Footwear

EVERYTHING else besides fedoras.
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The Oracle
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Footwear

Post by The Oracle » Sat Dec 01, 2018 1:43 am

So I know many people love the Alden Indy boot. However, some may not want to pull the trigger on a $500 pair of boots, or perhaps it is just not your style. So, I am starting this thread so to put up some reviews of shoes/boots you might be wearing. I am going to start us off by reviewing the Danner Jack II Lifestyle boot.

I spent many years wearing Lace up and slip on ropers. As a result, finding the right boot for me has been a challenge. Other than style, size/fit plagues me as I am in between a 9 1/2 and 10, also I am between regular and wide widths. This often makes me hesitant to order boots on line. However, I have worn Danner boots in the military, work and for hiking so I felt fairly comfortable ordering these boots in a 10EE.

Out of the box these are a simple leather boot with no frills. I ordered them in Dark Coffee. The workmanship was as I would expect from any Danner re-craftable boot. No flaws were found. Upon inspection, there was no insole. Again, because of my history with combat boot and ropers, no worries here. When I put them on the fit was a little tight for a EE, but still comfortable because of my size. Length was just fine; there is enough room to walk/stand all day without the toes jamming to the end of the boot. My initial walk around the house found them a little uncomfortable as the tops needed to break in and I certainly needed to get re-familiarized with the feel due to the flat foot bed. Because the heel is a little lower than a roper, or combat boot, I felt a little more flatfooted. But, I did feel they would break in well so I decided to keep them and give them a good trial.

The next day I wore them to my daughters horse show. The weather was suppose to be wet in the morning then sunshine. Well it rained all day and there is no claim that these are remotely waterproof. After wearing them in the mud and muck of a saturated horse farm all day, they were broken in. They did get wet through the toe and my socks did get a little wet. But overall, it could have been much worse. My feet didn't hurt, they were a tad chilly in the 40 degree weather wet weather. However, after I got home my feet could tell that my arches had not been supported all day.

My overall impression of this boot is that it is a good kick around boot. It is not made for the extremes that I wore them in and I would not make them my go to boot/shoe for cold wet weather. However, it appears the boot will hold up to this, if your feet can take it. I since let them dry naturally and cleaned them up and I am happy with how they still look. But if you need an orthotic, Make sure you get enough room to put the insole in the boot. Here are a couple of pics. I will revisit this after a little more wear and we will see how long lasting they are with the abuse I put my boots though.
file-9.jpeg
Factory photo
file1-6.jpeg
After a day in the wet cold at the farm
Last edited by The Oracle on Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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n11pilot
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Re: Footwear

Post by n11pilot » Sun Dec 02, 2018 4:51 pm

Those are nice looking boot! Danner has always made a good product as far as I've been familiar with but I had no idea that they were in this line of boots. Most of my experience with them has been in the duty/tactical line. I will give these a definite look after Christmas is paid off.

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Herb Roflcopter
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Re: Footwear

Post by Herb Roflcopter » Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:16 am

I'll second the motion that Danner makes a good product- I liked their Explorer boot; I bought a few over the course of 20002-2010. Very sturdy and comfortable.

Nowadays I wear Caterpillar Steel-Toe boots. The type of work I've been doing of late sometimes requires me to kick in doors, and the Caterpillar boot with a steel capped toe is hard to beat. They're actually comfortable enough for me to wear as an everyday shoe; I haven't worn gym shoes in almost a decade now.

On a side note, I almost bought a pair of Aldens way back around 2002, but I did some research (I asked several people who already owned them) and came away with the impression that they're impractical. The soles are smooth, and this makes for poor traction on slippery surfaces, like ice. I cannot afford that sort of risk in my footwear. I know some Indy fans must have them, but I'll pass on them. $500 is a ridiculous price for that, really. It's the same reason why I don't buy the overpriced Adventurbilt fedora or the $1,200 David Morgan whip.
Last edited by Herb Roflcopter on Sat May 18, 2019 4:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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The Oracle
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Re: Footwear

Post by The Oracle » Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:38 pm

Herb,

One thing I forgot to mention is that the half sole and heel on these are vibram and have some traction unlike the cork sole of the Alden or leather of a dress shoe or roper.

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Herb Roflcopter
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Re: Footwear

Post by Herb Roflcopter » Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:59 pm

The Oracle wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:38 pm
Herb,

One thing I forgot to mention is that the half sole and heel on these are vibram and have some traction unlike the cork sole of the Alden or leather of a dress shoe or roper.
I approve! :)

I do like that steel toe, though- another factor for switching was because I had a section of drywall fall on my foot some years back- my Danner absorbed the brunt of it, but I still ended up icing my foot and sitting down for about an hour.

One downside to steel toe is that your feet can get especially cold if you walk in snow. It was uncomfortable when I took my daughter sledding; thermal socks would have been a good thing.

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n11pilot
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Re: Footwear

Post by n11pilot » Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:38 am

Herb Roflcopter wrote:
Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:59 pm

One downside to steel toe is that your feet can get especially cold if you walk in snow. It was uncomfortable when I took my daughter sledding; thermal socks would have been a good thing.
Even thick wool socks will help with that. Cotton or cotton blend loses all of its insulating quality when it becomes wet or even damp.

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Herb Roflcopter
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Re: Footwear

Post by Herb Roflcopter » Tue May 21, 2019 3:46 pm

I'm doing Star Wars this year for Halloween, and going with the Luke Skywalker Return of the Jedi outfit- I was originally looking for a plain pair of black boots, and was surprised at how difficult it was to find a decent pair for a reasonable price.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I prefer practicality over how cool something looks (or how screen-accurate it is) so after reading some dismal reviews of all those costume boots I see everywhere that are ideal for superhero outfits, I elected to go with a regular combat boot:

Image

True, they have laces which are not entirely accurate, but I don't plan on marching in any official Star Wars parades, so I consider myself safe. Also, my pants stay tucked in, so I don't have to spend more money on screen accurate pants with stirrups, which don't come cheap.

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n11pilot
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Re: Footwear

Post by n11pilot » Thu May 23, 2019 11:25 am

Sharp looking boots, Herb! If those are Corcoran boots they should last you a good long time.

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Cousi
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Re: Footwear

Post by Cousi » Tue May 28, 2019 4:35 pm

What Pilot said. I still have mine from boot camp back in '91 and they're perfectly fine.

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Herb Roflcopter
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Re: Footwear

Post by Herb Roflcopter » Fri May 31, 2019 1:32 am

I just double checked and the brand is Rothco- I've never heard of them, but so far, so good. :)

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