Engineer Boots, Harness Boots...

[Beast]

I have some questions about engineer boots. I love the way they look and find myself unwilling to tie my bootlaces more and more, so a pair of engineer boots may be the perfect solution, but im stuck with the following: I have relatively wide feet, high arches and corrective insoles. Will corrective insoles fit inside this type of boots, and still leave room for the deformities with toes at the end of my legs?
(shoes stores stocking engineer boots are hard to come by in my neck of the woods, although amazon.de is showing some promising pairs)

 

[Lost Ronin]

I have some questions about engineer boots. I love the way they look and find myself unwilling to tie my bootlaces more and more, so a pair of engineer boots may be the perfect solution, but im stuck with the following: I have relatively wide feet, high arches and corrective insoles. Will corrective insoles fit inside this type of boots, and still leave room for the deformities with toes at the end of my legs?
(shoes stores stocking engineer boots are hard to come by in my neck of the woods, although amazon.de is showing some promising pairs)

I've got the most of the same issues. Go to Wesco and have your boots made to measurements of your feet. It's a $100 USD up charge and worth every single penny. I've got arches and EEE wide size 10.5 feet. I also have big calves from years of road work and jumping rope from boxing. So Wesco solved all of those problems. My boots are like house slippers. I've walked 5 miles in them on concrete and felt great. Wesco sends a form to measure your feet and there is special instructions for orthopedic inserts as you'll measure differently to accommodate your inserts.
Hope this helps.

 

[Beast]

That 100$ upcharge isnt the problem...the base price is. Those Wesco-boots may/will come in the future, but for now im looking for somewhat of a "trial" boot that wont break the bank. Its more of a question about the general shape of engineer boots.
Also, if someone knows of any store that stocks engineer boots in the north of the netherlands...let me know!

 

[Lost Ronin]

That 100$ upcharge isnt the problem...the base price is. Those Wesco-boots may/will come in the future, but for now im looking for somewhat of a "trial" boot that wont break the bank. Its more of a question about the general shape of engineer boots.
Also, if someone knows of any store that stocks engineer boots in the north of the netherlands...let me know!

Ok fair enough. Well I've got similar feet with high arches and wide Width Chippewa boots in EE fit me good and were comfortable once broken in. Break in didnt take long. The leather is nice but not as thick as Wesco boots.

Chippewa are good boots. I had mine for years. There are many old pairs out there. They will last forever with care. American made as well. I have mine to my brother. He is still wearing. Them.

Also Red Wing boots offer EE sizing in some models. They tend to run a little larger as well which is good for people like us. I hope this helps you in your quest.

 

[torfjord]

That 100$ upcharge isnt the problem...the base price is. Those Wesco-boots may/will come in the future, but for now im looking for somewhat of a "trial" boot that wont break the bank. Its more of a question about the general shape of engineer boots.
Also, if someone knows of any store that stocks engineer boots in the north of the netherlands...let me know!

There’s a red wing shop in Amsterdam that might be worth checking out: https://www.redwingamsterdam.com/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[torfjord]

There’s a red wing shop in Amsterdam that might be worth checking out: https://www.redwingamsterdam.com/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have the 2268 and am happy with them. But in retrospect I think the 2966 are much nicer. Not a huge fan of the steel toe on the 2268. It’s really bulky and gets cold when the temperature drops.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Beast]

Thanks for the kind replies. I'll see if I can find a store that stocks Chippewa/red wing near me. Shirley I should be able to find something!

 

[Mark Action]

Hello everyone. I stumbled upon this thread and thought that I would post a couple of photos of my Phigvel Horsehide Engineer Boots. I purchase them a few years back and I can't say enough about the fit and evolution of the leather. For what I consider to be a mid level boot, they perform just a good as my MF Road Champs and custom made Wesco's. Thank you.

 

[Lost Ronin]

Hello everyone. I stumbled upon this thread and thought that I would post a couple of photos of my Phigvel Horsehide Engineer Boots. I purchase them a few years back and I can't say enough about the fit and evolution of the leather. For what I consider to be a mid level boot, they perform just a good as my MF Road Champs and custom made Wesco's. Thank you. View attachment 143327 View attachment 143328 View attachment 143328

Those are absolutely beautiful boots!! Thank you for sharing. I do love the way they've aged. I'd own so many pairs of boots if I had standard size type feet.

 

[handymike]

Those look amazing!

 

[Shin]

Are engineer boots okay as fashion pieces or do you have to ride a bike to wear them as your everyday item?

 

[RJR]

Are engineer boots okay as fashion pieces or do you have to ride a bike to wear them as your everyday item?

Should be your choice,imo.

 

[Bfd70]

They are boots. They cover your feet. What you do while wearing them is your business.

 

[Sloan1874]

There are plenty of people out there wearing top-of-the-range trainers who cannot and will never be able to run the length of themselves. I don't see how a pair of heavy duty boots are somehow verboten just because you don't own a bike. They're built for comfort, resilience and to insulate you from the cold, so by all accounts they are a pretty utilitarian boot!

 

[Lost Ronin]

Are engineer boots okay as fashion pieces or do you have to ride a bike to wear them as your everyday item?

It should be your choice as others have said. I've worn them almost exclusively since the mid 90s as a teenager. The exception being when I had to dress for business or office settings.

They're a timeless piece of mens fashion. Like leather jackets, two button single breasted suits and Levi's or jeans in general. They've stood the test of time and anyone can wear them and look good in them. I've owned a few bikes over the years. I had engineer boots before owning a bike and I still have them now that I've stopped riding for now.

 

[Bfd70]

Question: Itseems that a fair amount of boots shown here are stock sizes and not made to order based on measurements like say a roll club. I have found that perhaps I have a low instep but i have a hard time snugging boots down enough with the strap. Even at the tightest notch i could stand to have them one or two spots tighter. The boots all fit well otherwise (length/width) anyone else experience this? Remedies?

 

[Lost Ronin]

Question: Itseems that a fair amount of boots shown here are stock sizes and not made to order based on measurements like say a roll club. I have found that perhaps I have a low instep but i have a hard time snugging boots down enough with the strap. Even at the tightest notch i could stand to have them one or two spots tighter. The boots all fit well otherwise (length/width) anyone else experience this? Remedies?

My boots even being custom made are now a bit looser than I would like. I lost 180lbs since having them made. So I went to thicker socks. Real actual boot socks helped a lot. You can also get some gel insoles too. They break in almost immediately too.

Give those a try

 

[Bfd70]

This afternoon i had a local cobbler put some 3/4 insoles in and an instep pad. Really seemed to do the trick. We’ll see how it plays out over time.

 

[trapp]

Those horsehide Phigvels are incredible.

Seems many great engineer boots are tough on a guy like me with wide feet / tall arches. Clinch, Role Club. I've read the Phigvels are really close fitting as well. Nice to look at though!

 

[Edward]

Are engineer boots okay as fashion pieces or do you have to ride a bike to wear them as your everyday item?

If you're happy to wear a SChott Perfecto or similar and not own a bike, a pair of engineers is nothing. Most people won't even recognise them as bike boots nowadays.

Here's another thought.... engineer boots, strictly speaking, aren't actually motorcycle boots: n the early days of motorcycling, there were no dedicated motorcycle clothes or footwear, and bikers had to make do with what was available. Engineer boots were originally designed as on-site safety wear for engineers and construction workers of all sorts, particularly the guys working in the cab of a steam train. Way I see it, if motorcyclists can appropriate them from that for their own ends, no reason you shouldn't further appropriate them for fashion purposes.