Cowboy boots?

[richmondesi]

I trained horses for years. Rodeo before that. Ive had lots of different brands. Right now I have a pair of Ariats with a riding heel. I like them pretty well. Im picky about boots but wont pay a fortune. Boulet arent bad. Had a couple pairs. I quit wearing Justins long ago. They wear out way too fast. Cheap IMO. Worst pair I ever had were Cowtown. Tony Llamas arent bad. A lot of real cowboys wear Rios of Mercedes. I know real cowboys that swear by them. Luccese puts you in the "Dude" category but they look dressy.

Lucchese's are definitely more about fashion than function, but I don't think any one I know that wears them would be a "Dude" because that would require the belt buckle, starched jeans, etc...

Robert Graham shirts, 7 jeans, etc... don't scream "Dude"

 

[Donner]

Double H. Liked my first pair so much, i bought a second for my wedding.

I have a bad back and i really like that double H has a tread on the bottom, as opposed to smooth leather. I find it gives me a better footing.

Also, remember that boots are expensive but if taken care of, will last for 20 years if not longer.

 

[HCSchluge]

It depends on the look you are after, but I prefer to stay away from the roach killers and western boots with tapered heels. Ariat boots are very fashionable and have normal heels. They spe......e in English riding boots and have some very nice dress boots. The problem you will find is that your normal dress slacks wont work with boots. You will need longer trousers so that when you sit, your pant legs don't crawl up the boot and destroy the look.

 

[Prodog]

My Ariats are more the buckaroo type with a cowboy heel...not a roper heel. It has a little taper. Mine have a rawhide on the heels for spurs and tall wide tops so you can stuff you jeans down inside easily. I dont do that much though.

Most cowboys and western horsemen wear their jeans a little too long. Nothing worse than cowboy boots and short jeans.....back to the dude stuff again. LOL

As far as dress pants and cboy boots Im out. To me they are for jeans not slacks.

 

[ladder44]

As has been noted, it depends a lot on why you are wearing them. I wear boots almost daily. My favorites are a pair of cheap Justin Roper Basics (all leather [like short suede], short upper, plain toe, relatively thin sole). I think they were around $56 at Rural King. I also have two other pairs of boots. One pair of black Ariat western boots (i.e., there is a stiched design on the foot and toe) and a pair of tan Tony Lama ostrich boots. The Ariats are literally more comfortable than any pair of shoes I own. And the ostrich are tough as hell -- ostrich is a super durable hide. Ariats or anything made from ostrich will cost some coin, but they are VERY nice boots. You can find cheaper ostrich boots if they are made from multiple pieces of hide on each boot. I don't see a problem with with multiple-piece boots, but some folks don't like them for status and durability reasons (I've owned some and never had an issue with durability). I have also owned and outgrown lizard, shark, and python boots. Lizard and shark are good hides. Easy to maintain and durable. I would, however, avoid snakeskin -- they require a lot of upkeep with moisturizers, and they are not very durable.

 

[Dustinl]

As has been noted, it depends a lot on why you are wearing them. I wear boots almost daily. My favorites are a pair of cheap Justin Roper Basics (all leather [like short suede], short upper, plain toe, relatively thin sole). I think they were around $56 at Rural King. I also have two other pairs of boots. One pair of black Ariat western boots (i.e., there is a stiched design on the foot and toe) and a pair of tan Tony Lama ostrich boots. The Ariats are literally more comfortable than any pair of shoes I own. And the ostrich are tough as hell -- ostrich is a super durable hide. Ariats or anything made from ostrich will cost some coin, but they are VERY nice boots. You can find cheaper ostrich boots if they are made from multiple pieces of hide on each boot. I don't see a problem with with multiple-piece boots, but some folks don't like them for status and durability reasons (I've owned some and never had an issue with durability). I have also owned and outgrown lizard, shark, and python boots. Lizard and shark are good hides. Easy to maintain and durable. I would, however, avoid snakeskin -- they require a lot of upkeep with moisturizers, and they are not very durable.

