i have a chippewa engineer boots 11 inch, thy save my feet in my accident i love them, i fix them afterward and i still wear them.

 

I had the HD FXRG 3 boots, they were falling apart after two years.

I decided to look for a better North American solution. I tried Dayton [Vancouver] but after a year of waiting, I asked for my money back. They were to be custom pull on boots, just got fed up with the delay, delay, delay.

Went to a boot shop in Portland, and bought a pair of double leather Danner boots. I originally had a pair of Made in China boots, but opted for the $100 more Portland made boots. Apparently to the same spec as the Chinese version.

I originally went there to try the Chippewa Rally boots. They looked pretty awesome online, but they aren't designed for the "full figured" calf. I ended up buying a pair of their snoot toe harness style as well.

I swapped the Danner laces for black leather. They stretch a bit, and I quite enjoy them. I double knot them and haven't had em come undone. I double knotted my hockey skates as a kid too, for the same reason.

I was in an accident September 30 of this year. The Danner boots came away unscathed. The EMS kept them whole, and cut up my Draggin' Jeans instead. I had some road rash on my knee even with the kevlar.

Slip ons look cool, but lace ups are tighter. Sure laces can come undone. I vote laces and a good polish.

H

 

Great looking boots, I'll have to give them a try. I wear Harley's Hustin Waterproof Boots. A bit expensive but I got a deal on them and they fit great.

 

got my chippewa rally motorcycle boots today they are very well made. we wear a size 10D and these are right on the money very pleased with them so far going to take some time to break in , easy to put on and take off with the side splits right down to the bottom buckle and velcro makes it secure and tight, inside is the soft leather lining they are a tall boot and going to take some time getting used to...

 

I get hit from behind while stopped by a car going 50 miles an hour. When the emergency help arrived I was laying by the side of the road. They were ready to snip my boots off but I mentioned their were zippers on the side. They used to zippers to remove my boots.. Saved me $150 in this hundred thousand dollars adventure.

 

Check out www.stompersboots.com He is old rider and will tell you straight.

 

Unfortunately I didn't get the same professional sizing at my local Red Wing shoe store. The employee took very little time fitting me and I ended up purchasing a shoe that didn't fit properly. The interesting thing is that a co-worker of mine who also wears Red Wings mentioned that the shoe sizes run small. Anyways, Red Wing did honor their 30 day unconditional comfort guarantee and ordered me the next larger size. I wear the Red Wing 971 6-inch motorcycle boot. Now that I have the correct size, they are comfortable. I especially like the fact that they are waterproof. These boots have all the features I was looking for in a motorcycle boot:
lace up
steel toe
waterproof
vibram sole
welt construction
unfortunately as has been mentioned in the past, Red Wing has shoes that are made in both the USA and China and this model happens to be made in China.
It seems like a well made shoe to me.
http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing...nch-boot-black

 

How 'bout those?
They fly off your feet pronto, so you're ready for the surgery room

 

I might as well throw in my boots story. It's long but the opinion is from 40 years of boot-wearing. No street bike wrecks I'm thankful but a few dirt bike spills were enough.

I've worn engineer boots and other tall boots like 14-17" for decades. I don't ride any more except a little offroad putting on a 4-wheeler, but I do take long road trips driving old military trucks and they have their own hazards from the metal and maintenance so if the boot fits, wear it.

I got in the habit of tall boots because where I worked around pallets and metal piles and equipment there were too many things to gouge a shinbone on. Safety means you got a hole in your jeans and a mark on the boot, but no blood. I wear a wider size with age and got tired of otherwise decent boots not fitting right or not being available in wider widths, and ordered some Wesco custom fit ones.

First I should say that cheaper boots of thin leather (like the Frye 'campus' style which was previously made with good quality in the USA but is made cheap in China today) would be easily stretched or broken in with the help of chemicals if I had known about even doing that, but secondly, if you look at a cheap pair of boots and a good pair together, the width of the sole is narrower on the cheaper ones. Every penny is squeezed out of cost.

