Viberg Boots - Reviews, appreciation, news - share yours

[CanadaCal]

Possibly an 11 for you @metranger8694. Take your 2030 size. If your 2030 is 1 down from Brannock go for that. If it’s a half down and not snug on the midfoot/heel portion of the boot, it may not work.

In my experience, I’m a 9.5 narrower brannock but a 9 was too loose in the 2050. It would have been fine with some sort of laces, but being a side zip or in my case Chelsea, was a bit too sloppy.
And 8.5 May have worked for me, but I already have a tight toebox in an 8.5 2030, and doubt Id be able to make it work unless with thin socks only. Which for a side zip is fine

 

[bry2000]

The Roper boot is a classic style that Viberg has been doing for at least a few years. It is not a new model for them. I have a stitched down pair and it is fantastic.

Edit: to update and clarify what I wrote, here is a blurb from Viberg. I forget exactly when my pair of Ropers was made. Probably in the last two years if I recall correctly.
https://viberg.com/blogs/journal/roper-snuff-calf-suede

 

[Rogerdoger]

Yes, this is pretty much exactly what I meant. I was in fact thinking they were Viberg's Uggs.
Given the image and my comment I really can't see how my point was lost on anyone.

To be explicit: my point here is not that I'm against different styles and so forth, but when a company as small as Viberg - knowing and doing what they do so very well - starts wandering off into sneakers, Uggs, slippers and what not, it's more than a little chance that they start diluting what has become their hallmark trait - quality above all else, in favor of catering to the latest whims of "the market".

That, in a nutshell, was what my comment was all about. Feel free to disagree.

I would like to respectfully disagree with this statement. Viberg is pushing the boundaries of what they can build out of their small Factory in the corner of the PNW. When's the last time you saw a Made in North America sneaker? If they can build a well rounded and high quality sneaker from a small factory in Canada, props to them for taking this plunge.

And yes the roper boot has been around for over 5 + years maybe even more. And everyone can still get there stitchdown service boots, heck even shell stitchdown now. The quality and craftsmanship is still there in every boot that they make, whether it be the latest sneaker or a older 105 logger boot. They don't cater to the whims of the market, they just push those boundaries and love making you guys squirm.

 

[Raneleigh]

Come on guys...what companies don't "cater to the whims of the market" to an extent. If they didn't, they probably wouldn't be in business very long. However, I don't think making a Roper boot is catering to the whims of the market. The Roper is hardly the most popular model, not by a long shot. And if you inspected both the Viberg Roper and the Ugg boot side by side, you would see the magnitude of the differences. I'm not a fan of the Roper personally, but you could make a better argument that any boot on the 2030 last caters to current market trends far more so than a heritage boot that caters to a relatively narrow segment of the market. I wouldn't call it an ominous sign though.

 

[orionz06]

Come on guys...what companies don't "cater to the whims of the market" to an extent. If they didn't, they probably wouldn't be in business very long.

Harley Davidson... And correct, they're struggling.

 

[bry2000]

^ And that is before the EU slaps tariffs on Harley bikes.

 

[JakeUser]

I would like to respectfully disagree with this statement. Viberg is pushing the boundaries of what they can build out of their small Factory in the corner of the PNW. When's the last time you saw a Made in North America sneaker? If they can build a well rounded and high quality sneaker from a small factory in Canada, props to them for taking this plunge.


And yes the roper boot has been around for over 5 + years maybe even more. And everyone can still get there stitchdown service boots, heck even shell stitchdown now. The quality and craftsmanship is still there in every boot that they make, whether it be the latest sneaker or a older 105 logger boot. They don't cater to the whims of the market, they just push those boundaries and love making you guys squirm.

I see your point and you don't have to agree with me. To me, it boils down to opportunity cost and brand value preservation.

I'm guessing they hired a marketing manager some 3-4 years ago when all of this started who has convinced the good people of Viberg that they "need to do this to stay relevant" or something along those lines.

In my opinion, he/she couldn't be more wrong.

In this era, people crave authenticity and genuine craftsmanship. We love it when you do one thing very well.

This is not something they, as a company, projects by trying to please whatever crowd buys the Uggs or the Sneakers they have produced so far. Rather, they will slowly but surely manage to scare away those who seek to be associated with the aforementioned craved characteristics.

