Boots

[Mabouya]

Here's a winter boot issue for you:

My daily driver (Subaru Impreza) has a manual transmission and none of my various boots are truly comfortable operating the pedals because the feedback and foot positioning isn't ideal.

I usually wear shoes like the Rancourt Ranger Mocs shown below, which are great for driving, but if the forecast calls for significant cold rain, winter slush or snow, they aren't appropriate, and I prefer to wear boots. (This is mostly for walking from the parking lot to my office building, nothing terribly adventuresome.)

For you guys who drive a stick shift what sort of shoes / boots do you wear in the winter when driving? Do you use one pair to drive then switch to another when you get to your destination? Or have you found something that works well for both conditions?

TIA

[j44ke]

I drove stick (VW Golf) with Frye Prison Boots (yes, that's the model) and Lowa Hudson GTX Mid-Height hiking boots. The Frye boots are a 6" boot and mine are very well broken in and waxed against water. I guess the Lowas worked because they have a lower back to the boot ankle than the front. They aren't optimal, but they worked.

[Lionel]

I have tried these on and will probably have to get a pair !

[nahtnoj]

The LL Bean Ranger Moc is basically a high top boat shoe.

Signature Handsewn Jackman Ranger Mocs, Leather

They could be waterproofed well enough for traversing a parking lot without too much effort.

I've worn mine a bunch in the last 2-3 years - they are fantastic.

[Too Tall]

I've got a date with some large rocks and a pick axe so I dusted off my old work boots. Nice to see that RedWing still makes these steel toe Logger boots. Loved these every day I wore them. Purchased in 1982 and survived two years working at the mine. LOL I weighed them....6 lbs, good grief. In the process of washing them and add a fresh layer of mink oil.

coal1a.jpg

[sailor]

Wear your boots when test driving. I ruled out a volvo v50 last round because my feet didn't fit. I have driven my 3 series manual in both my timberland and 1000 mile boots with no issues. My cheap snow boots don't work as they are too big.

Here's a winter boot issue for you:

My daily driver (Subaru Impreza) has a manual transmission and none of my various boots are truly comfortable operating the pedals because the feedback and foot positioning isn't ideal.

I usually wear shoes like the Rancourt Ranger Mocs shown below, which are great for driving, but if the forecast calls for significant cold rain, winter slush or snow, they aren't appropriate, and I prefer to wear boots. (This is mostly for walking from the parking lot to my office building, nothing terribly adventuresome.)

For you guys who drive a stick shift what sort of shoes / boots do you wear in the winter when driving? Do you use one pair to drive then switch to another when you get to your destination? Or have you found something that works well for both conditions?

TIA

[xjoex]

These boots do quite the job in the desert. The full leather and gusseted tongue keep all of the sand out. If you wear light hikers or any boot with a fabric part in it, it will fill with sand. Not prob with these.

PB040498 by Joe, on Flickr

-Joe

[Too Tall]

Kudos on the boots and the double knot.

[nahtnoj]

coal1a.jpg

I scored a pair from a guy who tried them on, decided they were too heavy, and put them in his closet for a few years. Arriving tomorrow....

[Too Tall]

I scored a pair from a guy who tried them on, decided they were too heavy, and put them in his closet for a few years. Arriving tomorrow....

You won't be sorry. These were my best friends for a couple years. My only beef are steel toes in sub freezing weather. Taping heat packs onto your socks helps.

[xjoex]

I planned ahead and bought these Hanwag Abisko boots for $200 instead of the regular $500 in the fall, (see back one page back) I was worried about the fit even though I went up a full size. Yeah these things are great. The insulation packed in around my foot for a great fit and they are WARM. I have a crazy big pair of Baffin boots I use when snow plowing on my ATV, but they are too big to drive in(would hit both pedals), too heavy to ride in and also the warmest boots ever.

These Hanwag Abisko boots are crazy warm, they are warmer than any pair of Sorels I have owned, much warmer than my old Vasque Arrowhead boots and lighter than the Baffins. They are still big, not much physically larger than my old Sorel Caribou boots. However they have much more insulation.
PB130334 by Joe, on Flickr

-Joe

[deano]

Need a word of advice. A pair of Frye Chelseas just showed up, in same size as a pair of Frye Oxford shoes that fit me like a glove. They are more snug than I thought they'd be...not painful or anything but I wonder a bit. Leather, Goodyear welt, etc. Break-in? They are perfect sockless, and I wear all my other shoes sans socks a lot but y'all think these guys will give a wee bit?

[deano]

Sticking with them as they are feeling good. It's only my big foot that felt snoog anyway.

[DrZRM]

The Merrell Wilderness has come up a few times in this thread. Of all the terrible looking boots that company makes, I love only this Merrell, I've had my oldest pair for more than 30 years, and just had my black ones resoled.

Turns out that Merrell is doing a special limited reissue, made in the USA with Horween leather. Pricey but can be recrafted, and I found a 20% off coupon that brought the price down, now expired but they are out there.

[j44ke]

Looks like they've done away with the Norwegian welt sole. Some sort of thermal glue? Can you still resole them?

Edit: I see - that is a different model. They still make the original.

[DrZRM]

Looks like they've done away with the Norwegian welt sole. Some sort of thermal glue? Can you still resole them?

I'm horrified that I missed that detail, I have two pairs of Wilderness, the first I bought in the late 80s and that pair has been resoled twice. I love the color and Horween leather of these Wilderness Legend reissues compared to the paler brown/tan of the standard ones, but if they cannot be resoled, they are worthless to me. Looks like these will be going right back to Merrell.

[j44ke]

I'm horrified that I missed that detail, I have two pairs of Wilderness, the first I bought in the late 80s and that pair has been resoled twice. I love the color and Horween leather of these Wilderness Legend reissues compared to the paler brown/tan of the standard ones, but if they cannot be resoled, they are worthless to me. Looks like these will be going right back to Merrell.

Just double check. Like with carbon fiber frames and lycra & other synthetic fabrics, there are a lot of glues being used in shoes that are at least as strong as stitches, plus they allow resoling. The advantage is that the soles are often lighter and perhaps better at shock absorption. Some of the best hiking boots out there now have form and rubber molded soles akin to running shoes, and they can be resoled just so long as the shoe itself is designed to be resoled (which I think has to do more with how the upper is held together than what sort of sole is on it.)

[j44ke]

See here-

[DrZRM]

More great advice Jorn. I reached out to Dave Page (index) and he sent the following about that boot.

"The stitching is Littleway/internal, and, they are resoleable."

If anyone would know it would be Dave, who is the authorized repair agent for Merrell, so I guess I get to keep my new boots. hope they last as well as my original Wilderness. I'll stand by my recommendation above. For what it is worth, I checked with customer service first and the person who answered the phone said--apparently mistakenly--that they could not be resoled.

[xjoex]

Waffle Stompers
PC230116 by Joe, on Flickr

-Joe