Harness Boots that goes well with jackets - I need your candid opinion

[Bfd70]

Regardless of the boot, it will be uncomfortable for any extended amount of time. The high stepped heel is not designed with the human foots comfort in mind. I like the way boots look but will never wear them based on the God awful discomfort they inflict on my feet. Maybe some wedge sole desert boots...maybe...

 

[Seb Lucas]

Regardless of the boot, it will be uncomfortable for any extended amount of time. The high stepped heel is not designed with the human foots comfort in mind. I like the way boots look but will never wear them based on the God awful discomfort they inflict on my feet. Maybe some wedge sole desert boots...maybe...

I was wondering about that. These engineer/harness boots certainly don't look comfortable or practical. I don't wear sneakers or shoes, so my only footwear, summer or winter, are seven pairs of Blundstone work boots which I rotate. I'm sure there is better footwear for me somewhere but I have never looked properly. Maybe this is the year.

 

[Colin G]

I wear boots all the time. Red Wing and White's.

I find boots very comfortable to wear all day long. The only time my feet hurt is when I put on some slip-on vans for very warm weather and my feet ache until the boots come back on.

 

[navetsea]

when you look good you feel good

 

[navetsea]

Regardless of the boot, it will be uncomfortable for any extended amount of time. The high stepped heel is not designed with the human foots comfort in mind. I like the way boots look but will never wear them based on the God awful discomfort they inflict on my feet. Maybe some wedge sole desert boots...maybe...

I think separate foot and heel on boots is more stable when walking on uneven surface than flat soled sneaker or wedges,

 

[El Marro]

I wear boots all the time. Red Wing and White's.

I find boots very comfortable to wear all day long. The only time my feet hurt is when I put on some slip-on vans for very warm weather and my feet ache until the boots come back on.

I agree, as long as they have good arch support I find my boots to be quite comfortable. I also agree that sneakers feel flat-footed and uncomfortable now that I’ve been wearing boots regularly for so long.

 

[Seb Lucas]

All I can say is jail feels just like home when you've been inside long enough.

 

[El Marro]

Yeah, but you live in one of those cool jails where they let you wear your leather jackets and watch Indiana Jones movies.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Sound like my cell.

 

[AeroFan_07]

I have both Harness & Engineer boots, and have owned other types of Cowboy boots in the past. The signals they may or may not give off mean nothing to me whatsoever. I grew upon a farm. Get over it, be yourself!

What does mean a lot to me these days is comfort & foot support. No type of Frye, Durango, Justin or Chippewa Harness or Engineer boot has ever supported my feet 50% as well as a pair of White's or Nick's lace-up boots have. The only one that comes close are Asian-built, inexpensive, lightweight Ariat's in standard cowboy styles (round and square toe). Putting on a pair is like putting on a pair of very supportive athletic shoes. It's no wonder that so many Western fans I know wear only Ariats.

As for the Wesco's you ordered, they look nice, I had a tough experience with some that just did not fit, wound up selling them at a loss. It's quite a bit easier in my experience to wear a lace-up, supportive boot all day verses a pull-on. They are a lot easier to walk in, but the White's and Nick's can get really heavy. Good luck...

 

[El Marro]

It's quite a bit easier in my experience to wear a lace-up, supportive boot all day verses a pull-on.

I have found that to be true as well and at work I only wear 8” lace up steel toed Red Wings. I rolled my ankle last Monday wearing these boots, and although it was painful I think it would have been much worse if I were wearing a pull on style boot without that good lace up support.
That said, I am inclined to wear pull on engineers when I am not working because I find them comfortable for just walking around and I like how they look.

 

[Zombie_61]

Okay - I see- I hadn't noticed the strap/s. What is the strap for and how can it make any difference to the comfort? To me the Engineer boots look so close to a Harness boot I struggle to see the reason for the difference. I can't imagine needing boots that high for anything- is this a cold weather item? Told you I was a philistine.

The straps on Harness boots are in a fixed position and, as far as I can tell, are only there to make the boot(s) more visually interesting. But on Engineer boots the strap over the instep is adjustable and can be tightened or loosened to make the fit of the boot a bit more comfortable. That being said, I've worn Engineer boots for a lot of years and can't say that adjustment ever made much of a difference to me; if you want a snug fit, get lace-up boots and be done with it.

As for the height, historically this was to protect the firemen's/engineer's lower legs from embers, hot coals, and sharp edges. For working men who rode on horseback, tall boots protected their lower legs when they rode through thick underbrush and chaparral. In modern day motorcyclists wear tall boots to protect their lower legs from all manner of debris that gets kicked up from the roadway.

 

[JMax]

As long as this doesn’t happen, I’m happy with either slip on or lace up footwear.

 

[navetsea]

I wonder if only the shoes flying off or with his feet inside.

 

[JMax]

I wonder if only the shoes flying off or with his feet inside.

Ha, at least now we know how shoes end up on power lines.

 

[Edward]

Some difference in boot design can also be cultural. It's notable that motorcycle boots the desing of which originates in the US are much more likely to have a rasied heel (reflecting the cowboy boot), while British boots like the Lewis range tend to have a lower, flatter heel profile - like traditional British horseriding boots.

Just like the ones offered by Lewis Leathers? Those are gorgeous loooking boots

Not cheap, but Lewis are lovely. Buy the racing or Westway models if you want a 10" boot that goes up inside your jeans much easier than the taller Motorways et cetera.

As for the connotations, same could be said about pretty much any piece of clothing. I personally couldn't care less.

Quite. Unless the gay scene where you are is very, very different than in London, people will only be likely to make that assumption if you're wearing them with leather chaps and a leather harness over your bare chest... The BLUF crowd are a vastly smallerf section of the gay comunity than most people seem to assume.