A rule of thumb for boot makers is that if it comes from the water, it's no good for boots. With that being said, shark is some of the most durable hide to be had, but it is very unpredictable from hide to hide. When building a pair of boots from shark, you may have a pair that lasts for the duration of the wearers life, or you may have a pair that spits in a couple of months. A lot of boot makers won't even offer it due to the unpredictability. The same with stingray. I think stingray hide makes some of the neatest looking boots. The hide very much resembles a man-made product called FRP board that is used in commercial kitchen application. It is covered in small little "pebbles" that are very hard on equipment and is known to break needles very fast. Stitchlines on stingray are not straight because when the needle encounters one of the pebbles, it tries to slide off the pebble into a soft spot. Thus, stitching is a very slow process. I bought two burgudy colored hides a few years ago with plans to build myself a pair. Just haven't got to it yet.

ladder44, you mention some ostrich that is pieced together. There are two reasons for that. First, most hides only yeild two vamp cuts (one pair) of full quill, and two vamp cuts of half quill. Boot makers have been known to go down into the legs and get cuts there. Since the legs are obviously smaller, it would require a splice to make one vamp cut. Secondly, with the price of hides so high, I suspect that a boot maker might want to utilize all the leather and make many splices to produce a pair of vamps. I would never recommend ostrich for anything other than dress, and would never recommend reptile of any sort. Factory boots can get away with it and that is fine, I'm not trying to knock reptile.

The most durable "dress" boot hide that is available in my opinion is french calf. And that's all it is, just cow.



DL

 

[Blondie]

I would say Lucchesse. They are great fitting, comfortable boots. Stay away from the Lucchesse 2000, as they are not as well made. I have a pair of Black Kangaroo Lucchesse from the days before they needed a designation of "classic". Once upon a time, there was just Lucchese.

 

[Prodog]

Ostrich are very nice boots. I have had a couple pairs of smooth ostrich boots. I dont care for the full quill. The only thing I would say about ostrich is you dont want to get them wet. The ostrich will likely darken and never go back to the original color. They are tough though and super soft and comfortable. I think they were the most comfortable cowboy boots I ever had.

 

[MMCCX]

i'll throw out an off-brand. Rios of Mercedes.

http://www.riosofmercedesboots.com/


great boots. American small shop made.

some in stock, 2-3 months for requests.


also another vote for custom made. if you have any sort of 'non standard' foot issues, cowboy boots can be torturous. but a good pair is like walking barefoot.

 

[SVCM]

Luchese are terrific looking and wearing but a little pricey, like Justins as a second choice.

 

[Austin]

My favorite boots are Chris Romeros if you can find them.

 

[StylinLA]

I would say Lucchesse. They are great fitting, comfortable boots. Stay away from the Lucchesse 2000, as they are not as well made. I have a pair of Black Kangaroo Lucchesse from the days before they needed a designation of "classic". Once upon a time, there was just Lucchese.

+1 They "2000" is their inexpensive line. The "Classic" is it. I agree too they are more of a fashion boot than a real use boot. But I don't mean that in a bad way.

They look good and feel great.

 

[6Jetwrangler]

Justin double comfort work boots there are no boots or shoes i have found more comfortable 10 hr shift and no fatigue. I never believed it till i tried them, they are truly excellent. Wide variety of sizes as well.

 

[richmondesi]

I was talking with a buddy that was telling me how great the Black Jack boots that can be customized through Cavender's Boot City. Do any of you gents have any experience with them? Thoughts?

 

[Blondie]

On the topic of Lucchese, I was speaking with them about getting my Kangaroos resoled, and they let me know that they will no longer resole any boots that are made from restricted skins anymore. So even if you bought the boot when the particular skin was not endangered/restricted, they won't resole it. Also, won't ship Kangaroo to California. Bummer for them, thank God I'm in Texas.

 

[SwimCap]

My sister bought me some Justin's when I was a teenager.
http://www.justinboots.com/boots/western.html?424fccf8=55791

I love them. They have only gotten better with age.

(I am no expert on boots...the experts might disdain these...but until I wear another pair that suits me even better, I'll swear by these!)

 

[aggiejason]

Check out Anderson Bean boots. I have 2 pair and like them a lot. I think they are related to Rios of Mercedes that was previously mentioned. They have some funky/quirky styles and colors.

 

[titan_021]

For riding/work - Ariats are great...durable and comfortable all day

For looking good, going out - Lucchese, hands down some of the best boots made. A little more $$$, but they are still handmade in Texas.

 

[Dustinl]

Check out Anderson Bean boots. I have 2 pair and like them a lot. I think they are related to Rios of Mercedes that was previously mentioned. They have some funky/quirky styles and colors.

+1 on Anderson Bean. They can be found at www.nrsworld.com


DL

 

[txengineer]

I only wear boots when working outdoors or hunting when it's cold, but I love Redwings.

http://www.redwingshoes.com/productdetails.aspx?prodid=1090 Made in America!

They have been both very comfortable and durable. You won't score any points with the big belt buckle crowd, but if you're not looking for the last word in fashion, they'll give you lots of bang for the buck.

Coincidentally, I'll be going past the Nocona boot factory tomorrow. I think they were bought out by Justin some years back. There's never much activity there anymore.