Engineer Boots, Harness Boots...

[bretron]

9268, oh how I love thee!

 

[BrianTheBootmaker]

Road Champs resole and reduced width.

 

[kyboots]

Nice!

 

[BrianTheBootmaker]

^Thank you!



Chippewa engineer boots resole, lasted on the 0-200 flat toe last, and removed steel toe.

 

[mistercitizen]

Wow, what a great thread. Gotta get about 25 pages into it to really start getting into the good stuff, but there's a ton of info here..... not to mention some beautiful boots! I've spent quite a few hours today reading this thread and trying to take in all the options. The White's Nomad has my eye. I really like the look of the Vibram half sole, but I'm not sure about the double leather mid sole, or whether to just go with a single leather mid sole. Seems that most guys like the look of the double leather mid sole, and so there doesn't seem to be as many examples of a Vibram half sole with a single leather mid sole. Also, I'm wondering how it would look to remove a 1/4 inch lift of the heel from the standard option. I have low to mid arch height, plus I don't care for the look of a really high heel.

I'm thinking about brown smooth leather for the entire upper and either a brown or natural stain on the edge of the sole. What does "close trim" refer to? I don't like the look of lugs at all on these types of boots. I guess what caught my eye on the White's versus the Wesco's is the shape of the shaft above the heal and how the White's Nomad seems to curve a bit, and seems to have more shape compared to the Wesco shaft.

I guess I have a question about sizing. If you order a pair of White's Nomads from a site such as Baker Shoe, can you pretty much take the same measurements that White's outlines on their website and send them to Baker Shoe and have them translate the measurements into your size?

Thanks in advance guys. I've enjoyed reading all of the posts and looking at all of the pictures. The pictures of the really broken in pairs of engineer boots makes you want to have ordered a pair yesterday so that you can get right down to wearing them in and getting them to develop that wonderful patina and all those creases in the leather.

Ben

 

[Bunyip]

Wow, what a great thread. Gotta get about 25 pages into it to really start getting into the good stuff, but there's a ton of info here..... not to mention some beautiful boots! I've spent quite a few hours today reading this thread and trying to take in all the options. The White's Nomad has my eye. I really like the look of the Vibram half sole, but I'm not sure about the double leather mid sole, or whether to just go with a single leather mid sole. Seems that most guys like the look of the double leather mid sole, and so there doesn't seem to be as many examples of a Vibram half sole with a single leather mid sole. Also, I'm wondering how it would look to remove a 1/4 inch lift of the heel from the standard option. I have low to mid arch height, plus I don't care for the look of a really high heel.

I'm thinking about brown smooth leather for the entire upper and either a brown or natural stain on the edge of the sole. What does "close trim" refer to? I don't like the look of lugs at all on these types of boots. I guess what caught my eye on the White's versus the Wesco's is the shape of the shaft above the heal and how the White's Nomad seems to curve a bit, and seems to have more shape compared to the Wesco shaft.

I guess I have a question about sizing. If you order a pair of White's Nomads from a site such as Baker Shoe, can you pretty much take the same measurements that White's outlines on their website and send them to Baker Shoe and have them translate the measurements into your size?

Thanks in advance guys. I've enjoyed reading all of the posts and looking at all of the pictures. The pictures of the really broken in pairs of engineer boots makes you want to have ordered a pair yesterday so that you can get right down to wearing them in and getting them to develop that wonderful patina and all those creases in the leather.

Ben

Yep, it's a popular thread with lots of great info. If you send an email to bakers boots, the guy there is Kyle. He is a great guy and will guide you through everything you need to know, I traced my feet and emailed it to him to ensure the right fit.

 

[mistercitizen]

Yep, it's a popular thread with lots of great info. If you send an email to bakers boots, the guy there is Kyle. He is a great guy and will guide you through everything you need to know, I traced my feet and emailed it to him to ensure the right fit.

Thanks! I gotta admit that with these boots the options and variations are a bit overwhelming, but customizing them is what makes them so interesting and fun. The biggest challenge is visualizing what the variations would look like on the finished boot. That's why I appreciate a thread like this with so many photos..... so their is less to the imagination. Brian, your work is beautiful BTW.

