How Waterproof Are Russell Moccasin, Nicks, Craft & Glory, R M Williams, and Blundstone?

These are good year welts. They're waterproof. No, wait. They're not actually waterproof. They're water resistant. Um they keep water out. Do they? >> [music] [music] >> How you going? Welcome back to my channel. This is uh my channel called Boot Philosophy, which reviews heritage boots and uh in some instances dives into the characteristics of heritage boots. If we haven't met before, my name is Tech and I'm filming in uh Wadjuk country here in Perth in Western Australia. Kaurna cool Wadjuk Noongar Boodja. So, these are waterproof boots. This is a Goodyear welted boot. This one's a stitch down. This is moccasin construction. Uh this is a Blake Rapid or a McKay stitch. And this is a direct injection mold. These are waterproof boots. But are they? We have this discussion, don't we, as to uh what type of construction makes the best water resistant or waterproof boot. And it's often said that a Blake stitched boot, the one where you might just have a a stitch going on the outsole that actually goes on into the insole and you can see. And that's often said to be the least water resistant because there is a stitch hole that goes from the outside all the way on the inside. Uh cement boots are also not meant to be particularly water resistant because their their soles are glued on. You last a boot, there's a lasting board underneath the insole, and then you glue it on. And if you expose that with to a lot of moisture, that gets into the cement and it starts to peel. But it's often said that uh stitch down boots, for example, are highly water resistant because of the way that the leather is splayed out. So, any water splashing on it doesn't go inside a crack where it's joined. It sort of rolls off. Um Goodyear welted models are also said to be highly water resistant because they have a stitch on the inside that attaches the insole and the uppers of the boot to the welt, separate piece of leather, and then the outsole stitch, the outside stitch on that welt, goes through the welt, which is on the outside, through to the sole. So, therefore, there's a hole that goes from the outside to the outside, but there is no hole going from the outside all the way in. Water resistant, maybe even waterproof. Moccasin boots are supposed to be extremely waterproof because in fact they're lasted from the bottom. In this case, a double leather bottom that's lasted up. And then, of course, you get direct injection molding where the sole is actually heat [snorts] sealed onto the leather. The leather's lasted, it's put in a mold, molten polyurethane and thermal polyurethane is injected into that mold, it it solidifies, it's stuck to the to the uppers. Therefore, no gaps, no holes, waterproof. And this one, this is R.M. Williams, which is originally one of R.M. Williams' only cement construction boot, and the bottoms of these kept ripping off me. So, I got them done by a cobbler called John Heading in Adelaide, highly recommend him, and he did a McKay stitch for me. So, he took off the cemented sole, and he put on a McKay stitch, which I'll tell you about. And I've always wanted to know whether a McKay stitch is as water resistant as a Goodyear welt because in theory it should be. So, that's the concept. I'm going to test all of these boots, one of each style of construction, and I'm going to take them through three tests, uh three tests. Editor take here. I'm interrupting this video because I wanted to show you my new watch from the sponsor of this video, Vaer Watches. I thought you don't know much about watches. Well, I don't, but I'm happy to be sponsored by a watch company because it doesn't burn into my independence when I review boots. So, tell me about watches. I'm a boot guy. Ask me about Goodyear welts, stitch density, leather temper. Look, why don't I do this? I've been researching. Give it to me. Okay. So, why should people care about this one? Because this is the Vaer R1 Racing Chronograph. Assembled in the USA, and it's a lot like a good pair of heritage boots. It isn't trying to impress with flashy gimmicks. Uh it's just thoughtfully designed, you know, well-built, and made to be worn. The 38-mm case is a classic size. The sapphire crystal shrugs off scratches, and that vintage racing style has that understated look that works with just about anything. The straps on their watches, they come with a second one, and you can change them easily yourself. No need to take them to a jeweler, and every watch is water resistant to 10 atmospheres and ready for any adventure. But, what I really like is Vaer as a company. They focus on making honest, high-quality watches at sensible prices instead of relying on hype or luxury branding. Now, that is a philosophy I can get behind. So, basically, the watch equivalent of buying quality boots instead of chasing logos? >> Exactly. Now that I understand. Go look it up. Uh you're going to put the link to the website below, aren't you? I sure will. All right. Let's get back to the boots. I'm first going to spray them with water from the hose. I'm just going to stand there and spray uh while I'm wearing them. Uh water from a hose on them from the top down as if it were raining and see how water-resistant they are. The second test I'll do is a standing in water test. Now, I don't know how long they'll resist standing in water, so I want to stand in water for at least 5 minutes without moving. I just want to see if the water level's