Continuing the series of blog posts about boots worn by motor officers on duty, here is a photo of a pair of Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots with a (new) lug sole that I just had applied to them.
Chippewa Boots have been around for years, and are now part of the Justin Brands group (a company owned by Berkshire Hathaway, whose owner Warren Buffet continues to profit from the diversity of his empire.)
“Chip Shines” as they’re often called are 17″ tall and are made in the traditional Engineer Boot style, with a strap and buckle across the instep, and another strap/buckle on the top of the shaft to adjust the width.
Some cops I know and ride with have been skeptical about adopting Engineer Boots for wear with a duty uniform. The old perception of “bad-ass bikers in boots” aka Jimmy Dean style goes along with it. A couple cops told me recently (blogged about here) that their old-school sergeant didn’t like Engineer Boots. The boots weren’t considered “traditional” or “appropriate.”
But nowadays, if you closely inspect the galleries on my website featuring motor officers, you will see that many more than half of today’s motor officers (at least on the East Coast) wear Chip Hi-Shines.
Why? Well, first of all, the boots are inexpensive (especially compared with Dehners). They have a leather lining. They are durable boots, and are very comfortable. Best thing (from my perspective) is that they have a naturally wide calf, so guys with a muscular calf can wear them over pants or breeches (even leather breeches) without a problem. These boots can not be custom-made, so perhaps that’s why they make the boots with a wider calf to begin with. It’s always easier to tighten the top strap to make them tighter than to have a cobbler do major work on someone else’s product to make them fit.
These boots also break in well, and don’t tend to sag or “break badly” at the ankle like calf-leather Dehners and similar boots do. The boots maintain their shine easily, with just a damp cloth every now and then bringing them back to their shiny appearance. And while these boots have a patent leather plastic top coat, they just don’t get hot like their brothers (Chippewa Motor Patrol Boots) about which I blogged the other day.
Many cops like these boots, and more cops are having lug soles applied to them (according to my cobbler). While the Vibram® rubber sole that is supplied on the boots by Chippewa is quite good, a lug sole provides even better traction and durability.
While one opinionated person who posted a message on “Boots on Line” didn’t like the soles I had applied to these boots, the majority of opinion rules: real cops and real bikers do.