The sole may be slightly narrower than the ball of the foot even if the upper comfortably fits. Look at the boots when on, and see if the wide part does not overhang the sole a little bit. That is exactly where the rusty nail will be..

The difference between regular and wide in cheap boots may not involve the sole width, only the amount of leather in the upper. I discovered this when I ordered the 15" side zip engineer boot from Sportsmans Guide and since I didn't know how they ran, got the regular and wide sizes and returned the regular size ones after trying on. These are Chinese.

Maybe this is being picky about soles but I don't like it. A boot sole should be a platform that protects the entire underside of the foot. I am happy with the Sportsmans Guide ones because they are very light weight and cooler in summer but I don't expect them to last as long as a good pair of boots. I would not wear them for serious uses, only for appearance. The toe is very narrow for what I would consider a wide size, and it is no wider than their regular size. (I avoid pointy boots, Not riding horses, No cowboys here)

I turned to Wesco wanting a high quality boot that fit right.

Got a 17" silicon tanned pair with additional 7 oz lining, measured at their dealer in Forth Worth (and they really messed the measurements up) and later a 14" pair of the regular tanning and thinner leather that was custom fit in their store on Oregon.

I had problems with both being too wide in the calf because of what I think was bad measurements, and the 14" pair was way too tight across the instep and hurt to wear - bad because they are the lighter pair I want to wear all the time. With no more help from Wesco to make it right (yeah that means make me another pair that fits??), the only way I could wear the 14" pair as to pull out the insoles and use thin socks. I do a lot of walking and it was uncomfortable.

Wesco wasn't able or was unwilling to fix all of this and I'm not real happy about it because of what was spent -$800 and $500, looks like you only get one 'adjustment' under their warranty.
They fixed the calf diameter OK on the 14" ones.
They made it too tight on the 17" one so I only wear those when I need the protection.

I had to take it upon my self and deal with it. What made the difference on the 14" pair was this chemical, "Angelus professional shoe stretch". Don't bother with a small bottle, there is a 32 oz. bottle available for not much more, and it will take half of it to penetrate and loosen the thick leather of Wesco boots. One day's uncomfortable wearing around the house and then another day's with 2 pairs of thick socks cured the uncomfortable boots problem. Over a few hours and several re-applications of the chemical I could feel the boots get slightly looser, but only where the pressure was.

The 17" ones - I don't think I can fix them for a couple of reasons;
1.) the tanning is silicon based "fire" type. the chemical does not penetrate this well.
2.) the 7 oz lining is also real thick, so it's even harder for the chemical to fill the leather. That's what it has to do, soak in and saturate all the material in order to work.
3.) Because I ordered the 17" ones with zippers (Wesco does not offer any more), stretching them with a large force is not possible because it could damage the zipper.
4.) to be right, I think they need about 1" more. That's a lot to stretch anyway.

I have to go to a really good cobbler for those $800 Wesco boots. I've already had to go a couple rounds with a cobbler in Dallas TX who was a good craftsman but had terrible english understanding and he almost ruined a pair of boots then wanted to charge more to do what I asked for the first time (and I had already provided a drawing). Haha it was like the guy that just says "yes.. yes..." all the time but had no idea what was being discussed.
Finding one I can talk with in person, does the work there in that shop, and who speaks good english and will understand from a drawing what I really want done including the 'oz' weight of the leather to be added if any, and discuss with me, after listening to what I said, what he professionally recommends for doing the modifications is tough. It's not about his fee, only about the result. Just get it right and I won't complain about the cost.

pics: 4 boots, all the same size.
L to R:
1.) Alpinestars MX boot
2.) Sportsmans guide 15" engineer boot -real lightweight, narrow sole, narrow toe
3.) Wesco custom fit 17" Boss style.
4.) Wesco custom fit 14" Boss with special wide toe box

Which is more comfortable for all day long?

BTW Merry Christmas!

M818: bunkerofdoom.com

 

I've worn the mid-shin "slip on" boots for a long time and never once had one even feel like it was coming off.