up to there at what point might they seep into the boot. And then the third test I'll do, and I have to wait for a rainy day, is I'm going to do a walking through puddles test. A basically uh active activity where I'm splashing through puddles that might actually be even uh up to here, a little bit further up, and not just uh saved below the the quarters where the stitching is. And then see how waterproof they are with gusseted or ungusseted uh tongues. So, three tests, and we're going to go through uh each of those three tests for each of these boots. But first, let's meet the boots. Let me start with the Russell Moccasin Back Country. Now, the way these are constructed is a real moccasin construction. What that is is a piece of leather is uh lasted from the bottom up. Usually with other boots, you sort of last them from the top down and then you attach them to the sole. In this case, there's a piece of leather that goes all the way under and then it's attached to the top of the uppers through this moccasin stitch. And as you can see, in fact, the uh lasting below comes up to that level. And then they attach the quarters and the top part of the apron stitch on the back. So, in theory, these are going to be extremely waterproof. They do Blake stitch the mid-sole onto the first lasted piece of leather, and that may be where weakness is. But, what they do is they mitigate that with a second piece of leather also from the bottom up, and it's inserted like a sock. So, there's actually two layers of leather here, one that has been pierced by a Blake stitch on the inside. So, this is going to be interesting. The next boot I want to introduce you to is the Nick's Handmade Boots uh Overlander. Oh, solid, solid, heavy boot, super stuff. But, the way it's constructed is an all-leather construction. There are multiple, multiple layers of leather under your feet. They use leather to build up the arch area to give you that arch support. The shank is leather. So, everything there is leather, it's moldable, it shapes to your feet. The construction of these boots is a stitch-down. What that means is they last the boot, as I said, you know, from the from the top down. Uh they last the boot, and then they splay that that uppers leather out, attach a mid-sole, and then eventually the out-sole, and they stitch through the uppers leather into the uh mid-sole and through to the out-sole. So, the theory of this is that as water splashes on it, there isn't a joint where if you uh turn the uppers in, there isn't a joint between the uppers and the mid-sole because it splays out. So, in theory, the water will splash off. I don't know whether that's going to be true or not. I have found that in normal wear, uh and I don't often go out in the pouring rain, these work really well. They certainly keep my feet dry in uh muddy type of uh uh, terrain, but I've never stood in water up to here. We'll see what happens. All right, the next boot I want to introduce you to is [clears throat] a Goodyear welted model. This is the Craft and Glory combat boot. Used to be called the Gurkha boot, they had to change the name, it's now called the combat boot with the, um, uh, pocket knife thing there, which is totally extraneous for me. This is a Goodyear welted model. What it is is they last the uppers. This time they curl it in and they attach it to the, uh, insole on the inside along with a, uh, gemming piece, which is stitched together, and that gemming piece is used to stitch on the inside to the inside edge of the welt, which is a separate piece of leather that goes all the way around the boot. Uh, in this case it goes 270° around because it's, uh, at the back end is actually glued and nailed in. The Goodyear welt starts from here and ends here. And the outside stitch then attaches the mid-sole and the out-sole onto the top. So, this is I've always touted this as water-resistant construction because this stitch hole that you see here ends up here, not inside the boot. So, in theory, you're not going to get water seepage into the boot itself. We shall see. Next boot I will introduce you to is the Blundstone. This is the 650, I think 600 series. So, the Blundstone's interesting. Um, this is not a welted construction, it's not a stitch construction. What they do is they, uh, last the uppers, tuck it in, then they stick the whole boot into a mold which then injects molten polyurethane, uh, into that mold. The polyurethane solidifies, um, attaching itself to the leathers super hard, super well. Then they put on another mold and they attach a hard layer of thermal polyurethane. So, the polyurethane is a soft and squishy mid-sole and the thermal polyurethane gives it that harder feel on the outside. In theory, this is probably going to be the most waterproof boot because if that seal is done right, there is absolutely no gap, not even a molecular gap, between leather and and polyurethane. So, this is meant to be the most waterproof and we shall see. And then finally, this is a pair of RM Williams. This is their old stockyard boot, which is made in the days when they were transitioning towards cheaper brands. And this boot was originally a cement construction sole. Like literally, they lasted the uppers and they glued a piece of rubber on. That I scraped that that sole off two or three times while wearing this by just stepping off the curb and catching it. So, I sent it to a cobbler in South Australia called John Head. And what he did for me was he ripped the cement construction