 

[mogili222]

Top down of the Viberg unglazed with Gustin Zimbabwe 18s.

 

[bry2000]

I think Viberg is appealing to people who want a Roper boot, not to Uggs buyers looking for an alternative supplier.

 

[budapest12]

I see your point and you don't have to agree with me. To me, it boils down to opportunity cost and brand value preservation.

I'm guessing they hired a marketing manager some 3-4 years ago when all of this started who has convinced the good people of Viberg that they "need to do this to stay relevant" or something along those lines.

In my opinion, he/she couldn't be more wrong.

In this era, people crave authenticity and genuine craftsmanship. We love it when you do one thing very well.

This is not something they, as a company, projects by trying to please whatever crowd buys the Uggs or the Sneakers they have produced so far. Rather, they will slowly but surely manage to scare away those who seek to be associated with the aforementioned craved characteristics.

I don't think the Roper boot has anything to do with a marketing manager. I don't really subscribe to "authenticity and genuine craftsmanship" being that much more than the same marketing/branding thing you're concerned about. Who gets to decide what's genuine or authentic? That style probably has enough history going for it to match other styles. If not, nobody much cares if they like it anyway.

 

[Sartorium]

Yes, this is pretty much exactly what I meant. I was in fact thinking they were Viberg's Uggs.
Given the image and my comment I really can't see how my point was lost on anyone.

To be explicit: my point here is not that I'm against different styles and so forth, but when a company as small as Viberg - knowing and doing what they do so very well - starts wandering off into sneakers, Uggs, slippers and what not, it's more than a little chance that they start diluting what has become their hallmark trait - quality above all else, in favor of catering to the latest whims of "the market".

That, in a nutshell, was what my comment was all about. Feel free to disagree.

The Roper is based on a Viberg pattern from the 60s/70s.

 

[Raneleigh]

The Roper is based on a Viberg pattern from the 60s/70s.

I think that means Ugg’s ripped off Viberg’s pattern instead of the other way around!

 

[KPDarb]

Speaking of styles putting Vibergs future in jeopardy, anyone have shots of slippers with some wear? Probably picking up the milkshake ones but on the fence between those and Snuff. Obviously to get both makes the most sense but if you had to choose only one....

 

[metranger8694]

Yes, this is pretty much exactly what I meant. I was in fact thinking they were Viberg's Uggs.
Given the image and my comment I really can't see how my point was lost on anyone.

To be explicit: my point here is not that I'm against different styles and so forth, but when a company as small as Viberg - knowing and doing what they do so very well - starts wandering off into sneakers, Uggs, slippers and what not, it's more than a little chance that they start diluting what has become their hallmark trait - quality above all else, in favor of catering to the latest whims of "the market".

That, in a nutshell, was what my comment was all about. Feel free to disagree.

Right on brother. I agree.

I think all this novelty stuff cheapens the brand. But perhaps it just changes the brand.....IMHO, it would be a better look for Viberg if they bought a small company and made that company the "maker" of these novelty items. In order to keep things distinctly separate.

Dilution is what it is. But if that's what they want to do and it makes financial sense for them, then so be it.

Just keep up the quality of their stitchdowns please.

 

[metranger8694]

Possibly an 11 for you @metranger8694. Take your 2030 size. If your 2030 is 1 down from Brannock go for that. If it’s a half down and not snug on the midfoot/heel portion of the boot, it may not work.

In my experience, I’m a 9.5 narrower brannock but a 9 was too loose in the 2050. It would have been fine with some sort of laces, but being a side zip or in my case Chelsea, was a bit too sloppy.
And 8.5 May have worked for me, but I already have a tight toebox in an 8.5 2030, and doubt Id be able to make it work unless with thin socks only. Which for a side zip is fine

I don't know my 2030 size as I have not bought any. Not a fan of that last shape for casual boots.

But because of the high instep of the 2050 and my low instep, I might consider going down to my normal 10.5 1035 size and wear thin socks. I'll ask Guy if I want to get a pair. He wrote me a long time ago telling me to go down 1 size for all lasts. But that was before the 2050.

Thanks guys.