***The official Alden thread *** - Page 1800

Quote:

Originally Posted by mediahound 

RE: the shoes trees deal above, for me with sales tax and free shipping, it came to about $9.00/pair. Not a bad deal at all. 

 

Now I need more Aldens to use them in...

 

Are there other things I should consider buying under that deal there too? I don't generally know much about that store. 

I did the three pairs of shoe trees deal and bought three shoe racks that hold four pairs of shoes each for $12.25 each.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElDave 

Is there a reason so many people dislike speed hooks?

Yeah, this.  I like speed hooks, personally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFowler2790 

I'm a bit stuck now...My Indys that arrived today are awesome, except the feel to be sloppy, and in the right foot a slight bit more than the left. I got sized at a high end store in Houston and he said I should go 11D but feel like he might have told me my true size and not for the Indy....Also, I usually wear pretty thin socks, its what I find most comfortable, but like the guy said a few pages back, were I to have to outrun a boulder, I think there would be too much slop in them....Should I try going from a D to a C? or going to a 10.5...I have them laced pretty tight to, about a finger width between the laces (if that makes sense) and if I want to I can slide my foot enough to hit my big toe at the end. If it helps any the only other boot I have is a Clarks DB which I sized down 1/2 a size to 10.5 and it fits excellent. My dad who's owned Aldens suggested I use thicker socks which helped a little bit and some insoles to raise my foot some, which to me seems like it shouldn't be necessary.

 

Oh yea and ordered from Shoe Mart and I'm just wearing them around the house, so exchange shouldn't be an issue.

 

Edit: It slops around front and back and left to right, not just in the ball but the whole foot, even the heel especially the right foot.

To update, I think I'm pretty happy after going down a full size to an 8.5D (Clarks DB is a 9, if that matters).  Took the dog for a walk (didn't encounter any boulders) and, yeah, I'm not ready to use the term glove-like, but they feel pretty damn good, albeit snug.  Didn't intentionally step in goose shit, but I went ahead and interpreted that as the final sign that this was the right boot.  As much as I honor the advice on sizing from seasoned veterans, I just really felt like this type of leather should be pretty snug on my foot when brand new (so as to hopefully achieve the glove-like fit?).  Thanks to all for the advice. 

As far as the chunkiness of the Indy, I don't know, I like it--it beats the hell out of any other "work" boot I've seen.  Then again, the rugged look is not something I'm running from (see avatar).

BTW, probably going to be looking to get rid of lightly worn J Crew Indy in a 9D, if anyone's interested.

Kudu is a great leather.  It's pretty tough and requires very little maintenance.  After trying on a pair, I opted for the LS Ultimate Kudu Indy.  The contrast stitching and sole catches the eye a little better than the 404.  No regrets here. I wear these at least once a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElDave 

What's the prevailing groupthink on these Indys? There's a pair on the 2nds list I'm interested in, but not sure if they're too far into the legit workboot look.

I'm waiting for a confirmation on the Natty Tanker.  I will post pics if a pair comes through.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffmartin17 

The natty tankers at LS are pretty sweet. Anyone have any real life pics?

I like the commando sole on my Indy boots.  It's comfortable and gives the boot an edgier look.  Yet the lugs are pretty low profile.  I tried the standard neoprene sole as well.  They're also comfy and look good. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmash 

if you guys were purchasing a new pair of indys, would you go for double leather or commando sole? pondering a father's day present as it just occurred to me this would be a perfect present for the old man.
I'm thinking commando for durability and because it sort of 'goes' with the indy aesthetic better IMO. he'll also be wearing these in a 'work' environment per say. he just uses regular leather soles for his current boots, but wondering if the added rubber could be beneficial for him.
EDIT- I guess another option though is that I could get regular sole and then just added a layer of vibram which would be way less 'clunky'

I had some problems with a pair of fairly new 403's, sent them to Alden SF and got a new pair! No questions asked! Great customer service! So now I have a brand new pair just waiting for fall!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kippy 


I went with the general forum advice on all my Barrie-lasted shoes at first and then realized that my true barrie-size was a full size down from my regular shoe size. Doing so has resulted in a "glove-like" fit, far fewer creases and zero heel slippage. I went from 9.5e to 9e.

Don't own a pair on the barrie last (yet), but got sized by the guy at Alden NY on Madison. He put me in a 8e, when my regular size on a brannock device is 9d, and it fit great, I mean really great, so the full size down might very well be the way to go, depending on the shape of your own foot (mine's slightly wide).

Edit: the thing that the guy at Alden NY said was that the barrie was a very long last, which gives reason for the full size down.