Wolverine 1000 Mile Boot Review

[deaddog]



There are lots that work...but really, why worry about it? I think it's more the shape of the boot how it looks from above, rather than the actual size of the boot.

Why worry? Because my wife called me "tiny dancer!"

 

[derrida26]

lol

 

[Dayman]

 

[ryewo[i dmfsOZI490w]



Why worry? Because my wife called me "tiny dancer!"

to your wife

 

[mediahound]

Interest check - I'm thinking about selling my 1000 Miles, Black, 8 D. They've literally only been worn twice. I bought them as seconds, but cannot find anything wrong with them

Anyone interested, PM me.

 

[bb1959]

My Wolverine Winchester's from Needless Markup

 

[bb1959]

My Wolverine Winchester's from Needless Markup

 

[BrianMendoza]

Hey guys. This may have been talked about before so excuse me if it's already been overkilled.

My girlfriend bought me my first pair of original 1000 mile boots, in brown, yesterday. Before getting the 1000 mile's, I purchased a pair of Red Wing 9014 Beckman's (aka Getleman's travelers) in Black, and Red Wing 1907's a little less than a month ago. I was very close to buying a pair of black cherry beckman's, but I thought it would be nice to get a pair of Wolverines, especially because the style of the boots are similar (6 inch, plain toe boot, 7 hole, goodyear welt, stacked heel, etc).

I know the general idea is to size down a half to full size on these. According to the interactive machine, and measuring tool at Red Wing, I'm supposed to be wearing a 9.5, which surprised me because I usually go into stores buying size 9's and sometimes going to an 8.5 (Vans/Boat Shoes w/o socks). For both my Beckman's and 1907's, I went with 8.5's, knowing that they were pretty tight at first (especially the 1907), but after they loosened up, they fit like gloves. And the rule of thumb for both those pairs was also to size a half to full size down also.

So I went to the store with my girlfriend to try on the 1000 miles in an 8.5, 9 and 9.5. The 8.5's fit, but if I was wearing any thicker of a sock, then it might've been uncomfortable. The 9's fit good with enough room for thick socks. But the big problem I had with both size 8.5 and 9, was that they looked tiny!

I wore my Red Wing Beckman's to the store and the size 8.5 in the 1000 mile (which was the same size as my Beckman) looked SO much smaller. The size 9 was also small looking compared to my Beckman's. So lastly, I tried on the size 9.5's. Compared to my Beckman's, they looked like the same exact size. The 9.5 in the 1000 mile, definitely fit bigger than the Beckman's, but when both were on, they both looked like the same size, and looked nicely proportionate to my physique. I've always hated the way huge shoes look, but now even more, the look of munchkin shoes look just as bad, so the 9.5 was the perfect look.

On the way home, I picked up a thin insole and the 1000 mile boots, in 9.5, fit perfect. If I were to have gotten a thicker insole, it would've made the shoe too spoungey, and I like pretty thin soles. I don't do any insoles in my Beckmans.

Now, onto the leather comparison between the 1000 miles and Beckmans. The very first thought that went into my head putting the 1000 mile on, was, "Damn, these are some of the softest leather shoes I have ever put on." By the looks of the 1000 mile, you assume to have to break them in because they have that stiff looking outter leather, but it was the furthest thing from stiff, it was crazy soft, which is a good thing! The Beckman's also have that stiff looking outter leather, and unlike the 1000 mile, they do require some breaking in to soften up and are definitely fairly stiff at first. On a random note, the smell of the leather on the 1000 mile boots were to die for! It has that classic, high quality leather smell to them. The Beckmans use featherstone leather, which is not poor quality leather by any means, but the smell of the horween leather just screamed quality.

For me to say which shoe I think is better, would purely be based on opinion. It's hard to say factually which of the boots is better. But I can say factually, that both boots are nice boots. I do like the rubber lug sole over the leather soles on the Beckmans, and I plan to add a thin rubber sole over the leather soles of the 1000 miles. This is also an opinion, but I have to say I love the immediate buttery softness of the 1000 miles. I know some guys like going through the break in process, and I thought I was that kinda guy too, but damn, that Horween Chromexcel leather is so easy to love.

Anyways, I just thought I'd throw a 1000 mile vs Red Wing Beckman (Gentleman's traveler) comparison in here. Like I said earlier, excuse me if this has been done a thousand times before me, but I just thought it'd help someone like me, who owned some Red Wings, that's unfamiliar with sizing/leather/styling of the 1000 mile.

A General sum up, for someone who already own the Beckmans: If you like the way the sizing of your Beckmans look now, get your measured size and add a thin insole. The same size in both boots definitely do not look the same. The 1000 miles are much smaller looking. The leather will be much softer compared to the featherstone of the Beckman's. And you may or may not want to add a rubber half sole, to prevent from having to do a whole resole later, and simply just replace the half sole for much cheaper.

Ok Guys, here's some pics:

The 1000 miles next to both my Red Wing 1907's and 9014's.

