Week 2 of 5 Weeks in R M Williams

Here we go. Week two of week five. Wearing RM Williams. Carry on and let's see how they went on week two. [music] Good day. Welcome back to Boot Los, my channel about heritage boots. Uh primarily stitched boots and other things. I'm filming on Wajget Country uh in the uh south of the state of Western Australia. So, this is week two of my series of five weeks of wearing RM Williams boots. If you haven't seen week one, stop right now, go to my channel and go watch week one. And also to make it easy, I've I will put all of the uh uh videos of this series into a playlist called Five Weeks in RM Williams. So go to my channel and look for that over time and you can see the whole lot together. So um this is week two of week five and the concept is that I chose three pairs of RM Williams boots to wear uh over five weeks and see what changes they were, how I feel about them, uh whether my opinions about comfort changed wearing them nearly every day. [snorts] Um and uh in in essence, this returns to the days when I was originally breaking them in. But I'll tell you a secret. This particular pair which I bought uh on eBay uh new old stock, I never truly broke in because I bought several RM Williams uh from eBay on new old stock and I didn't get a chance to break them all in. But you know, one of the things about RM Williams is they don't really need breaking in and I'll talk to you about that uh when I talk about the comfort of these overall boots. So to reintroduce them, this is the RM Williams Turnout. It's a different last from the RM Williams Comfort Craftsman, which I'll show you in a minute. It's a slightly more rounder last. And this is in fact the same last that they used in their old gardener boots. Uh the new gardener boots, which I'll take you through, are in a different last shape. This one is in uh Warick Yearling, a quite reddish. It's nighttime and I've got some artificial lights on, but in the sunlight, this is quite a a reddish ochre kind of kidney blood color. The second boot I chose is the ubiquitous uh RM Williams Comfort Craftsman. This is the shape most people would recognize in RM Williams 4. That slightly longer nose with a chisel edge. Uh and this is the much maligned one about, you know, poron in the sole, which I'll walk you through in a minute. And this one is probably the one that I have worn the most. Although this is my second uh chestnut colored uh comfort craft. And I'll tell you about that in a minute. And then the third boot I'm wearing across these five weeks is this new gardener boot. But this originally began life as the RM Williams Goodwood. And then they discontinued the Gardener, which is sort of this design with this sole. And then they renamed this the gardener. Uh quite a different lass as you can see. Um very different in in sort of toe end and uh width shapes. So clearly a whoop boot style design. So those are the three boots. I will leave a link to the playlist if I can down below. Otherwise, I'll leave a link to week one that you can go and watch the video. And I'll also leave a link to the Ron Williams website. It is an affiliate link and I'll get a little bit of a kickback to help me make these videos. So moving on, let me first start by telling you how I wore them in this last week. This is from last Sunday through to today which is Saturday. Um basically this week I did nothing but go to the office during the days. So I mostly wore these two pairs of boots, the uh Turnout and the Comfort Craftsman. Now I think I actually wore the Comfort Craftsman most because I wore them for um 4 days. Uh I did not interchange them this week with the turnout as I did the week before and I wore the turnout on one day when I was on Friday when uh I was wearing slightly uh less smart uh office wear. I was it was a very casual casual Friday. So I wore the comfort craftsman the most during the week. Uh and I have already worn these the most. So there were no surprising little tells about how they wore. Um, then I wore the Goodwood or the Gardener uh last Sunday because I had to tear apart the kind of fascia on uh a raised bed that we have in the garden. It it been um side it with uh jara planking. So, I had to get rid of that, clean it out back to the original uh bricks. And I wore these as a work boot, heart slightly thumping because normally for that I would wear a a sort of more rugged pair of work boots, but you know, I made the the decision to to to wear RM Williams throughout the week. Uh and then today I've been wearing them. Uh it's evening now and I've been wearing them all day. Uh going to the shops, went um to the grocery shopping with my wife. uh went for a walk around the um park uh this afternoon and tomorrow, which I'll report next week, we're probably going to go for a long walk out in John Forest National Park. So, I'll come back to that later. So, um I have to say both of these are very easy office boots. They're so they pull on, pull off, and the comfort, both of them are comfort models. This is the comfort uh turnout, and that's a comfort craftsman. And both of them are comfort in the sense that they have on top of a I think it's leather board. It's been proven to be leather board these days. On top of a leatherboard insole, they put a pon insole, not removable because you can feel at the edge of it something hard underneath. So obviously the pon is stuck on top of something hard. And I've been told through many Rose Andrew videos that this is a terrible RM Williams is terrible because they use leather board. But I've yet to hear why Aaron Williams use leatherboard. It might be that they're cutting corners. H But it might also be, as I've heard elsewhere, leatherboard is used because it dissipates sweat a lot more than natural leather. And for boots that are made to be worn in the saddle every day, uh you can't afford to sort of switch boots, especially at $700 per pair. Um, and so the idea is the leather board may well help dissipate sweat overnight faster than uh natural leather. Next week is going to be interesting because I need to go down south in the southwest of Western Australia. I'm doing a workshop at a farm. It's an indigenous uh bush foods farm. So, I'm going to be