New Shitkickers

[JimmyCarter]

TIL Dex and my ten year old daughter wear identical shoes.

[Shredhead]

TIL Dex and my ten year old daughter wear identical shoes.

Probably same skis too!

[dunfree]

Texan boots, do they come with pouring money into shitty coaches and tonguing grifter ass?

yer a duck, never mind

[The Reverend Floater]

Superfeet Merinos are pretty awesome too. Plus they are a bit more high volume and make my Lacrosse booth fit great

If you want real nirvana, try custom orthotics in your boots. My foot's all fucked up from a ski wreck, so I have to wear custom orthotics. But adding them to my LaCrosses or Shitkickers is next level pleasure.

[BC13]

Who fucking knew $500-$600 workboots were a thing?




Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

[The Reverend Floater]

I don't know.

Back when I actually worked in work boots, cheap ones wore out pretty quick and their cushion became non existent. If I was on my feet all day, making an honest living, I'd consider investing in expensive work boots...especially at my age. It definitely pays off in hiking/hunting boots, that much I know.

[nickwm21]

Who fucking new $500-$600 workboots were a thing?




Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

They’re a thing… but it’s like 95% people wearing them for fashion, not work. The only tradesmen I know that work in Whites or Nick’s have odd size feet and have to go to a custom boot to get what they need.

I’ve always wanted to try a pair but I’m not sure the math works. I get 3 years with one resole out of a pair of thorogoods. I’d have to get a decade over several resoles out of a $600 boot… I don’t see that happening.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[riser4]

Having outlier shaped feet really sucks.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

They’re a thing… but it’s like 95% people wearing them for fashion, not work. The only tradesmen I know that work in Whites or Nick’s have odd size feet and have to go to a custom boot to get what they need.

I’ve always wanted to try a pair but I’m not sure the math works. I get 3 years with one resole out of a pair of thorogoods. I’d have to get a decade over several resoles out of a $600 boot… I don’t see that happening.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

What Thorogood? My 6” moc toe US made Thorogoods are as good or better than any other more expensive boots. Their Heritage line boots are top quality.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Iowagriz]

In high school (1980-83), I worked shoes in a small town clothing store in Columbia Falls, MT (Flathead Valley). We had 5 main lumber mills and the loggers to support them. We sold Grizzly custom work boots as a competitor to Whites. I remember pricing in the $175-225 range, depending on options. I'd trace your feet on paper and send them into Grizzly, boots would come back in approx 2 months. They could generally be resoled another 3 times, maybe 4, if you really took care of the uppers (I forget how much that cost). Loggers and caulk were the #1 seller, sold several packers to the outfitters in the area.

Grizzly was out of Missoula, near Hellgate High on Higgins.

We also sold a few cheaper brands, Red Wing, and another I can't remember (maybe $75 for these). I cut my sales chops in that store.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Foggy_Goggles]

As my Grandma would say, "Don't be afraid to spend money on your bed and your shoes, if you're not in one, you're in the other".

I like like comfy shoes, its is a big part of feeling helpful and I like to me on my feel all day everyday work and play.

I nice pair of sneakers probably average $100 is you get them on sale. Nice Ariats are about $200 and last much longer.

[Meadow Skipper]

Who fucking new $500-$600 workboots were a thing?

Wildland firefighters fucking know.

I’ve had my fire boots rebuilt several times.

[TBS]

Timber fallers and choker setters know as well.
When you spend ten hours a day on the side of a 45* hill, in the mud and rain, wrestling with chokers & 36” chainsaws, trying to stay on your feet and not die, they make a big difference.

I had my calks rebuilt at end of every season.
Had my old non-calks rebuilt thrice before retiring. My “new” pair are 20 years old and rebuilt once - they don’t get as much use in my old age.

[nickwm21]

What Thorogood? My 6” moc toe US made Thorogoods are as good or better than any other more expensive boots. Their Heritage line boots are top quality.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

8” 814s. My use case is commercial construction in the PNWet. I do 5-10 miles a day on concrete, rebar, mud. I’ll get 18mos out of them, then need a resole, then another 18mos… at that point the leather is pretty ragged and the interior fabric in the toe pocket is worn thru. I think that’s pretty good for a $250 boot and a $100 resole. I’m sure a $600 boot would be nice as hell, but will the leather last through enough resoles to make the economics work.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Meadow Skipper]

I’m sure a $600 boot would be nice as hell, but will the leather last through enough resoles to make the economics work.

White’s and Nicks will replace the leather in the upper as needed. One of my rebuilds replaced the front piece and whatever they call the piece that runs up the back.

Just sayin’. If you can get by with $250 boots that’s great, no need to bust out the credit card for the high end. Just like some folks can get by with your average pickup truck for work.