And lastly, the 1000 miles next to the Red Wing Beckman 9014's.

 

[BrianMendoza]

Hey guys, another update:

I took my shoes to the cobbler today, to get a rubber sole over the leather soles. As soon as I showed the cobbler, he said he had the exact matching Vibram soles, in the exact color that was already on the Vibram heels of the 1000 miles. He brought them out to show to me and they really were the perfect matching pair. He only charged $26 and was able to finish them for me the same day. I came into the store at around 1:15 and was able to pick them up by 5 o'clock.

When I picked them up, I was really excited about the way they looked. They looked like they were meant for the boot in the first place. I was also happy that the sole was thin enough to not have any drastic differences on the looks of the side profile of the boot. From the side, it is nearly impossible to tell that any modifications were made. After putting them on, aside from the added traction, I noticed no difference in the feeling of the boot. I was worried that after getting them resoled they would feel more flat, and less like a heeled boot, but I didn't notice any differences in the height of the shoe at all.

After all is said and done, I have to say that for $26, I have no hesitations to suggesting this process to anyone else. For a mere $26, you're adding a nice amount of traction, and prolonging the life of these soles. Also, I've seen some 1000 mile owners who's leather soles became a lot thinner than the original look and it really didn't look as nice with that leather being so thin. So that was also something I considered.

Here's some pics:

The horizontal pattern on the Vibram heel is the same pattern as the new Vibram sole added to the front.

You can see that it's really difficult to even see any differences from where the original leather sole ended and the added Vibram sole.

And lastly, here's a picture of the bottom of both my 1000 miles, and Red Wing Beckmans.

 

[Dayman]

Very nice and thank you for the great pictures as well. Great first few posts.

When i get a chance I have been meaning to take mine in for this.

 

[BrianMendoza]

Quote:

Very nice and thank you for the great pictures as well. Great first few posts.

When i get a chance I have been meaning to take mine in for this.

Thanks Dayman! And yeah, I definitely suggest it. The cobbler said that that specific Vibram sole is a common one amongst shoe repair stores. It truly looks like a matching set when they're done.

They really came in handy today. It doesn't rain much here in San Diego, but of course, the first full day I decide to wear my 1000 miles out, is the day that it rains a bit. But with that half sole, I had no worries about water seeping through the stitching in the soles or anything like that at all.

 

[twocoloreyes]

my right sole has developed a hole. my local boot shop wants to charge me $100 to fix it. whats up with that? my 1000 miles are looking pretty ragged these days...
anyone have a fix for a crushed toe box?

 

[Crane's]



Quote: Thanks Dayman! And yeah, I definitely suggest it. The cobbler said that that specific Vibram sole is a common one amongst shoe repair stores. It truly looks like a matching set when they're done. They really came in handy today. It doesn't rain much here in San Diego, but of course, the first full day I decide to wear my 1000 miles out, is the day that it rains a bit. But with that half sole, I had no worries about water seeping through the stitching in the soles or anything like that at all.

You don't have to worry about water seeping through the stitching. I literally stand in water or mud for hours at a time during some of my adventures. If you waterproof them with snoseal like I've shown in this thread water isn't a concern even if it's ankle deep. Instead of a pic of my Addisons after one of my days afield I'll post up a couple that shows the results of one of my latest adventures. The field conditions were pretty much dry with a little mud here and there so about all that's happened to them is they are a bit dusty along with the usual scrapes from rocks and so on. There's nothing like finding a rich new dig site to work with. Late Paleo and early Archaic lithics everywhere....

 

[holdenmorrissey]

^ you need shoe trees brah

 

[66Nick]

Long time lurker on here, but my experience with Wolverine 1k boots was so great that I had to sign up and let everyone on here know about it.

I purchased a pair of the "Original 1000 mile boots" in brown a few months ago after mulling them over and deciding they were worth the $$. I ordered them from Revolve and used the "First Time customer" discount mentioned in this thread. (Thanks Styleforum!!) I was super happy with them and they were breaking in nicely when I noticed the stitching on the right boot near the first lacing area was starting to come out. (See below pic for area stitching was coming out) OH NO!! My boots are falling apart!



A quick search on the Wolverine website led me to their customer service phone number. I decided that since I'd only had the boots a couple months, so it was worth calling and mentioning. I called the number and was pleasantly surprised to hear a real live human being who was kind, courteous, and extremely helpful. I was put in contact with the correct person without having to press 1 for this and 3 for that. After a few simple questions about the size/model I was informed that Wolverine would be sending me a new pair of boots to replace the defective pair. What more could you ask for?

For anyone on the fence about these boots, pull the trigger!! They're a great product, and that's normally enough on it's own, but what really sets them apart from the competition is their fantastic customer service. I had been wearing these boots about 4-5 times a week and they replaced them with no hassle at all.

Also, here is a picture of them paired with a set of dark denim jeans. (Sorry about the poor lighting quality)