spending a couple of days with them uh uh doing a workshop with them on their planning because they they've started to make profits now. It's been going for about 3 or 4 years. They started to make profits and they want to discuss their vision of how they see those profits being used in the Aboriginal community there uh to help youngsters for example find jobs to train youngsters on uh job interview techniques and uh to provide homework facilities for younger kids when they come home from school and there's nothing to do. So there'll be a bit of a two-day planning exercise when I drive down there. So, I'll spend overall a couple of days uh you know, one day driving down, one day driving up, and two days on the ground. And I'm thinking of wearing these to go out there. Um little bit flashy, but because I haven't worn them nearly as much as the Comfort Craftsman, I want to test them out there. So, in reverse, I'm going to wear these for 4 days and maybe the Comfort Craftsman for the other day uh in the office. All right, let me talk to you maybe in some detail about the Comfort Craftsman. This week I will each week talk about one of the other boots in greater detail. So the Craftsman boot comes in two styles. It comes in the classic Craftsman style which is made with leather components. Um and I have one of those in black and you can go and see the full review. In fact, I've done a review of this as well. The comfort craftsman series is made exactly the same except what they do is they put in a comfort insole. A lot of people complain, "Oh dear, Poron." But if you think about who this boot is intended for these days, originally the classic craftsman with its all leather uh makeup was intended for pastoralists, uh people riding on horses, mustering cattle, mustering sheep out in the paddics all day. Uh that was made with leather in design. This one, let's face it, is made for the boardroom farmer, right? you wear this with your office suits to go to the office or around city um and uh in the urban area. So if this attracts somebody who would normally go to a mall store and buy a cement construction or Blake stitch construction boot that'll fall apart in a year or two. You would want that market to slip these on and not go, "Oh my god, they're stiff." You want that market to slip this on and go, "Yeah, okay. That feels like one of my fashion boots, but it's made better. This is not going to fall apart within one year." So, for that reason, that poron to me is entirely forgivable. How this is made, it's good you welted. It's 270° good welted, meaning the good welt starts there, goes all the way around, comes back here. uh goodyear welted means that the uppers being the uppers and the insole are connected to the bottom by the medium of a welt. The inside is sewn to the inside edge of the welt. The outside wedge of the elk is sewn of the welt is sewn right through to the outsole. And in that way it's water resistant because that outside stitch doesn't go all the way in and the inside stitch doesn't poke outside and absorb water. Uh it's dust proof as well because there's no uh lacing system and as long as you keep moisture away from the goring as much as you can even though I found that this kind of resists moisture then it will be very water resistant. It is a whole cut boot meaning that this entire thing is one piece of leather with one seam at the back. And if you think so what whole cut um you try wrapping a football in a flat piece of gift wrap and you you do that without doing any wrinkles whatsoever at the edges and you tell me how easy that is. Uh it has two pull loops which are nice and generous and because they're cloth I don't mind them because they don't really catch on your on your pants. And the last is the classic craftsman last with that chisel edge. It is slightly longer than round toe boots. Can you see that? It's a good half a centimeter to a centimeter longer. Why is that? It's not to make you stumble, but because it's a little bit more pointy than a round toe. That turn in has to happen once it goes past your toes. A badly designed boot turns into a sharp nose. uh at your toes, which means your toes get squished. But because it goes beyond your toes and then turns in, that's why it's a bit longer. It doesn't squish your toes. Uh if you want to look to know more about this, go and see my review of the black classic Craftsman or the uh brown chestnut comfort craftsman. The one that I reviewed in the chestnut comfort craftsman is a different boot. I bought that a half size too small even though I was told to do so by the store and they went uh uh an H fitting which is wide in 7 and 1/2. [snorts] I usually wear 7 and 1/2 in Australian boots but in a comfort craftsman I do have to wear an eight um because it is quite snug. It's a long snug uh um last. I generally wear eights in all of my RM Williams's and this is a 82 but because of that wider last I think very possibly I could wear this at 7 and 1/2. The leather is a yearling and I have to say that this one which although it's a second it has a hole punch to identify it. Although this is a second that I bought in Adelaide in their seconds store. The leather on this being newer than the leather on the old uh comfort craftsman in chestnut same year leather creases a hell of a lot more. So I think they've changed their teneries. Uh and also this one has a much more softer supple feel to it whereas that one had a a waxier hand. Uh interesting how how these teneries can change or or tenages can change. So let me this week focus on comfort. How comfortable was it wearing these boots? Um, let me take these. I only wore these for one day. The construction is the same as the classic Craftsman. It has uh a 270° welt. And then it has a leatherboard insole. I think it's leather board. And on top of that, they they glue on a PON insole uh which gives you that instant comfort when you put your feet in. I said at the beginning I hadn't worn these much and I don't believe I've broken them in and they didn't need breakin. You immediately feel comfort. This is like putting on a comfort shoe, but it's it's made in the traditional sense. So the comfort in this I find um exceptionally comfortable across all