[BCMtnHound]

When I was running up and down the hills five days a week, I budgeted $100/yr on footwear. Could spend that each year (and the boots suck), or spend $400 for a pair of higher end mountaineering boots (Italian or German made) and they fit better and last 4 or so years. Ankle support, and ability to toe or edge into the slope was paramount. Modern mountaineering boots without a proper welt sucked for re-soling, so when they were done a new pair was purchased. I bought my last pair of work boots 5yrs ago, but I am much more in the office these days, so they’ll likely last another 5 with a bit of care.
I’m actually surprised how little inflation has impacted the price of good outdoor footwear over my 30yr career.

[nickwm21]

White’s and Nicks will replace the leather in the upper as needed. One of my rebuilds replaced the front piece and whatever they call the piece that runs up the back.

Just sayin’. If you can get by with $250 boots that’s great, no need to bust out the credit card for the high end. Just like some folks can get by with your average pickup truck for work.

How much do they charge for a rebuild? Im going to guess it’s more money than a $250 Thorogood….


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[oldnew_guy]

Whites are (or were) so much better than standard workboots. I started out in some redwing/thourogood boot, then Wesco, then Whites. Typically rebuilt them (note that rebuilding is different than resoling) every 18 months and bought a new pair every 4 years.

Worth every penny. Fit is better, comfort is better, they last longer, fewer blisters, etc.

Lots of WFF have gone to a more standard hiker profile boot, but my impression is that they are spending $250-300 per season on a new pair as they don't hold up.

[BCMtnHound]

I’ve done a bit of wildfire rehab work, and nothing kills a leather boot faster than a mix of water dirt and ash. Only time I wished I had a pair of rubber Vikings.

[JimmyCarter]

Music to kick shit to

[BC13]

I don't know.

Back when I actually worked in work boots, cheap ones wore out pretty quick and their cushion became non existent. If I was on my feet all day, making an honest living, I'd consider investing in expensive work boots...especially at my age. It definitely pays off in hiking/hunting boots, that much I know.

The importance of comfort definitely has a positive correlation to age.

I recently had to update my work casual wardrobe and bought a couple pairs of shoes. My favorites, which I have been unexpectedly wearing multiple times a week are a pair of Florsheim side zips. I never thought I'd be caught dead in a pair of side zip boots, but they are wicked comfortable and look great with dress pants, khakis or jeans. Certainly not shit kickers - and they won't last for a decade, but a damned good $100 buy marked down on line. I can wear them walking around all day without my feet complaining a bit.

I've been drooling over the looks of the boots mentioned upthread, but would both feel like a poser wearing them, and also feel ashamed marring them up doing nothing more than yardwork or manning the snow blower.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

[Meadow Skipper]

How much do they charge for a rebuild? Im going to guess it’s more money than a $250 Thorogood….

I forget, it’s been a while. But like I was saying, if your boots are working for you that’s great. I don’t want to debate it, other than to say I wonder how thorogoods would do on a long season on the fireline. Just know there’s a reason so many loggers, smokejumpers, hotshots, etc. wear those spendy kicks. Not all of those folks, for sure, but a damn lot do.

And what oldnew_guy said. The custom fit is kind of awesome.

Edit: and FWIW, you can get 20%-30% off on White’s now at whitesboots.com or bakershoe.com.

[dunfree]

I forget, it’s been a while. But like I was saying, if your boots are working for you that’s great. I don’t want to debate it, other than to say I wonder how thorogoods would do on a long season on the fireline. Just know there’s a reason so many loggers, smokejumpers, hotshots, etc. wear those spendy kicks. Not all of those folks, for sure, but a damn lot do.

And what oldnew_guy said. The custom fit is kind of awesome.

red wing sold their wild land boots for $70 at the factory sale; there’s a shit ton of quality you can fit between $70 and $700 and still make money.

biggest problem with leather boots if you are working long days is getting them dry

[Meadow Skipper]

red wing sold their wild land boots for $70 at the factory sale; there’s a shit ton of quality you can fit between $70 and $700 and still make money.

$260 on their website. But I don’t know if they’re rebuildable, durable, or comfortable.

biggest problem with leather boots if you are working long days is getting them dry

Yep, can be an issue.

[dunfree]

$260 on their website. But I don’t know if they’re rebuildable, durable, or comfortable.


Yep, can be an issue.

Columbus Day weekend the red wing factory used to have a parking lot sale ( in red wing, mn) where they’d sell direct at steep discount. They had a couple years wildland ff boots for dirt cheap

my now deceased cobbler wasn’t terribly enthused about the fixability of my RW Iron Ranger’s