Workboots, how should they be worn?

[RiteStuffBryan]

Theoretically engineer boots with pants worn over them would be a good option for firemen and engineers to wear because then coals wouldn’t be able to get into their boots. The taller heel would be a liability on the ladder they climb to get into and out of the car though.

That said, I’ve just never seen any evidence of trainmen actually wearing engineer boots. I’m afraid I might have to write a myth busting article about it to go along with my wabash myth and chinos and T-shirt myth ones lol

 

[dudewuttheheck]

How are laced boots more practical than non-laced boots?

Fit. For walking, laced boots are more secure in general and you can semi customize the fit by adjusting how tight or loose the laces are. I much prefer the look of engineers, but hiking in engineers would likely lead to twisted ankles more than hiking in lace up boots for example.

Also, they're not thay much easier to clean and polish. Yes, you have to take the laces off with lace up boots, but my lace up boots are usually around 6" and my engineers are usually 11" so that extra leather that needs polishing negates any time saved.

 

[navetsea]

I got a feeling that people of that age have spare time of a long evening hours with nothing to do, so cleaning their boots or sharpening their knife or doing something else is a welcome activity to kill boredom before they feel sleepy, I don't think they polish their work boots though, perhaps they just brushed off loose debris and dried mud, and occasionally grease it, I don't think they detail cleaning the welt or repaint the edges or any meticulous things modern leather shoes aficionado would do in their cleaning routine.

 

[Marc mndt]

I’m afraid I might have to write a myth busting article about it to go along with my wabash myth and chinos and T-shirt myth ones lol

You've got my attention. Where can I read about those myths?

 

[RiteStuffBryan]

You've got my attention. Where can I read about those myths?

Here, on my blog: https://the-rite-stuff.com/blogs/news

 

[hardlyworkingman]

Fit. For walking, laced boots are more secure in general and you can semi customize the fit by adjusting how tight or loose the laces are. I much prefer the look of engineers, but hiking in engineers would likely lead to twisted ankles more than hiking in lace up boots for example.

Also, they're not thay much easier to clean and polish. Yes, you have to take the laces off with lace up boots, but my lace up boots are usually around 6" and my engineers are usually 11" so that extra leather that needs polishing negates any time saved.

Besides fit, in the field if laces are broken and you have no backup, you can pretty much jerry rig them. The only boots i now have, that have no laces are snowboard boots with BOA [convenience on the mountains trumps fit for me]