Category Archives: Boot Comfort

Another Pair of Boots Bites the Dust

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These are Kenneth Cole “n-different” boots. My brother wanted me to wear “dressier” boots if I couldn’t wear shoes (which I just can’t) so I got these as his gift. Read about the gift process here.

I have tried to wear them several times. Unfortunately, the boots are very uncomfortable. Every time I have worn them, I have developed blisters on my heels.

I have tried a number of things to fix the problem, such as installing gel insoles, wearing moleskin on my heels, and thick socks. Nothing worked. After trying to wear them once more and getting blisters again, I finally admitted that these boots are crap and have to go.

My brother convinced me to donate them to charity. So they’re gone! Good riddance. High-end style name-brand does not guarantee quality or comfort.

Life is short: wear real boots!

Boots In, Boots Out

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This may be hard for some people to believe, but I am not trying to establish a record of how many pairs of boots can be owned and worn by one man. I did, however, briefly hit a new record by receiving a new pair of boots — Guide Gear engineer boots — that I picked up on a surplus sale for only US$20. This brought my collection up to 150 pairs of boots.

However, the very next day, I shipped a pair of my boots to a buddy (he will reveal himself at a later point in time.) These were my Chippewa lug-soled engineer boots that I bought on a close-out sale in 2007.

The Chippewa boots were labeled size 10-1/2D yet my feet swam around in them so much that they were more like an 11EE, which is my friend’s boot size. No matter how thick my socks nor how many additional insole/inserts I put in the boots, my feet continued to “swim around” in the boots and therefore they never felt right. They’re great boots, but not my size and since they were a close out since Chippewa stopped making them with a lug sole, not avaiable in my size.

So, for now, my boot collection remains stable at 149 147 pairs (oops, in June, I had to discard a pair of Harley Harness Boots and a pair of Corcoran Field Boots, but I forgot to delete them from my list until now.)

One pair in, one pair out… and that’s probably what it will be like for a while. Again, believe it or not, I do not envision buying any more boots, but I’m not one to turn down a great deal or opportunity.

Life is short: wear your boots!

100 Kilometers and Boot Sightings

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Last Thursday I arrived at a crazy-huge hotel where a conference I am attending is being held. Upon arrival, we were provided a pedometer as a fun little item to promote health (walking) and to inspire a competition among the staff about who walked the most. Since arrival until writing this message on Monday evening, I have walked 100km (>62 miles). Wow!

It’s not hard to walk a lot in this place. My hotel room is 1km (0.6 miles) to the location where most of the rest of the conference is going on. So if I walk to and from my hotel room just once, I have walked over a mile. Or like today, when I had to go back and forth four times, I logged 8km (4.9 miles.)

Then the meeting rooms and other locations where various functions are going on are also far apart. I am averaging about 18km (11 miles) of walking — in cowboy boots — each day. My colleagues look mighty uncomfortable in their dress shoes, poor fellas.

I walk at a brisk pace. With all of the indoor waterfalls and fountains, the air is rather damp and humid. It makes the walk less enjoyable because it causes me to sweat a lot — especially since I have to wear a shirt, noose, and a jacket all day. Yuck.

But the bright side is that I am indeed walking a lot, and I need to do that. I look forward to walking more when I get home — in comfortable jeans, t-shirt, and boots better designed for walking.

Boot sightings: They held a conference social event last night which was themed around country music. We were allowed to dress “casual” (thank goodness, I could ditch that damn tie!) I put on my cowboy boots, jeans, western shirt, and straw cowboy hat and strolled over to the place. I fit right in, as a lot of other men were dressed the same. They had a good band, and a group of dancers. Man, can those lithe young men dance in those tight jeans and boots!

I decided that I should get something to eat and got in the buffet line. Unfortunately, all that was offered was barbecue pork, beef, or chicken. I can’t eat meats soaked in barbecue sauce. Last year, such food sent me to the emergency room! Other choices of foods were tossed salad, cole slaw, and corn — none of which I can eat, either.

Oh well, I grabbed a ginger ale and sat on a wall for some boot watching. In about 30 minutes I probably spotted over 100 men in cowboy boots. Nice change from playing dress-up all week. They looked more comfortable and relaxed, too.

I got tired of that, and felt my intestines beginning to turn (probably from last night’s meal), so I started to head back. I am glad I did, as by the time I walked that two miles back to my room, I … er… “wasn’t feeling well.” Geesh, I hate not being able to eat various foods most others enjoy. Called it an early night by 8:00pm. I’m just not the party boy nor dancer. Never was, never will be. Plus, I’m getting a little homesick for my man, whose arms I will be snuggled in soon. Can’t wait.

