Exploring What Makes a Heritage Welted Boot Comfortable

So, we say on social media, "Man, these boots are really comfortable boots." But, really, are they? Are any boots comfortable? >> [music] [music] >> How you going? Welcome to Bootlosophy, and if you're new here, my name is Tech. And so far, I have reviewed 170 pairs of boots. >> [laughter] >> Go and see my video library on my channel for all the reviews. I'm coming to you from Gallup, which is Wotje country. Kalyko Wotje Nungar Budja. Yes, all of us serious boot collectors have at one stage or another proclaimed a pair of heritage boots as being really comfortable. In fact, I've done, you know, nearly annual videos about the most comfy boots that I acquired during the year or the ones that I own, or I've gone through my most comfy mock toes or most comfortable service boots, whatever. And yet, heritage boots, stitched boots, welted boots, stitch down work boots are tough. They're made the old way with relatively thick uppers, and we also pine for the unadulterated full leather sole construction, which takes weeks to break in. And even after break in, the first time you slip your foot into a cold boot in the morning, and the leather is cold and hard, and before your feet settle in, is it really comfortable? Most of us come into boots in our adult life. We wear sneakers or mall or shopping center bought fashion shoes or just comfy shoes. Names like Ecco with squishy polyurethane soles, fashion shoes with foam and padding and cement construction which bend at the ball as soon as you buy them. So, for most of us, when we try on our first heritage style stitched welted or stitch down boots, you're lying if you said, "Wow, in relation to the squishy shoes I've worn all my life, these are so comfy." Yeah, nah. For most of us, our first reaction, honestly, is "What have I let myself in for?" I love the look and feel of these boots and intellectually, I've watched and read that they need breaking. But, really? Will they ever feel like my soft squishy sneakers? And then, over time, we realize that even our soft squishy shoes lose comfort over time, don't they? As the foam and the PU materials break down. And eventually, they're cactus. That's also roughly when we realize that our heavy, initially uncomfortable boots actually become more and more comfortable. Tell the truth. Never as comfortable as a new pair of Ecco or other foam-based shoe. But, for the materials that last forever, yeah, they're comfy. But, tell the truth again, sometimes we cheat and slip on a pair of Thursdays with their Poron insoles and quietly think, "Yeah, I'll get away with it. I mean, I'm wearing Goodyear welted heritage style boots." And quietly, I appreciate that Poron squish. So, all that aside, what makes a pair of heritage boots comfortable? I believe there are four main characteristics, and I have a guest presenter who has discovered a fifth. So, what are they? I think the first and foremost characteristic that makes a boot feel comfortable is to nail down the right size in the right last for your foot. Second is the uppers leather. What is it and how does it adapt to the shape of your feet and your ankles as you wear the boot in? And included in this characteristic of comfort is the design and construction of including any toe caps. Third, I think is the sole type. Are wedge soles inherently comfortable? Well, yes, I think so, but they're not suitable for all types of boots. So, what other types of outsoles for what use are also comfortable? And then fourth for me is arch support. And included in this is how some brands build up this arch support. Or to encroach once more into the last, how they design the last to be comfortable for some feet. And the phrase some feet is incredibly important because in my opinion, no one boot can be the everything for all feet. I know that what I find as some of my most comfortable boots, others will say, "Oh, they're terrible for your feet." And my guest, Eli Aquino or the Heritage Tribute from Instagram, he's added a fifth consideration. The idea that the structure of the uppers must match the structure of the sole construction so that they both match each other in terms of either support or flexibility. So, let's start with size and last design. I won't spend too much time on the size. I mean, that is obvious. You buy a boot that's too big or too small and your feet will either get tired walking around in a sloppy fit or be in real pain with hot spots everywhere. But the last is something that we forget. We like boots because of the look. I mean, take a look at this Parkhurst Alan boot in the 618 last. To me, this last is just perfect for my feet. It's a combination last, meaning that it's narrow to a C or even B width in the heel and in the waist, so that it grips the back part of your foot. And then it widens to an E or even a double E width at the ball of the foot before elegantly without really narrowing too much into an almond shape toe. No one person's foot can fit into