off. He got a piece of leather mid-sole and he Blake stitched that, which is a stitch on the inside through that mid-sole. So, if I if I took the outsole off, you'd see the stitch there, which goes all the way in. And then he glued the outsole on and using that mid-sole, which is slightly wider than the boot, as a an a welted edge, he then stitched all of that through all the way. The outsole, that stitch there you see, ends up on the outside of the mid-sole. So, again in theory, >> [sighs] >> it should not get wet on the inside. Although I do notice, you know, because of the way that it was originally constructed and I have worn it rough, there is a a scratch there. So, we're going to see if that lets in water. So, those are the boots. Let's go through the tests. So, this is my first test, which I call the spray test. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to put the boots on, and I'm going to hose them down for 3 minutes each. Uh and I'll explain what I'm feeling, and then uh I'll summarize to see as I take them off what they uh look like if they're waterproof uh or whether my socks are wet. So, I'm not going to show you the full 3 minutes worth. I'll just show you uh me splashing them, and then I'll talk about them when I finish. I'm starting with the Blundstone direct injection boots. There we go. And let's try this for 3 minutes. So, there you go. That's uh 4 3 2 1. That was 3 minutes worth. I feel totally dry. Um but my feet feel cool. I don't think the water's got through. I think just the cold water uh has got through the leather. Okay, let's try another pair. This is the second pair. It's the Nick's Overlander stitch-down construction. My jeans are getting wet, which is not what I expected, but what the hell? That's what happens when it rains, and ironically it's starting to rain. So, that's the end of 3 minutes. Absolutely dry. Unlike the Blundstones, I don't even feel like my feet have cooled down. Yep, I can say these are totally waterproof when they're rained from on top. Here is boot number three. Um the rain is coming and going. Very ironic. Um so, let's start the 3-minute test. 3 2 1 now. And um this is a moccasin construction boot. So, let's go on for 3 minutes. 3 2 1. Okay, that was 3 minutes. I have to say this leather is thinner than the Nicks, and I do feel a coolness, but there I don't feel any damp spots whatsoever. Uh not even across any of the stitching uh on the apron. Here is boot number four, the Craft and Glory Gurkha boot or combat boot, Goodyear welted um using buffalo leather. Let's set the timer on. Okay. 4, 3, 2, 1. That's 3 minutes. Perfectly water-resistant. I feel nothing. Uh my jeans are wet, but I feel nothing. All right, great performance. Here we are, boot number four is the R.M. Williams uh Stockyard. This one I'm a little bit concerned may not be waterproof when I stand in water, but I think the uh rain from top will be fine. Let's add our 3 minutes and 2 go. Um I think you can see and I'm certainly not feeling any dampness inside, even though I'm kind of standing in water here. Um I thought it might seep through the stitches, but no, it hasn't. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Wow. I think that's come through 3 minutes of heavy rain in inverted commas quite well. So, that was test one, uh the spray over test. All of them came through really well. The uh Nicks in particular and the Russell Moccasin were both excellent and I think that's mainly because of the leather, which is full of waxes and oils and that sort of thing. But in none of these boots did I feel any moisture in the inside and when I took them off, there was no moisture on my white socks. So, that's a good deal. Uh I could feel the cold water because it's winter at the moment and it was raining on me as as well as I was doing the test. And I could feel that cold water through some of the thinner leathers. So, I'm guessing if I was on uh under the rain for more than 3 minutes, I might have had cold feet. But um let's not forget if you've been in the rain for 3 minutes and you haven't put up an umbrella or you haven't uh uh run under shelter, you don't need boots, you need a wet suit. Let's go into the next test. Day two, test two. This test I call the standing in the water test. >> [laughter] >> The rationale behind this is if I stand in water for 5 minutes each boot, I'll see how much seepage there is uh in the joint between the uppers and the outsole. So, if you're ready, I'm going to do it in the same order, starting with what I think will be the most waterproof boot, going on to what I think might be the least, just in case my socks get wet. And I'm wearing the white socks again today. Okay? Let's go. All right. So, this is the Blundstone 650s. And I've put the water up to um just at the joint and I'm going to stand here. I realize now that I'm saying this, I'm going to be standing here like a drongo for 5 minutes per boot, but oh well. All for the benefit of science. 3 2 1 Okay. Um I think that's quite good. I have absolutely no seepage in this direct injection molded boot. There's water on the uh uppers and, you know, I haven't treated these uppers especially. None of these boots have been treated especially for this experiment. All right, let's try the next boot. Okay, boot number two are the Nick's Overlanders. And these have uh fully gusseted tongues and [snorts] stitch down, which will definitely repel water landing on it, but let's see what happens if I stand in water for 5 minutes. 