Life is short: wear your boots!

Black Cowboy Boot Memo

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Image above: my left boot at a rail above an indoor garden and water feature at this crazy-huge hotel/conference complex I’m in this week.

A memo must have been circulated, as I noticed a lot of men in black dress cowboy boots yesterday. I mean a lot of ’em — at least 30 if not more. Not bad, not bad at all!

These boots on me? Okay, I admit, after that fiasco with those “bootettes” that I can’t wear, I had only one other pair of cowboy boots that were also a “tad” uncomfortable. Since I am in Nashville (Tennessee USA), which is, after all, “boot country,” I found a nearby outlet and bought myself a pair of simple black dress cowboy boots by Dan Post. I got a great deal, though the sales tax is exorbitant. The boots look great and feel even better!

Problem resolved!

Life is short: wear your boots!

Blisters From Boots

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Yes, unfortunately, it happens sometimes. Some boots are made in such a way that their fit causes blisters on feet or heels. I have suffered that consequence sometimes.

My dear brother convinced me to try a pair of Kenneth Cole boots to wear while I am attending a conference this week. He thought I should be wearing something more dressy and “shoe-like” in appearance with my required jacket and tie.

The boots look good, and even though they are lace-ups, they are fairly easy to put on and take off. They go well with dress clothes.

However, I have had to walk A LOT at this conference, and by mid-day yesterday, my feet were killing me. Big blisters had welled up on the back of both of my heels. I went back to my room and took those suckers off. I applied moleskin and bandaids, then put on a pair of “footies” (short athletic socks) along with a pair of boot socks over them, and then put on a pair of dress cowboy boots. My feet feel better. I did not break the blisters, hoping that the inflammation will die down. I also did not want to risk an infection.

Sorry, ‘bro, I am very disappointed with those “bootettes.” They cause blisters and are generally uncomfortable. I’m going back to what I know works best: Dan Post, Tony Lama, Justin… dependable, comfortable, dress cowboy boots. We will have to talk about what I’m going to do with those Kenneth Cole “bootettes.” I just can’t wear ’em if they continue to cause blisters when I do.

Life is short: wear your boots! (But don’t wear boots from companies that do not specialize in making boots.)

Motorcycle Boot Guide

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It is nice to have friends in the boot world. BootGuyOH and WescoBear did me a big favor and reviewed the latest tutorial that I wrote, a Guide to Motorcycle Boots. These guys are fellow booted bikers, and know their boots like I do. I give each of them a very warm and public “THANK YOU” for their help, which improved this Guide.

What inspired me to create this Guide? I was noticing that a number of people were entering keywords into internet search engines looking for “best motorcycle boots” or “motorcycle boot reviews” and things like that. Some would end up on my website. Then one guy a few weeks ago sent me a question about motorcycle boots and which ones were “best.” I gave him a rather long answer, then thought to myself, “that information should be retained on my website so I won’t have to repeat it again if someone else asks, and perhaps it would be helpful to others.” Thus, once more, was borne a “Guide.” I have a half-dozen of these types of Guides on my website now. I will wait a few weeks to see if search engines do a better job of directing people who have questions about motorcycle boots, their style, comfort, design, durability, and cost to my website.

Meanwhile, visit my Guide to Motorcycle Boots. I hope you find it helpful.

Finally Figured Out Chippewa Hi-Shines

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One would think that a Bootman like me ought to know these things, but I have to come clean — I learn a lot from experience.

This morning as usual, I was using my website to determine what boots I wanted to wear today. (I often use my website to facilitate my boot choices.) I will be on my Harley as usual to get to the Metro, then at work in some meetings. After work when I get back to where I parked my bike, I will be riding again to attend another meeting at our local police district station. This is a regularly-scheduled meeting in which I am involved as a civic leader.

So, bike cop boots were on my mind. So was the weather: very hot and very humid again. (It was 80°F [27°C] at 5:00 this morning, and predicted to reach 95°F [36°C] again today). I wanted to wear good-looking boots that would work for all these activities: riding my Harley, meetings at work in a professional environment, and then meeting with the cops in my district at home.

Chippewa Hi-Shine Boots were the answer. An easy choice. But as I was looking in my boot closet, I pulled out both pairs that I have: my older pair that I got in the mid-90s, and the pair I got for my partner in 2005 and to which I had lug sole plates added a month ago. The older pair still look nice, so I decided to put them on.

Why were they feeling so tight on my legs? Why did my feet seem to swim in a cavern in the foot of the boot, but the shafts were literally sticking to my legs? Since my legs were already sweaty, I had to use a bootjack to yank the boots off my legs. I looked at those boots very closely.