every last. So, it is important to say that this last suits my feet. As do Grant Stone's Leo last and Alden's True Balance last and Tricker's 4497 last. None of these make me slip around inside the boot. None of these squeeze my foot anywhere. And all of these give me a a wide ball of the foot area for a reasonably wide foot there. So, I believe that lesson number one is to know your size in the brand you're looking at. And despite how we like different shapes, make sure that the last of the boot you're looking at fits your foot. Now, let me move on to the idea that in order to be a comfortable boot, it needs to balance the structure of the uppers with the structure of the sole. Here is Eli Aquino, who is the Heritage Tribute on Instagram, and his take on this issue. >> Hi Take. Regards from the beautiful Panama in Central America. And yes, I live in Panama and I use boots all year round as crazy as it sounds. Okay. Well, first off, my friend, huge thank you for inviting me to share my thoughts on boot comfort. Um it is a very complex topic that many um uh boot lovers and enthusiasts have talked about it online, including you and and uh um it got me thinking about a theory I have on um why some premium heritage boots end up causing absolute pain. And um we're not going to be talking about what I consider is the king of comfort, which is sizing. Sizing and and uh the and choosing the right last, um understanding the uh three-dimensional um shape of your foot. That's That's a whole different story here. I'm going to be talking about the queen. And when I mean the queen, I I intend to explain that materials, the combination of materials, are very important for the comfort experience. I think that's the queen of comfort. It's all about the ratio between the upper leather and the soles. So, to provide my to prove my point, I'm using my treasured Tricker's. So, we have uh four uh models here. Two of them are made on the uh classic 4497S last. And uh the other two, the monkey boots, uh Ethan, are made using the 5402R last. So, let's look at this first pair um built on a heavy rigid sole, but featuring a very soft upper. So, this is a commando sole, Goodyear commando sole, very heavy locked, uh with a veg tan mid sole and uh veg tan um welt, and cork filling, and uh wooden shank, I think, and then the uh veg tan insole. So, all of that is the bottom of the boot. Uh the upper is Castorino suede, olive Castorino suede, beautiful stuff from Charles F. Stead, outstanding. Just gorgeous. Um but now, when I walk, the soft off upper gives me zero structural leverage to bend the boot, right? So, my foot ends up pressing down and fighting against that rigid sole, completely unsupported. Right? So, the break-in is absolutely brutal on this because and the and I'm trying to explain the mechanics of my of my stride and my foot with the almost disrespectful level of English that I have, so I'm sorry. I hope I'm I'm I'm making it clear. So, I when I try to bend this, all the pressure, right, that it's unsupported by the uppers, so my foot is trying to accommodate that movement, and so the pressure goes down, and I feel a lot of pain uh when when I'm walking long periods of time boot, okay? So, soft upper, hard uh bottom. Now, let's look at the second pair, which features the beautiful um acorn uh antique leather. This is a stow boot uh with a Dainite sole. This is an absolute classic. Beautiful boot, one of of favorite boots, all right. So, it's the same last in this case, same concept. So, it also has what I consider a pretty heavy sole, which is a day night is is not as heavy as the commando, but still very hard with a mid sole at the welt, the um the cork filling, the shank, and the um leather full grain leather insole. Um now, the the walking experience is different though. Um this uh in this pair uh with this with the structured calfskin upper, when I flex my foot here, the firmness of the leather actually helps force that heavy sole to bend with my foot. With my foot, sorry. Uh it keeps the movement integrated and feels incredibly comfortable. Because when I'm trying to bend, when I'm walking, um my foot feels supported. The energy transfers to the sturdy upper and it helps me leverage that movement. Now, same concept here. This is the monkey boot with a very hard um bottom and a supple, very supple sand um the suede. It It's same thing. When I bend this, my foot is trying to accommodate here and trying to find help, but it is not enough, so the pressure goes down. And I still And And depending of the movement of my um specific stride, I will have pressure points, and you will have a different experience on the pressure points as well. Whereas with this one, which features the beautiful um Richway like uh sole, one of my favorite soles apart from uh from leather soles, this is a on on a very sturdy um kudu leather. It's a whole different story. I feel supported. Even though this is a shorter uh boot, when I bend, everything supports the stride. Now, I have