3 2 1 5 minutes done. Absolutely bone dry. Absolutely nothing wrong at all with these stitch down boots from Nick's. And the next pair is the Russell Moccasin Back Country. Moccasin construction boot, true moccasin construction. Uh it has a gusseted tongue as well. And if there's any leakage, I expect the leakage to maybe be at the top of the vamp where the apron stitch is. The 5 minutes has started. And I shall stand here and wait 5 minutes. 2 1 Perfectly dry. I mean >> [clears throat and snorts] >> uh It is cold. I mean, it's a cold day. That's cold water. My feet feel cold, but they're perfectly dry. And just for a minute there, on my left foot, it was so cold enough that I thought, "Mm, maybe there's a leak." But no, there isn't. I can feel inside now that my socks are dry. Okay, next boot. This is uh the next boot, which is the Craft and Glory Combat Boot. Goodyear welted, Asian buffalo leather, well waxed. It has a quite a waxy feel to it. Um and it's a 270° Goodyear welt. So, there's any leakage whatsoever, it's likely to be at the welt and or in the heel area. 5 4 3 2 1 Okay. These have definitely leaked. I feel water all along inside there and all along here. So, I'm pretty sure they've leaked. All right. So, they are definitely damp. I think you can see a wet spot there. That's come right through. It's damp underneath, as well. Uh damp along here. So, that's disappointing. So, I'm feeling inside the boot. The middle of the insole is not bad, but definitely along the welt edge on the inside is very damp. Now, to be honest, I don't know if that's the actual uh connection at the welt, whether the buffalo leather has actually let some water through, because that's damp there. The others, the water rolled off. That's damp there. And if I feel inside up the boot, it's lined, but the lining feels damp. So, it's not that water-resistant. That was actually quite quick. I think within less than a minute, I was starting to feel dampness. And as I say, I don't know whether that's the welt or the leather. All right. Last boot. So, this is my last boot, the RM Williams Stockyard that's been resoled. Uh it's a it's a Blake Rapid stitch. And I can feel water leaking in immediately on my left boot. Yep. I don't think this will last 5 minutes. Uh in fact, I'm going to get out of it now, because it's it's it's coming in. Okay. That's the end of that experiment. This one let water in really badly. So, standing in water test, two boots failed at um in in one case quite badly, in another a definite leakage. The Craft and Glory combat boots, Goodyear welted, as I said, I'm not sure if it was the uh buffalo leather, the way it was tanned, or it was the Goodyear welting itself standing in water. Rain coming down on it, not a problem. But, I guess you don't go fishing in these boots, do you? So, 5 minutes was a long time. The Blake stitch repaired boot was a bit of a disappointment. As soon as I put my left foot in, I could feel water coming in, and as you saw, didn't stand the 5 minutes cuz I think I would have had to two buckets of water strapped to my to my foot. So, editor tech here. I I've gotten an addendum because I after that little uh test test two, I cleaned the boots and now as as I was cleaning the RM Williams, this was the boot that let in a lot of water. And [snorts] it just just as I exa- examining it, I saw a fault in the leather. And I think that's where the the water came in. Having said that, the right boot, and I couldn't find a fault in the leather there, was letting in some water, too. So, welcome to uh day three, test three. Actually, this is a probably about week five test three because we've been waiting for rain, and in this El Niño weather, we're not getting any rain at all. But, eventually did rain some, not what we were expecting this time of the year. So, what we've come is to a local park by a lake, and as you can see, um the it's flooded enough to give us some puddles. So, what I'm going to do in test three is to walk through the puddles with these boots. I guess I'm trying to be as realistic as possible where uh you're not actually walking through a big river uh through a big stream, but just crossing uh a short stretch of water. So, Blundstone's going through. Totally waterproof. It's up to ankle height here. Uh my jeans are getting wet. Turn around. I'm not feeling a single drop of water. Um not a single drop of water. As you can see, the water rolls off the leather. Uh the edges and the seams didn't let anything in. Some water got up to the goring, and still I don't feel wet socks at all. So, this next pair is the um Nicks Overlander. And we're going to see how they go in that walking through that puddle. Feel totally sturdy. The grip is obviously pretty good. Um and you can see the depth of the water. I really should roll my jeans up. So, big tick to the Nicks Overlander. All right, let's get on to the next boot. So, this third boot is the Russell Moccasin Back Country. So, here we go. We're going to um get it wet right up to the vamp. Yep. In a normal walk, nothing wrong with it at all. And as you can see, it's coming right up the vamp. And I feel nothing. Um I feel nothing at all, actually. And a little while ago, I thought I might have felt uh a drop of water just there. But I don't think I do. I think what it is is the cold of the water on the leather. So, this is the Craft and Glory Combat Boot or Gurkha Boot. Uh this did not perform well in test two. Uh I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Goodyear