Dehner Booted…
Got these bad boys out again recently, cleaned them up and gave them a shine. While they have their faults (plastic shaft), these stock Dehner bal-laced patrol boots remain very comfortable.
With all the Dehner boots I have worn over the years, I learned…
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I see or receive this question (or questions related to the same topic) frequently: “How do you determine the right size for police motorcycle boots?”
I own and wear police motorcycle boots — called patrol boots — regularly. Here is how I do it (your experience may be different):
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I am sharing an observation that I discovered, then confirmed with several other guys who wear boots often — firefighters, cops, and motorcycle riders. Most all agree on “comfort comparisons” of boots with smooth soles, compared with boots with “big lug” soles.
Here is the observation and results of personal comparison tests–
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Someone searched on the internet and was directed to my “How to Wear Cowboy Boots page on my website. The question was, “what to do when you buy a new pair of cowboy boots?”
This is a good question. Here is what this long-term boot-wearing guy recommends:
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I have a close friend who is a local motorcop. His old patrol boots were a mess — dirty, damaged, and the soles were worn thin. He decided to get himself a new pair of motorboots. So what kind of boots did he buy?
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Bal-Laced Dehner Patrol Boots
While I was at the staging area for the Law Ride, an event that was held on May 13, 2012, in Washington, DC, I looked at the boots that the motor officers who were there were wearing. Interestingly (or should I say, “disappointingly”), there were relatively few motor officers wearing Dehner patrol boots.
Why?
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Today, Monday, marks a holiday in the United States. I have the day off from work. It also marks the end of “leather weekend.” While I did not attend any of the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend events, I did have some time yesterday to take some photos of me in a new-to-me pair of Dehner patrol boots that arrived on Friday.
I was going to take a short ride on my Harley yesterday to break these boots in, but it was too darn cold, so I just leathered up, posted photos to my website, and enjoyed my partner’s company.
What’s special about these boots, and don’t I have enough Dehner Boots already?
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Santa is getting ready to make his rounds. Have you been naughty or nice?
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When I woke yesterday morning at 4am, I felt chilled. I reached for the remote control to adjust the thermostat for more heat while snuggling closer to my partner for one last warm embrace. Dayum! It felt like winter. I’m not ready for it. Not ready at all.
There was a prediction the night before for some rain. I thought, then, that with wet roads and cold temperatures, that riding my Harley to work would not be an option.
We threw off the covers and went about our morning routine. As I dressed, I pulled on a pair of cowboy boots to wear with my dress clothes to work.
I stepped outside to retrieve the morning newspaper, and thought, “hmmm, it doesn’t feel that cold. It didn’t rain after all!” I went back inside and checked the thermometer. It was 43°F (6°C) — above my riding threshold. Change of plans for the vehicle to use to drive to work — the Harley! “Switch to motorcycle boots” was my immediate thought.
I went back to my bedroom, pulled the cowboy boots off, and as I was putting them away, I saw my tall, Vibram lug-soled Bal-Laced Dehner boots in the closet and said to myself, “sure, they will be perfect!” I pulled my socks up over the ends of my pants, then pulled the Dehners on over my pants. Comfortable! Great traction! Terrific feel!
I went downstairs to the kitchen. I handed my partner the lunch that I made for him, wished him a great day, and kissed him goodbye as he ran out the door to get to the Metro for his job in the city.
I got my lunch and other stuff that I needed to bring with me to work and went into the garage to get the bike ready to ride. I pulled out my truck and rolled the Harley out. After my usual T-clocs safety check, I donned my thick leather chaps, warm biker jacket, put on my full-face helmet, warm gloves, and off I went.
Okay, some of you may be wondering, “did he really wear his pants tucked into his Dehner boots around the office?” While I did tuck my pants into my boots before taking off on my ride, I did that in order to keep the pants clean. Somehow, road crap tends fly around and make my pants dirty, even if covered with chaps. However, when I parked the Harley and took off my chaps, I pulled my pants out of my boots and pulled the ends of my pants down over the boots. That way, my boots look much like laced dress shoes, and unless I sit across from someone and cross my legs, no one is the wiser.
It is possible, therefore, to wear Dehner boots at a typical business office with dress clothes and not have the boots be noticed (as an ostentatious display.)
Sorry for no photo — I tried taking one with my cell phone, but I could not download it directly into my computer due to some technical problem which I do not have the time to figure out, and I am not about to pay the carrier’s exorbitant fees to send photos to myself. (I will not pay for a data plan or a per-usage fee.)
Life is short: wear tall boots to work!
I have mentioned before that I have a “love-hate” relationship with Dehner Patrol Boots. I love how they look, fit, and feel, but I dislike that the shafts on stock patrol boots are made with plastic stuff that the Dehner Company calls “Dehcord.”
While it is possible to custom-order Dehner boots with leather shafts and feet, the cost is prohibitive. Seriously, few guys have over $800 to fork over for a custom pair of Dehner boots, despite how seriously beautiful they are.
Since Dehner makes stock boots with a 1″ wider calf circumference as a standard option, I have found that their stock boots fit me fine, and I don’t need (or want to pay) for custom boots. I have only ordered custom boots from other manufacturers when I have had a sizing issue.
Three years ago, I ordered and received this pair of stock bal-laced Dehner Patrol Boots. It was my objective to see how they would wear if I wore them fairly often and yet was careful with them. I never exposed these boots to heat, including the hot exhaust or engine of my motorcycle. But I have worn them — a lot. I wear them to work, I wear them while riding my Harley, and I wear them just around the neighborhood.
Every now-and-then, I spray the shafts with good quality furniture polish and buff them. Amazing how they shine up again. Also, about two or three times each year, I give the leather on these boots (feet and backstay) a good wax polish and buffing. I hate to polish boots, but in this case, I make an exception. They really do look good when they shine, though I don’t go all crazy about shining them like some other guys do.
So here they are after three years of cautious care but regular wear:
BTW, the dimpling on the back of the heels is caused by my bootjack — where it squeezes the back of the boot when I pull it off. The dimpling seems more pronounced in the photo than “in real life.”
Oh, and before you ask, how “regular” is “regular” in how often I wear these boots? I’d say I wear them to work 3 – 4 times each month; I wear them when riding the Harley when I ride to work and also 3 – 4 times each month just tooling around the ‘hood; and I wear them about 3 – 4 times each month otherwise. I’d say about 60 – 80 hours/month.
Life is short: enjoy your boots!