a a special guest just to further prove my point and is the my beloved um Alden Indy in snuff suede. Now, this is a different his- story here. This is a different story. This is made with a snuff suede supple stuff, but it has a softer construction and selection of materials, which are a little bit, you know, um out there, a polemic topic, but still, they they have a leather kind of mid sole here with a half uh commando sole, like really s- short, small uh bricks here. Um it is very, very supple because it has these uh leather board or whatever people hate that I love on the of these boot. Um and uh and so being soft, we being upper and a soft bottom, the striding and breaking process is very pleasant. So, this is a comfortable boot right out of the bat. I mean, this is it's a comfortable boot even looking at them uh from the website. So, it it's a different story. So, here we go. Uh that's my theory, the ratio between the upper leather and the soles make a difference on the comfortable comfort experience. This is only my short and humble experience. I I would love to know what you think. >> Thanks, Ellie. So, lesson number two, does the support offered by the uppers match the toughness of the soles? Or to put it another way, what are you using the boot for and is the entire boot as a package made for that purpose? If it's meant to be a light casual boot with, you know, very supple uppers leather, but it's built on a super tough multi-leather layered sole construction with a heavy lugged sole, you may find it uncomfortable. And leading on from that, the uppers leather themselves can dictate comfort or discomfort. I mean, this Crown Northampton desert boot, it's made of the softest, I dare say thinnest, unlined suede from Charles F. Stead. If you take a a look at how soft the suede is, and taking into mind what Ellie said, you just know how comfortable this leather is around your foot. When you put these on, it's unlike any other boot for indoor slipper-like comfort. But then, there's this Nick's Overlander made from Horween's Spokane leather, a derivation of their Chromepak tannage. This leather is not thin. It's nearly 4 mm thick. Yet, while it's incredibly supple, it also keeps its structure and is very supportive. In this uh turned-over roughout waxed flesh version, it wraps around your foot supportively, but never exerting any pressure against any part of your foot. No way I'd wear this around the house and then, when I put my feet up on the sofa to watch TV, say that, "Oh, this is so comfortable." But out for a bush walk, taking it where it's meant to go, this is one of the most supportive yet comfortable leathers you can choose for adventure. And as Ali says, it doesn't hurt that it has the full PNW sole construction package underneath to help with overall support and comfort. But then, the pattern of a boot, despite comfortable uppers leather, could cause problems. Take this Parkhurst Richmond. This is in waxy commander from CF Stead and it has a real toe cap. It's very interesting that I never have a problem breaking in Parkhurst boots except for two pairs. The first was, I think I'm remembering, an old New York made Richmond in double shot. Lovely leather, but the celastic heel counter had been misplaced in the manufacture and it rose a little above the heel into my Achilles tendon. And boy, did that dig into my tendon until I was told to get a heat gun and gently mold the heat cup into a kind of back curve shape. This is the second uncomfortable pair. The Richmond has a lovely proportion toe cap. But in this case, this is a sample boot. Because it has a true second layer, I find that the reinforced toe box bites into the top right toes when I walk, certainly before breaking in. It doesn't bend a little in front of the toe cap stitching so that the edge bites into my foot. And this is despite waxy commander being one of the most balanced leathers between support and suppleness. On its own, you'd say it's one of the most comfortable leathers you can use for uppers. So to summarize this characteristic, the uppers leather and the pattern can make a difference. And perhaps in reinforcing Ali's point, you need to balance the uppers leather with the use of the boot and the balance of the whole foot. The next characteristic of boot comfort I want to discuss is the type of the sole. I've dealt with sole construction, but what about the actual type of the sole? I have always found wedge soles comfortable, particularly in my work where I sometimes lead and facilitate management workshops and I'm on my feet all day for, you know, up to two or three days. I'm striding between white boards on stage or all around the convention room amongst the tables. I've come to wear this pair of Louis Vuitton Indiana boots for those sessions because of the last, but also for sure because of this wedge sole. It's not as firm as a Red Wing rubber wedge sole, but I find it quite similar to Thorogoods. I don't think it's uh rubber. I'm I'm sure it's not rubber, but