welting, but just for to be sure, what I did in the intervening weeks was to put a couple of coats of mink oil on this to give the leather a little bit of uh uh sealing. But so, we'll see how this works. Here we go. Now, in test two, where I stood in the tub, the water, I felt came through almost immediately. Here we are. Reasonably submerged. Uh yeah, I do feel water coming through. Well, that is a disappointment, and it's coming through the top of the boot as well, despite despite it being a half-gusseted tongue. I definitely feel that water coming down the top of the boot. So, it's it's the leather. It's not the uh construction. So, this is the guest boot. This is the Parkhurst Allegheny. Uh oil-tanned leather, and a uh 360° Goodyear welt. And the reason I'm inserting this boot in test three is I want to actually prove that uh it's not the Goodyear welting, it's actually the uh potentially, I think the leather's in the Craft and Glory uh Gorka boot combat boot. So, let's try it with these uh semi-gusseted tongue Parkhurst Alleghenies. And here I am, pretty much up to the instep, bone dry. There's definitely nothing coming in uh where the welt is. So, I think quite clearly, it is not the construction method. It's the uh I think it must have been the Asian buffalo leather that's maybe quite porous. And these oil-tanned, uh Uh, no wetness whatsoever, even though you saw how deep they went. And as you can see, the water just beads off. Now, you remember the last boot I tried in the first two tests was a repaired R.M. Williams Stockyard boot. This is basically the same. This is the Ian Harold Gardner boot. >> [snorts] >> It has a mid-sole that is Blake stitched to the in-sole. And then that mid-sole comes out the edge and is used to edge stitch the uh outside uh out-sole on. But you'll also notice some brass wire screws. So, this is a a variation on it. But once again, I'm trying to test to see whether McKay stitch will get wet underfoot. So, let's give it a try. This is the deepest part. And again, it's an oil tanned leather. And you know, I feel nothing. I think it's reasonably waterproof. Proves the point. Excellent. So, let's wrap up. So, I hope you enjoyed >> [laughter] >> my three little tests, as scientific as they were. Uh, it comes as no surprise, I think, to find that these three are are the most waterproof boots, although some of these were also highly water resistant. Uh, the Blundstone was completely waterproof, water resistant. You saw how the water uh bead just beaded off the leather. Uh, this is one of their oil kip leathers. And the direct injection molding sort of binds the two materials together so much that it's completely waterproof. So, yep, despite it being a bit old, that completely waterproof. The um Nicks Overlander stitch-down boot was equally impressive. Uh, it's a fully gusseted tongue, so I didn't feel any moisture in this in any of the three tests at all. So, I would highly recommend this for wet weather work. And then of course there is the Russell Moccasin. And because it's Moccasin construction, you expect it to have a certain amount of water resistance despite the Blake stitch stitch that's inside the boot on this first piece of leather. That second sock with the stitch inside on the top here, I think takes care of any potential leakage. There were certainly no leakages through the through the edge stitching. And none through the actual stitching of the leather. So again, a very comfortable boot. And you can see why people wear this to to go hunting in presumably marshy marshy lands. Then came the test of the Goodyear welted boot, the Craft and Glory combat boot. Disappointing. The water splashing on top test one, no problems. Sitting in a pool of water 5 minutes even though maybe that's a little unrealistic and would you actually stand in water for 5 minutes if you didn't have to? Uh it got wet. That test, it came in round the sides. And in the third test where I walked through the puddle, I felt it coming in through the corners there and through the tongue even though that tongue is gusseted right up to there. I suspect I suspected it was the buffalo leather, Asian buffalo. And even though I mink oil this a couple of times in between test two and three, that water still seeped through. Not as bad as as test two I must admit. Seeped through. So the alternate boot that I tried in terms of checking Goodyear welting water resistance, you saw me take this through test three. Admittedly, I didn't stand in water for 5 minutes, but going through that puddle, bone dry. So this is perfect for everyday use in the wet. And then ah, this poor thing. It had a tear in it um, which I I've since had repaired, but I wasn't going to put it into water between test two and three. I had it repaired after test two. And in fairness, I tried another McKay stitch again, waterproof, certainly water resistant in that walk through the puddle. So, all in all unless there was a fault in the upper's leather ah, or unless maybe the leather is too fibrous and allowing water to to soak through, almost like a sponge. So, there's a bit of give and take between comfort, this is very comfortable leather ah, and its permeability. So, there you go. I I hope you liked that little experiment. Ah, tell me if you'd like me to try any other types of experiments of ah, experiments of this nature. Ah, otherwise, you know what to do, SLC, subscribe, like, comment. Take care out there. I'll see you next week. See you soon. >> [music]