RANCOURT & Co. Shoes - Made in Maine - Page 104

Quote:

Originally Posted by grendel 

Size the same as OSB

My boots (which I have on right now) TTS, fit like a glove.  With thick socks on, my toes come right to the end, but don't touch.  If it were any smaller (Even a few milimeters) in width or length, they would be too small for thick socks.  With thin dress socks they are too loose.  With thick dress socks (wool blend gold toe) they are fine.

I bought the boat shoes for my dad, whose feet are identical to mine as far as I can tell, and I tried them on before giving them to him.  There was maybe .25 inches in front of my big toe, but it was a little snug on the side of my pinky toe. (Also TTS, sockless)  Tried them on again today (barefoot), after he has broken them in.  They were looser, but I could still wear them without problems. (he wears them with athletic socks usually)

I have plans to get sort of a laceless boat shoe this spring to wear barefoot, and I might size down .5 for them, since they aren't laced and should stretch to fit.  (I'm actually going to have a rawhide tie put on them, but non-functional, strictly ornamental.  (Basically a boat shoe, but without the laces that go around the opening of the shoe, without the quarters/flaps that the laces lace through, and with no [or blind] eyelets.  Think of it as a venetian on the boat shoe last, but with a rawhide lace bow/tie where a tassel would go.

Not sure if this helps at all in terms of langdon boot, but its the best that I can do.

It's your call, but I would suggest going TTS at the largest.  As you may already be aware, CXL tends to stretch.

I find that a little pinky toe rubbing at first is a precursor to a perfect fit after a few wears.

Edit: The sizing advice for that particular shoe on their website says to go up a Width if you plan to wear with mid-weight or heavy socks.  Maybe that's your answer. (although I have never found their sizing recommendations to be helpful)

Spruced up my Dad's boat shoes this afternoon.  I used an old tooth brush and mild dish soap solution on the edges of the soles (would have used simple green if we had any), Venetian shoe cream, and a horse hair brush.

Before:

Left shoe after, compared to right shoe before.

After

I am pretty impressed by how well they turned out.  I don't own any CXL shoes personally, but now have a new-found respect for the leather.

I gave these to him back in August and they immediately became his go-to shoe, displacing his Gucci loafers that I seldom see him wear anymore.  I think he likes these because they are more comfortable, even though there is not a whole lot to them.  He has a bad lower back, and says that they provide him relief.  Saw some old pairs of his Sperry boat shoes in his closet, which now look like cardboard shit after getting used to seeing his Rancourts.

I told him the other day that I would do this for him because he asked me if the abrasion marks on the front of them could be fixed (Walking in wet grass).

I put them back in his closet without saying anything and will see if he notices a difference when he gets home.

Frank,

Thank you.  He did notice, which means a lot because he often has his head in the clouds.

What is the Montana Pitch blend like?  A white liquid?  I've heard it discussed many times before, and the name reminds me of sticky tree sap.  Does it simply condition, or does it have other advantages?

I am hoping to order an MTO Ranger-moc with either a crepe sole or tan Reltex Lactae Hevea outsole and brass eyelets (does anyone have experience with either sole?). However, I am stuck on my selection of the leather upper. . . I want something versatile and tough, and I don't mind if it is decidedly casual.  I'm also trying to keep this order around $200 - so sorry, no cordovan. Any thoughts people? 

Also, does anyone know if Rancourt uses Tobacco Chamois or Kudu leather?  I checked their leather list on the website but couldn't find them.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michigan Planner 


I have a pair of the Ranger mocs on the dark brown CXL leather and have found them to be very versatile and definitely tough. Mine look to be the same leather as the boat shoes that Bakes shows above. Over the summer, I routinely let mine get pretty beat up and dirty (worse than the before pictures Bakes posted above) and they always cleaned right up and all the scuffs and scratches have buffed right out... except for one deep gouge I put in the instep of one of them when I slipped off a large rock I was standing on in Lake Huron. But it still cleaned up pretty good. I chose brown just because that's what I like and it goes well with all of my casual clothes. The chromexcel leather that Rancourt uses is really soft but durable. I actually seem to have better luck maintaining my Rancourt shoes with the CXL leather than my Aldens - I think the softness lends itself to allowing imperfections to be buffed out relatively easily.
Some food for thought - If you want to keep the order around $200 that may eliminate the crepe sole as an option as Rancourt seems to charge an extra $20 (or maybe it was $30) for their crepe sole. I only found this out when I was ordering a pair of chukka boots after Thanksgiving and inquired about the crepe sole. I also liked the looks of the Lactae Hevea sole and there was no extra cost for that so I went that route. FWIW, I think I get much more traction from the standard rubber sole on my Ranger mocs than I do from my chukkas with the Lactae Hevea sole, although those chukkas are pretty sharp, comfortable, and quiet.

Thanks for the input MP. I am seriously considering brown CXL, in fact it's my default option. Do you find the Lactae Hevea to be as comfortable as it is described? An extra $20 - $30 won't really change my lifestyle. My concern is mostly not to let this get away from me like some of my past shoe purchases.  

I just got a pair of the Chukka Mocs from Brooks Bros in my normal dress shoe size (half size smaller than my sneaker size). I have plenty of room in the toe box, but the vamp is really tight, to the point where it's stretching just when I put my foot in. Is this normal or should I size up 1/2 size? 

Thanks guys. 

Do you have a high instep?