I think it's a kind of polyurethane compound where it's firm, but also giving. So, it's not just the wedge shape where your arch is almost naturally supported, but it's also the compound. Does that mean that the solid block heel rubber outsoles are less comfortable? No. Although I do find original Dainite quite overly firm when new. But in this Grant Stone version of the studded uh outsole uh that they put on their Diesel boot, this one is the 10 Essex. This compound of rubber they use and the design of the studs and not being overly high, combined with the all leather and cork construction of midsole and insole, I find incredibly comfortable. So, add lesson number four. Be aware of the type of sole that's under your foot. Finally, I I want to talk about arch support. Let me go back to something I said at the beginning. Every foot is different and that affects how you view or feel arch support. I believe we all need it to some degree, and that's why I personally hate barefoot boots because they make me feel like I'm walking around barefoot. Hello. But, that's not a good thing for me. I have slightly collapsed arches, and while I find high arch boots uncomfortable, I find no arch support painful. However, I have tried the high arch support PNW boots in the 55 last, and I didn't like it. I felt that the high arch was digging too much into my arches, and in PNW bootdom, I prefer the HNW moderate arch as I have in these Nicks Overlanders. The way that PNW brands, and in this case Nicks, build up the layers of leather under your arch in this HNW last, to me, really fits the curve of my foot so well. There are no gaps between foot and sole, and as I gradually mold my foot down on these, that no gaps fit is becoming more and more bespoke. But, you can also achieve good arch support with last design. Now, I've spoken about last already, and I've mentioned them much maligned Alden Indy, often maligned by people who hate the price of it for what they see as inferior materials, but who have never put it on. Almost everyone I know who's put it on with no commercial ax to grind, understand why it's so good. The design of this boot, by a brand that made orthopedic shoes, supports almost any man's arch, no matter what shape that arch is. It does it by design. The True Balance last, like the Parker 602 or 618, is combination, gripping onto your heels and allowing room in the ball of your feet. The narrow waist tucks in under your arch like like a cantilever bridge supporting your arch by supporting over empty air. That's a hell of a design. The insole material breathes and allows your arch, whatever shape, to slip in and then the Thomas heel helps to push up into the otherwise yawning gap between heel and ball. So, lesson number five. Arch support matters in comfort and be aware of, whether it's the last, the sole construction, or the design, how a boot affects your arch. So, to summarize the five characteristics that you should look at in mine and Eliaquim's personal opinions, if you want a comfortable boot, these are get the right size and make sure that the last works for you. Try to match the supportiveness or suppleness of the uppers with the soles. Three, choose the support or softness of the leathers to see that they bind your feet but feel good around your feet. Four, choose the right sole type that you find most comfortable. And finally, five, choose the boot with the right arch support for your foot. In fact, that is the summary, you know. Choose all the above components for your feet. Now, some of that advice is hard to follow if you're new to boots, right? If you live in the US, you're luckier. It's easier to return online bought boots to US brands from the US. If, as a beginner, you live near a boot store, then start with brands that you can try on, like say Red Wing, uh Allen Edmonds, or Alden in the US in particular. Uh Tricker's, for example, say, or English brands if you're in the UK. Or here in Australia, RM Williams. Or if you can, go and visit makers like Wootten in Ballarat. In some cases, living outside of the US, you can buy through Amazon and especially if you're a prime member, you can get free shipping and free returns on brands like Thursday, Clark's, Thorogood, Jim Green. I think even Wolverine and even Allen Edmonds you can get on Amazon. Just check the return policies. Once you find a brand that gives you comfort, I think you can stick there for a few models. Say you like a Jim Green African Ranger that suits your feet, then try a Jim Green Stockman or a Numzaan next. Research and join, you know, Reddit groups and other Facebook groups to see discussions about what fits like what other boot and then you start to expand. Ultimately, join the worldwide boot nerd club and enjoy whatever you wear that doesn't tear your feet apart. >> [laughter] >> And with that positive message, I hope you like this video and I hope you will SLC, subscribe, like, comment. Take care out there. Come back soon for my next boot video. See you soon.