Man, I had a really busy weekend! The busy weekend involved five pairs of boots.
So what did I do and what boots did I wear?
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Category Archives: Cowboy Boots
Boots and Aging Feet
I have received some emails over the years from guys who describe puzzlement and concerns about not being able to wear boots that they enjoyed wearing for years. “Does boot leather harden with age?” or “do boots become uncomfortable when worn?” or (my favorite), “can I stretch 30-year-old boots because they’re tight on my legs?”
Hate to tell ya, folks, but it is more likely the human aging process that is causing these problems, not the boots. Here’s what is going on:
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Buying New Boots When There Is Not a Boot Store Near You
I get this question from time to time:
I went online to look for a store that sells boots and mostly found that companies sell online, like through Amazon, or their website. The only place I found where I can go in and try boots on is the Harley Davidson store.
I prefer not to buy boots online and want to know if you have any advice on how I can find a retail store in my area.
I understand the concern — and the frustration — in not being able to find a store that sells boots you are interested in trying on. This situation is especially true for motorcycle boots. Few brick-and-mortar stores carry a full line of boots made by different manufacturers, and those that do usually carry junk made in China, such as Harley-Davidson branded boots. (See this past blog post: Don’t Be Fooled by American Icon Brand Boots Made in China.)
So what do you do in a situation where there is not a retail store that carries men’s boots near you?
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Strathcona Boots from Alberta Boot Company
I have enjoyed conversations via email and phone with the President of Alberta Boot Company which is a family-owned bootmaker based in Calgary, Canada.
The Alberta Boot Company President contacted me when he found my Guide to Motorcycle Police Patrol Boots on an internet search.
Like others, I have seen and admired the Strathcona police patrol boot that this company makes, especially the “hi-brown” style worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But I regret, until now, that I had not listed Alberta Boot Company on my Patrol Boot Guide. (That has been corrected.)
Through dialogue, I learned that the boots made by Alberta Boot Company…
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Clothing Association Avoidance
I received an email the other day from the spouse of a guy who is from Oklahoma. He said that his husband
hates everything cowboy, including the boots. He thinks that cowboy culture perpetuates discrimination against gays in his hometown.
The email writer wanted to find ways to encourage his husband to embrace his roots, and try (at least) to wear boots. The writer himself enjoys wearing boots, and he would like his husband who hails from Oklahoma to do so.
As a youth, I spent a lot of time in Oklahoma — six months each year for my prime years of youth. Yep, that’s where my fondness of wearing western wear and cowboy boots was born, and even today while living in the eastern U.S. — Maryland — I wear cowboy boots every day that I don’t ride my Harley. I wear them to work, to professional and casual meetings, around town, etc.
However, knowing my fondness of “everything cowboy,” you may be surprised at my answer to this email. I wrote…
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General Information About Boots
I receive questions about boots from a number of people. New-to-boot-wearing, the curious, those with specific questions about particular brands of boots, requests to help identify which manufacturer made a pair of boots, and so forth.
I am happy to try to answer these questions. Sure is better to receive those types of emails than from those annoying Pakistani leather vendors or the liars from India selling SEO services.
Receiving a number of these questions lately caused me to stop and think. I probably have forgotten more than most people will ever know about boots. I am not sure how I learned so much about boots, but I look at it this way: some guys can tell you all of the stats about certain sports and athletes, while I can tell you many details about boots, boot manufacturers, boot construction, and so forth. Our respective memories are chock full of facts and data — theirs about sports, mine about boots.
Following, then, are some facts about boots that I have answered over the last few weeks.
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Men’s Decision-Making on Footwear
As my regular readers know, I enjoy wearing boots. I wear them every day, usually two to three pairs each day, sometimes more, depending on what I am doing and where I am going.
Let me provide the context of my life: I am a middle-aged adult man, living in a single-family house in a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs of Washington, DC. I work in an office and am a middle-management professional. I ride a motorcycle (when the weather is suitable), and a four-wheel cage (truck) when not astride my Harley. I eschew the trappings of yuppiehood (fancy cars, the latest gadgets, and braggardry). In my off-time I build things, remodel homes, look after elderly friends, and serve as a civic leader in the community where I live (and where I grew up.) I am married to the love of my life. I am well-educated, including graduate-level studies in the field of observing human behavior and anticipating results of human action.
It is this latter element of my background that gives me some insight into the topic of this post — how men make decisions on footwear.
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Airport Boot Sightings
Recently, I flew from Washington, DC, through Charlotte, North Carolina, to a city on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. While in the airports waiting for my flights, of course I did a lot of people watching — or in my case — looking for the occasional boot sighting.
I am pleased, at least during winter, there were more boots on men’s feet than anticipated. Of course there were a few dodo birds who…
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Boots Worn Recently
I posted recently that I was not writing blogs about what boots I wore each day during the week because it took a lot of time do construct those detailed posts. However, in response to some comments and emails I received, my commentary of “boots of some period of time” has returned, albeit more abbreviated. Here goes…
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Daily Boot Chatter
I have made it very clear that I wear boots every day while doing everything that I do. I wear them with nice clothes that I wear to work. I wear them even with suits on the rare occasions that I have to dress up. I wear motorcycle boots while riding my Harley — always — no silly unsafe sneakers for me! I even wear boots when I do my long vigorous walks — hikers. Again, sneakers? Bah, humbug!
It is amusing to me how many people know that I’m a regular and reliable “boot guy.” I catch them stealing glances, asking themselves and sometimes voicing the question, “what boots does he have on today?”
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