Yes friends, it is yet another boot thread. I'm sorry.
A few months ago, as I was cleaning my porch, I noticed the poor condition of my hunting boots. I was fed up with wearing old combat boots, tattered-and-falling-apart-at-the-seams Merrells and Danners, and any number of other manufacturers that fall short (and apart) of my hopes and expectations - barely surviving 1-2 years of bird hunting. I'm also a bit concerned with spending $400-$500 on a pair of made to order classic US made work boots that have had mixed reviews and opinions. So...the research began. My qualifiers were "heavy duty", "thick leather", "aggressive sole" and "speed laces". Again and again my search kept pointing to vintage European made "mountaineering boots". Further research concluded with whom the internet experts felt were the best manufacturers and the quest began. Since this is an experiment at it's core, I did not want to spend too much. I also found that the highest quality was made in a time frame between the 1940's and the 1980's. Point being, this would be a quest for vintage boots with the least amount of damage and wear. So, I purchased five pairs of pre-owned vintage boots of different makes and styles for the experiment. Anyone have any experience with these boots? I imagine they'll be heavy and not exceptionally comfortable to walk in all day, but I'm sick of throwing my money away on big name manufacturers who sell China made products for which they fail to stand behind. I have two pairs of Swiss, two pairs of Italian and one pair of German-made boots in the mix. I've been reconditioning the leather on them one pair at a time, but soon it will be time to begin the experiment. Please feel free to express your thoughts and opinions on the subject...
Caleb