That's the classic harness boot. Much older design than the engineer boot as we know it - strikes me more as a utilitarian version of a cowboy boot. Certainly fit more like one. Part of me would bed tempted by a pair with the square toe like tyhis if they had the engineer type straps rather than this harness.

or you could just say, "We both know I'm way out of your league"

I have been known to tell a crowd of tourists on the tube "You couldn't possibly afford me, darlings!" as I flounced past. It's amazing what you can get away with in full drag if you have enough confidence! Course, it helps when half the crowd are middle class (" Don't look at them, Marjorie, it's what they want!").

Okay - I see- I hadn't noticed the strap/s. What is the strap for and how can it make any difference to the comfort? To me the Engineer boots look so close to a Harness boot I struggle to see the reason for the difference. I can't imagine needing boots that high for anything- is this a cold weather item? Told you I was a philistine.

Harness boots tend to be closer fitting, more akin to a simplified cowboy boot than an engineer. The harness by this pointg is largely cosmetic, though if memory serves when they were developed back around the time of the ACW, you could pull some of the leather out through the circle at the centre and pin itg to ensure a snugger fit.

In addition to what @Dav said, proper Harness boot will have a square toe, as well, apparently modeled after the Civil War army boots and a higher, angled heel. Cuban heel? Anyway, the straps on each side are supposedly there to protect the wearer from the heat of the exhaust pipe on the bike or something but I'm not so sure about that one. I just think it looks really cool.
Harness boots look more like a cowboy boot. It's more shaped that way. At least the most classic model though you've got all sorts, same as with Engineers.

But in short, the most obvious difference is; Squared toe, leather straps, heel, two pullstraps on each side. That's about it.

The cosmetic differences are just that; the fit is, with harness boots, mucvh closer to a cowboy boot. Snugger.

They may haved been adopted for bike use for the reason you mention, but - justl ike engineer boots - they far predate their adoption by motorcyclists. The harness at the tiem of the ACW, as I mention above, was to do with making the boots fit better rather than anything else.

Regardless of the boot, it will be uncomfortable for any extended amount of time. The high stepped heel is not designed with the human foots comfort in mind. I like the way boots look but will never wear them based on the God awful discomfort they inflict on my feet. Maybe some wedge sole desert boots...maybe...

I think it depends on the inidividual, and thed individual boot. My first engineers were a pain until I fitted them with a thick insole that took up the slack - a joy to wear after that. I stopped buying gutties / trainnig shoes over a decade ago because I'm simply more comfortable in a good leather boot or brogue. In hotter weather, I wear a leather penny loafer.

Though for me leather boots are simply unwearable during the summer for the same reason leather jackets are. Heat.

I rarely have a problem with ankle length boots, but yes, once you get to 10".... I think it's less the height of the boot and more the doubling of the boot and ther trouser....

I wear boots all the time. Red Wing and White's.

I find boots very comfortable to wear all day long. The only time my feet hurt is when I put on some slip-on vans for very warm weather and my feet ache until the boots come back on.

Soundsl ike my experience too. I don't think there is any one, objectively more comfortable design when it comes to footwear.

The straps on Harness boots are in a fixed position and, as far as I can tell, are only there to make the boot(s) more visually interesting. But on Engineer boots the strap over the instep is adjustable and can be tightened or loosened to make the fit of the boot a bit more comfortable. That being said, I've worn Engineer boots for a lot of years and can't say that adjustment ever made much of a difference to me; if you want a snug fit, get lace-up boots and be done with it.

Certainly, you'll never get the same fit with slip-on boots as you will with a lace-up boot; It's like comparing a loose-fitting t-shirt to a corset. I tend to agree that the straps on an engineer boot are more cosmetic than anything, certainly with the weighty leathers they tend to use. Fit-snugness varies, though with a good insole, I tend not to have a problem.

As for the height, historically this was to protect the firemen's/engineer's lower legs from embers, hot coals, and sharp edges. For working men who rode on horseback, tall boots protected their lower legs when they rode through thick underbrush and chaparral. In modern day motorcyclists wear tall boots to protect their lower legs from all manner of debris that gets kicked up from the roadway.

Zactly.

 

[high-maintenance]

Thank you all for the responses. I will post my boots here when it arrives.

 

[tropicalbob]

As much as I love Engineer boots, I can't help being bored with them. Without the strap, they're just leather Wellington boots. Engineers are something I just assumed I'd automatically like the most but it just never really clicked, even though I've spent years in them.

So I've switched completely to classic Harness boots and I don't intend to ever go back. Got three pairs right now and I'm looking for more. They look cool, they're comfortable to wear and they look cool. Like 100x cooler than Engineer boots. IMO, of course.

As for the connotations, same could be said about pretty much any piece of clothing. I personally couldn't care less.

I just noticed that Frye seems to have cut their belted harness boots from their line: I have a pair now in black but just saw a pair in the reddish-brown on ebay. Get 'em while you can.

 

[Monitor]

I just noticed that Frye seems to have cut their belted harness boots from their line: I have a pair now in black but just saw a pair in the reddish-brown on ebay. Get 'em while you can.

Why'd they do that!? I'm going to Canada in a month, gonna try to hunt a pair down there.

 

[tropicalbob]

Why'd they do that!? I'm going to Canada in a month, gonna try to hunt a pair down there.

Check out ebay first. There's a guy with a shop on there that sells new belted harness and harness boots (Frye) for about $200.00. Frye has been doing this for a while: suddenly cancelling a great line of boots only to replace them with something similar - some kind of sales strategy, and an annoying one. I'm still looking for their Jackson Engineers, the finest boots they've ever done. I still have two pairs from about 20 + years ago, but I'd like to find some new ones.