These All Terrain Indy Boots are excellent. They come in D width but can be ordered wider if you are willing to wait. I have had a pair for about 3 months now and have no complaints. Check out Alden of Carmel. Adam is quick to respond and shipments come quickly.
Plain Toe Boot (Shell Cordovan Color 8) Indy Boot (Shell Cordovan Color 8) Rugged Indy Boot (Dark Brown Kudu) IMHO no one in America makes a better benchmade product than Alden of New England. I have ordered in the past from The Alden Shop of San Francisco with excellent service. Since I wear a size 13 AA, everything for me has to be special ordered. I am particularly partial to Alden's Shell Cordovan Color 8.
I know what you mean about the Iron Rangers. I wear mine to the office, but we have no dress code (I wear collar and tie by choice). A repop of the US army boot from early Ww2 would be nice, very similar to the Iron Ranger but can take a shine. I think it's the oiled finish makes the IR more casual. Alternatively, Aero's Jarrow boot is worth considering. Trickers woild be an excellent (if pricey) choice. Given op can wear dark jeans to work, I doubt their relative lack of formality would be an issue. Yes indeed. I'm planning to buy a pair of Wested's copy of these in the new year. I've seen a lot of positive reviews of those. Another good choice. I also have a pair of William Lennon B5 boots in black which look great for robust but tidy work wear.
Bought a pair for my daughter (she got the men’s wingtips). The quality is very high, in my opinion similar to what you get from Allen Edmonds for nearly double the price. I liked hers enough that I plan to get a pair of the same for myself. And they have free shipping and free returns, so I don’t think you can go wrong by trying. Good luck!
I too am looking for a decent pair of boots. I was comparing the Alden Indy with the White Semi Dress or MPs when I also noticed Thursday Captain Boots. I liked that they were somewhat dressy as well as appearing well made, full grain leather and Goodyear welting. Please write about your experience with them if you get them as I'm curious as to their durability. I could get a pair of Captain and Scout boots for less than the price of one pair of Indy's. Are there any opinions of the virtues of the Alden's or White's over the Thursday's?
Thursday's - I have no idea where they are made or how they fit. They do not seem to disclose this on their website, prices seem almost too low. White's have a good high (or moderate, you can choose) built-in arch support. All made and hand-lasted in USA, Spokane Washington. All leather in & out, so you do need to oil them regularly. I also have no experience with the Alden's.
I'm looking at Chippewa 6" Service boot. Already have a pair of RW Iron Rangers & Beckmans. The Beckmans are dressy enough for work & rugged enough for foul weather, wear them with Chinos, buttondown & sport coat. I also bought a pair of Wilcox Shiloh boots. Their Fairfax is more dressy but overall well-made boots.
I have the Captains in Midnight Suede and the Presidents in brown. I spend quite a bit of time standing at work (teaching), and I'm finding that I'm wearing them four out of five days a week. Very, very comfortable. The new wingtips in brandy may be my next pair.
I would like to recommend to you "Wolverine 1000 Mile boots". I recently bought 2 pairs: one in black and one in brown. They are Horween leather boots, which do not require great fatigue before they soften: I have not suffered since the first day I put them on. They do not look very massive, and, having a leather sole, I would not recommend them for extreme use: I asked the shoemaker to glue a half-sole in VIBRAM, for the price of 12 EURO, to protect the leather sole. The leather is thick and robust, with a beautiful color, especially brown. I use them exclusively in the city, with jeans or classic style trousers, without any problem, since they have a very sober look, not like massive military boots! The size I purchased is a 7US, which corresponds to 6UK or 40EU. My real size is 40.5EU; so they are boots that fit slightly larger. In Europe you can buy these boots only in width "D", but they are perfect for the size of my foot. I paid € 399.00 for the black pair, and € 360.00 for the brown one. I recommend these boots a lot, as I consider them very valid and beautiful.
having been through so many high end boots, its Red Wing Iron Rangers all the way. Classic and awesome. Might have to go with a slightly different RW model for the weather resistant sole.
Here's another vote for Alden Indie boots. I wear them to the office daily. Typically with dark jeans and a collared shirt - currently I'm favoring Thomas Pink shirts in their slim fit style. I have two pair, the brown leather and the suede.
No idea about the hiking, but I've worn them during the rainy season down here and they polished up nicely. If I were to go hunting out in western Florida, I'd probably wear one of my Frye Rand lace-ups, as they lace up much higher and are made of thicker leather. They're also fine boots, and I like them so much I've got them in brown, tan, and black. Both styles have cork soles, which I find the most comfortable in the long run. I should add that I wore the Thursdays on a trip to Paris not long ago, and found them very comfortable for all-day walking.
I compromised. A deal appeared too good to be passed up. For the price of the Thursday's President, I was able to order an Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boot. It was on clearance for $250 and with 20% off clearance today, it came to $200. It's too late to second guess myself, but what difference will I notice with this and Alden's Indy Boot except for the price. Here is a picture of the Higgins Mill Boot.