three. I'm not quite sure why. This this uh yearling leather seems finer and waxier in the hand. That may have something to do with it. Uh, it's fully lined, of course. The last suits me. Um, it's the same last as my gardener boot. And if you go and see that review, you'll find that I really like the comfort of that last. Uh, and definitely the PON suited me really well. Bearing in mind, I wore this for one day in the office. Next week, we're going to see because I'm going to be standing all day for two days as I'm conducting a workshop. So, in terms of comfort, the fit, and all that, I would grade this a good 9 out of 10. This next one, uh, I'll grab the, um, Goodwood/Garder. The comfort on this is good, but different. I can't wear this with a with a dress sock. I have to wear this with a thick boot sock, which is why in an eight, a half size bigger than I would normally take in other uh Australian UK sized shoes, I would normally take a 7 and 1/2. I think this is a bit roomy for me, but I don't mind it because I'm wearing this as a kind of sloppy uh work boot, sloppy casual boot. And uh I wore it to, as I said, work in the yard um last weekend. And what I like about it is that as that wider uh forefoot, which means that when you're kneeling, when you're sort of struggling to to get a grip on the on the ground as you're digging or pushing or whatever, your room's got your foot's got room to move. It's not sort of caught tight. Um, in terms of the comfort under foot, it has that same pon on top of leather board construction. So again, it's highly comfortable. Just slipping your foot in, you go, "Ah, this is good." and combined with thick wool socks. Brilliant. I never felt any um any tightness or any uh uh uh firmness underfoot at all. Being slightly larger, it has a slight heel slip, but I don't mind that. And as you can see, I have worn this for a while after all in the last couple of years. As you can see, that cup really has come into shape, and so that's kept my heel in. And then I think that's an important factor. So, sizing helps. That looseness I I like for the type of use I I get this into. And finally, the one I wore the most and have worn the most, the Comfort Craftsman. I don't think anybody who has ever complained about RM Williams not being using the right materials, blah blah. I don't think anybody has ever said if they're fitted well, I don't think anybody has ever said it's not comfortable. It's a very comfortable boot. Like I don't care whether you have big insteps, low insteps, you know, voluminous insteps. If it's fitted right, this boot fits you so well that it's really comfortable. The they they've really got it nailed down how they line the boot. There are no there are no um seams inside where the where the lining uh is stitched together. Uh the only place there is a seam inside is just there. Uh which you wouldn't feel. It has a fiberglass shank which means it gives you the right support and it takes you through airports without having to take your boots off which is which is a great plus. Uh the leather board I guess and the um uh fiberglass shank I guess make this a reasonably light boot. I mean, for a Goodyear welted boot without a midsole, it's light. It's certainly a hell of a lot lighter than a Redwing Iron Ranger, which also does not have a um uh midsole. Yeah. So, comfort, top marks all the way around. I said that was the turnouts were 9 out of 10. I would give this a 10 out of 10. And I would give this I think because it's a bit big for me, uh only an eight out of 10. But all of them that have that high 8 n 8 9 10 type um markings because of the porum layer. You stand on these and you're like standing on something soft. Absolutely. Uh in time they will break down but in time so will my knees so will my ankles and so will I. Okay. So, the overall week 2 experience, uh, comfort, tick, uh, fit, obviously, tick, changes in leather since I've been wearing them every day, more so than rotating with all my other boots. I haven't seen much. [laughter] It's only been a week. Well, it's only been two weeks, but the first week was a bit of a cheat because if you go and watch that, half of that week, I was recovering from a holiday. Um, in terms of use, I think I've chosen the right ones for this type of use where I go to the office every day and then in the evenings we go for a walk. Uh, I work in these boots and I go for a walk in these boots. And during the day, I'm swapping between these two to work in the office. Testimony to urban wear, office wear, going out in the streets. Oh, the one day that I one day of the days that I wore this, I went into the city and there was a long track up up St. George's Terrace, which is our main CBD uh street. It's like kind of like Madison Avenue, I suppose. Um, and they were very comfortable. So, test testimony to urban wear. Big tick. Um, testimony to working out in the yard. Big tick. Next week on a an indigenous farm or standing all day. Let's see. All right. So, in summary, I hope you enjoyed this video. This week I have enjoyed making it because I was much more conscious about what I was wearing and how I was feeling and so on. And I think um as the weeks progress I'm going to focus on one aspect of these boots uh in each case and then in summary I'll tell you about how I feel they've changed even though they are broken in boots. So in many ways I think this is like the stitch down patina thunderdome worn boots area. Uh, and it's only for five weeks, but I I at least I can give you an idea of what the worn boot feels like in that time. I hope you enjoyed this video. Don't forget to SLC, subscribe, like, comment, and ask me any questions about these and I'll try and answer them if I can. U although one of the things I I do find that because I'm making so many videos, I am forgetting some aspects of the video. So, if you ask me a question like, uh, what watch are you wearing or what's that jacket? I kind of have to watch the video again and see what the hell was I wearing. [laughter] So, I don't like those questions. I'll try and answer them. Um, but going back in time, I my memories shot to pieces. Okay, like, subscribe, comment. Come back next week. Take care out there. See you soon. [music]