I'll be doing a little more homework before the spring for a pair, especially a custom pair from White's or Wesco. I've been wanting a pair of engineer boots for a long time now and have been lurking around here for the last 6 months or so getting an idea of what I like and what I would want. Anyway, thanks again.

Ben

 

[kyboots]

Ben welcome to the club. The Wesco's are very heavy. I love my Wesco's, had them for years and wear them so can't comment on the Whites. ( yet ) Frye's are lighter, Sendra's etc. Be certain and look at the weights of all these too before you order. This is especially true depending whether you wear these daily or for only riding.

 

[mistercitizen]

Ben welcome to the club. The Wesco's are very heavy. I love my Wesco's, had them for years and wear them so can't comment on the Whites. ( yet ) Frye's are lighter, Sendra's etc. Be certain and look at the weights of all these too before you order. This is especially true depending whether you wear these daily or for only riding.

Not a rider, but I am a civil engineer! I would not be wearing them daily, but possibly occasionally out in the field and casually (just because a pair of White's Nomads would look cool). I guess I don't plan on going hiking or walking in them, so I'm not sure that weight would be such a huge factor. My inclination right now is that I prefer the lower heel (1/4" lift removed from standard heel) and a single sole with a Vibram composition half sole. This would obviously take some weight out of the boot compared to most of the boots I've seen on this thread. If most of the weight is in the upper leather, then I would just deal with that with either a Wesco or a White's boot since part of what draws me to those brands is the durable, thick leather.

Thanks for the advice. I've discovered and am combing through the White's Semi-dress Boot thread. A lot of great information there too.

Ben

 

[bretron]

Wesco in the new domain leather (brown), 10" height, bubble toe or standard boss last, soft toe, big fat brass roller buckes, extra inch on instep strap, double midsoles (natural), and 705 half soles. Or at least that's gonna be my next pair

 

[smoothsailor]

^^
next pair?

 

[bretron]

Haha, Paul, nice catch. not anytime soon

 

[kyboots]

lol most of the guys here need hands and toes to count their boots

 

[mistercitizen]

So, here's what I have on my mind:

White's Nomad
Smooth brown upper leather
Single leather midsole
Nickel hardware
Round celastic toe
Vibram composition half sole (no lugs)
Brown edge trim on the sole
Close sole trim
Standard heel height

I guess my biggest question is the heel type. My understanding is that my options on the White's would be 1) standard logger heel 2) ranch packer heel 3) 90 degree straight block heel. What are the major differences between these heels? I couldn't find any pictures comparing the differences between the standard logger heel or the ranch packer heel. I'm pretty sure I don't want the 90 degree straight block heel. I think it looks a bit clunky. So, I'm debating between the logger and the ranch packer heel, but I can't tell much difference between them in any photos that I've found. The only description I've found is that the ranch packer heel is a little wider than a cowboy boot heel.... but I have no concept for how a cowboy heel looks compared to the standard logger heel.

I want a sole that doesn't look too massive and thick, and also does not have the rubber sole interupting the leather of the heel in the middle. I like the half sole look. I thought that taking the midsole down to a single would reduce the massiveness of the sole, but I don't think I want to take the heel height down another 1/4" because in looking at photos of some boots that did have the heel height reduced, I thought that the boot looked like it was tipping back overall.

Ben

 

[smoothsailor]

Haha, Paul, nice catch. not anytime soon

I,m guilty too, one is to much, ten is to little

 

[smoothsailor]

mistercitizen, here's a link to nicks boots http://nicksboots.com/faq#heels
Its not whites but they used to work for whites.

 

[mistercitizen]

mistercitizen, here's a link to nicks boots http://nicksboots.com/faq#heels
Its not whites but they used to work for whites.

Thank you! Great reference on the heels. Looks like the packer heel is slanted a little more dramatically than the standard "logger" or "cuban" style heel. I think I want the soles on my engineer boots to looks similar to the soles on these boots:





Ben

 

[mistercitizen]

How does the smooth brown leather of White's compare to the smooth chocolate brown of Nick's? I would probably lean toward a darker brown.

Ben

 

[bretron]

That leather above has gotta be CXL

 

[BrianTheBootmaker]

Double RL engineer boots resoled with a woodsman heel, 7/8 iron full leather sole, and relasted on 40's Chippewa flat toe last. By Role Club