They are standard size 10D. That’s what I usually wear. I looked at my partner’s boots (now mine) and they are size 8.5EE. I pulled them on. They felt GREAT! I had more room in the calf, so they weren’t sticking to my legs or feeling tight, and my foot felt comfortable — not too tight, not too lose.

So, I finally figured it out without really thinking about it. Chippewa Engineer Boots run large. But for those of us with a muscular calf, we need the size in the shaft, not in the foot. So a wide boot provides a wider shaft. Duhh… it figures.

I wonder who else figured this out, and why I am so dense as to figure it out only now. I’ll have to discuss it with my friend Mike after he recovers from the “Up Your Alley” (Dore Alley) fair this coming weekend in San Francisco.

Life is short: wear boots!

Boot comfort

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There are times in my line of work when I have to be on my feet all day long, and dressed in a suit as well. Since I don’t own a pair of shoes, having comfortable boots is a necessity. Over the next several days, I will be at a conference, running up and down hallways, standing at a table providing information, and spending much more time on my feet than I usually do.

Generally speaking, I find cowboy boots are more comfortable than motorcycle boots. Also, there are more styles of “dress” cowboy boots on the market to choose from.

Pictured here is a pair of Ariat cowboy boots that have a rubber tread, so they’ll work well as a motorcycle boot, too. They have a great built-in insole as well. The combination of the insole and the rubber tread, as well as being made of a very soft cowhide, make them quite comfortable. I wore them all day yesterday and I was on my feet or standing for many hours. My feet didn’t hurt a bit.

Of the cowboy boots in my collection, two manufacturers stand out above the crowd: Lucchese and Dan Post. Each of these bootmakers build their boots on quality lasts (forms) and install insoles that are comfortable. Nocona boots aren’t bad, either, but don’t quite have the comfort of Dan Post boots.

What manufacturers make boots that I find to be uncomfortable? Acme by far is the worst, followed by Cowtown and Code West. I’ve discarded any Laredo boots that I had because they’re very uncomfortable and were cheaply made. Unfortunately, I find that Tony Lama, once a premier boot maker, has fallen short in my boot comfort ratings. Justin can be good or not so good, depending on the boot. Justin comfort is inconsistent. Sendras look hot, but to be really fair, they’re not all that comfortable to stand in for a long time. Boots made in Mexico by independent boot makers can really vary. Mezcalero Boots are teriffic, but Rudel and Villano are not. Rios of Mercedes are fair, and Largato are a bit better. You just have to try them on and walk/stand in them a while to see how they feel to you.

Motorcycle boots aren’t ordinarily worn with dress clothes, but I have been spotted from time to time wearing H-D Police Enforcer Boots which by far are the most comfortable tall “bike cop” boots that I own. Far more comfortable that Dehners, IMHO.

Final words: you really have to try on the boots and walk in them. Walk around a store, up and down the aisles, and stand. Just stand in them. Often you can tell after 5 minutes of standing in a pair of boots if they are comfortable to you. Tell the sales guy why you’re doing that — to evaluate how the boots really feel to you. That’s the only way you can tell. If a sales guy doesn’t want you to spend the time doing that, then go somewhere else. And don’t buy the poppycock that “the boots will break in.” The break-in happens in the flex of the sole (for walking) and in the creases at the ankles. It has nothing to do with sole comfort while standing. Don’t let a sales guy tell you any different.

In closing, boot comfort for walking and standing is really measured in the quality of an insole. That makes all the difference. If you like a boot but the insole is not of good quality, you can always buy good quality insoles, like Dr. Sholl’s gel insoles, which are really quite good. (Don’t get the cheap thin foam insoles, which feel good for a few hours then flatten out and aren’t so good any more.)

Life is short. Wear your boots. Stand and be proud while booted.

Cowboy Boot Clunkin’

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There’s something special about the sound of that “clunk” when walking in a quality pair of cowboy boots. Today I put on my Lucchese Black Cherry Ostrich Boots to wear to work. While I don’t dress cowboy (jeans, flannel shirt, hat) at work, the boots look good with dress clothes and they make a great sound on the sidewalks and in the office as I move around. Always reminds this Bootman what’s on his feet! And these boots are darned comfortable, too. Lucchese Boots are known for comfort and these boots are no exception.

One reason why I have so many cowboy boots and motorcycle boots is to have a variety of choices to select from for boots to wear every day. I often change boots two or three times a day, or more frequently on weekends. Boots, to me, aren’t a “fetish” as they are practical, every-day wear. As I’ve often said, “life is short: wear your boots!” Enjoy this day, which is special ’cause you’re in it!