is the leather that will have the most longevity (through maintenance, of course), will stand up to the elements better (dry heat, snow, heavy rain, sloshing through puddles, snow), and will of course just endure the everyday wear and tear. Also, a side question about conditioning leather; Whats the word on using petroleum jelly to waterproof either finished or unfinished leather? (In case of dire situations where proper oils and treatments are not available)

From what I understand, certain collections, such as the heritage or irish setter, are made in Minnesota still. The regular line of boots is outsourced and manufactured from cheaper labor. Those specifically, seem to only be MTO now. I haven't gone into the store too many times yet... hopefully the process is pretty painless

Hey guys, thought I'd give you an update on how my search has developed. I've narrowed it down by leather, boot style, lug style, found your advice to be the quite practical. Behold, Red Wing 899. http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/899-red-wing-shoes/899-red-wing-mens-8-inch-boot-brown I think you'll like em.

I find the history of the brand very intriguing, and I loved that they maintain the boots for you over the years. Having a piece of equipment with that much history behind it, on top of renown quality and original style.... its a piece of culture, a piece of art, a symbol. Even if I got those rare, 1 in 300 or so pairs, I would still wear the crud out of them. The challenge is to take something like that and making it functional and comparable to modern day options. What I would really consider these boots to be, is a base boot. I would modify them in any way humanly possible to make them more efficient at what it is I'm doing. I.E., if I need a more athletic sole for hiking (I'm sure I will), then I will find a way to stitch on a different sole. If the boot needs insulation, etc,. Inefficient, yes, but very meaningful to me to have a say in personalizing and customizing the equipment I'll be using. Hence, I came here to start at the core. The leather. I came here thinking Rough out was the logical way to go, but am not believing so anymore.

Being in my young twenties, there would be something very wrong with me if I didn't make good use of my young body. Thank you for all of the information. As for your recommendation, when you say top grain smooth out, are you referring to nubuck leather? There's another model of Red Wings, called the Nom De Guerre model, made with this. Unfortunately, it seems I'll never get my hands on those. I wanted to have a boot that could possibly stand up to crossing small creeks and rivers, but I understand that if I'm trekking through water frequently, a watershoe/sandal is probably the smarter decision. What you're saying makes me think that if water were to get inside my boot, rough out boots would be inferior to top grain boots. The fleshy side seems that it might be more useful to absorb sweat and any Water that might get in. Also, you referred to "grit" as what wears out the rough out leather, I assumed it meant brush and rubbish that boots come into contact with regularly.

I'm very aware of the faults of that boot. I'm considering getting different models of boots as well, but first I need to learn about the raw materials going into the boot. If I bought these boots, you can bet I would be contacting Red Wing first thing, asking to get a lug sole stitched on. Right now, I spend a couple weeks to a month, per year, backpacking in places around Northern California. The most common area I go to is the Yosemite valley. Currently, I use Nike free trainers as hiking shoes. Note that these have NO ankle support, yet I've never had so much as bad blisters or a rolled ankle. I would like to think my natural dexterity keeps me from any issues or injury, but I might just be lucky. I am an ex boxer, and I keep myself at about an 8 on the fitness scale (10 being a competitive athlete). The boots I will be buying will be mostly used around the northern american forest and mountains below 14000 elevation. As per your experience with rough out, did you buy full grain? From what I understand, the top grain is what keeps the water out, and if the manufacturer cuts off the top grain, then the leather is essentially a sponge with no barrier between that and your foot.

Greetings from California! I am currently deciding between two different pairs of boots that are available to me. The only difference between the two sets, is the leather type. Both are full grain leather. http://hypebeast.com/2011/9/red-wing-shoes-6-moc-olive-mohave-boots - An Olive Rough-out pair of boots. http://hypebeast.com/2010/10/ronnie-fieg-x-red-wing-ashy-grey-6-boot - An ultra rare pair of Grey Oil Tanned Boots The boots I buy will be accompanying me up mountains (with Crampons strapped on), through forests, down into jungles. I spend a lot of time backpacking and traveling through different climates. What I'm looking for in these pair of boots, is something to be as durable and long lasting as possible, able to handle diverse climates and situations. While I realize that nothing lasts forever, I would like these boots to last my adventuring days at least. Right now I'm leaning towards the Rough Out leather, based on the information I've been able to find about its durability. My questions are as follows: Would Oil Tanned Leather out last Rough Out Leather, if kept maintained? Does Rough Out leather eventually wear down to the Corium, and then eventually the Top Grain? If it does, do you condition the deeper layers to prolong them? How would one go about dying Rough Out Leather? Specifically, if I wanted to dye the Olive Pair to a Grey. (I'm completely new Leather Dying) If I want to stiffen up the boots, specifically for mountaineering and putting on crampons, how would I do this? Would Boiling the leather have any side effects? Any comments or information I might find useful is welcome, as well, thanks for any responses and help I get!