Clarks Desert Boots

[ataru]

Just spray it every once in a while and don't wear them when you think it might rain.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Dewey

How long since they made DBs in "Loden Green"? I am guessing that's an army green & the offering has something to do with the Vietnam war?

thus be the nicest amongst...

 

[Dewey]

Originally Posted by gt33

what is a better alternative?
All the better shoe makers do chukka boots in suede. You can even find crepe soles if you look around enough. The beeswax DB is a poor man's waxy boot. Since you can get a good waxy boot for $160, paying $90 for the Clark's shows a little ignorance. At $90 retail, Clarks' DB is not a good value. For 2 to 3 times that, you can get a much better quality boot that should last 10 times longer. Chorse was just taking orders for C&J suede chukkas for $225. In the Thin Red Line sale, AS suede chukkas were $114. Suede shoes often go on sale because there is not a lot of demand for them as professional workwear. Note you can also pay a lot more for a crepe-soled suede chukka that is not any better made than the Clark's. Price alone does always say much. For example, I did not see anything about the J.Crew desert boot that justified the higher price tag. As always, if you have money to burn, go for it. It could be just the thing for you. I buy Clarks in the $40-$60 range when I am in the mood for a new beater shoe. The sand suede is great for life at the beach, where the light construction is a plus. On the great pyramid of quality footwear, Clarks are down there with Chuck Taylors. Classic style, interesting history, but they are nothing to get hot and bothered about. As jet said, there is a buster brown quality to them compared to all the other suede chukkas out there. I like that but YMMV.

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by ataru

Just spray it every once in a while and don't wear them when you think it might rain.

That's really weak. They're inexpensvie and it's not like they will melt.

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by Robert

They have wide appeal, yes. Which category does Jet fall into? Surely not 60s icon?!

None I guess.

 

[Robert]

Originally Posted by gt33

what is a better alternative?

It's all relative, isn't it? Depends on how much you want to spend and what you feel satified with. I don't really care whether there are better alternatives at higher prices--the Clarks DB fits my budget, my expectations, and my lifestyle. In my estimation, it's a great low-priced boot with a lot of versatility. Mine are holding up fine, too, and I wear them daily.

 

[Stylin-1]

I guess I'd rather have three pair of Clarks in different colors than one pair of higher end boots in that style.

 

[Robert]

Same here. Matter of fact, I have four pairs in different colors. And the thing is I don't feel like they're so precious that I can't kick around in them even in the rain or snow.

 

[Dewey]

Originally Posted by Stylin-1

I guess I'd rather have three pair of Clarks in different colors than one pair of higher end boots in that style.

I'd choose four pairs of higher end boots. You buy nice things all your life and the good stuff accumulates.

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by Dewey

I'd choose four pairs of higher end boots. You buy nice things all your life and the good stuff accumulates.

If I had a money tree in my back yard or different priorities in life or a bank account with so many zeros I couldn't keep track of them all, I would pay you very good money to pick out 365 pair of high end chukkas for me so I could wear a different pair everyday for one year, and then burn them all in a giant bonfire and start all over again.

 

[ataru]

If you've also got non-suede shoes its strange to me that you'd actually want to select suede ones on a rainy day. I wouldn't want to test the rain protector to the limits by getting my shoes completely soaked, but that's me (although that would generally also require getting caught without an umbrella, but if you live somewhere like hawaii a sudden downpour is not a rare occurence) Trust me, I don't baby my desert boots, as I'm more in the 'beat up desert boots look best' camp.

On the subject of the appeal of the clarks desert boot, IMO it is precisely that rough quality that makes them great. A nicer suede chukka like what phat guido wears works well in smarter fits and for older men, but give me some beat up clarks any day if you're pairing the shoes with jeans and a t-shirt. Sometimes shoes can look too nice or too elegant.

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by ataru

If you've also got non-suede shoes its strange to me that you'd actually want to select suede ones on a rainy day. I wouldn't want to test the rain protector to the limits by getting my shoes completely soaked, but that's me (although that would generally also require getting caught without an umbrella, but if you live somewhere like hawaii a sudden downpour is not a rare occurence) Trust me, I don't baby my desert boots, as I'm more in the 'beat up desert boots look best' camp.

On the subject of the appeal of the clarks desert boot, IMO it is precisely that rough quality that makes them great. A nicer suede chukka like what phat guido wears works well in smarter fits and for older men, but give me some beat up clarks any day if you're pairing the shoes with jeans and a t-shirt. Sometimes shoes can look too nice or too elegant.

Someone please give this sensible, intelligent man a cold beer and send him out into the rain in his desert boots!

 

[ataru]

Originally Posted by Stylin-1

Someone please give this sensible, intelligent man a cold beer and send him out into the rain in his desert boots!

Hey, I've done it before

My brown pair has some nasty splotches from where it got soaked through in a Hawaii downpour. For some reason the sand suede looks better when it's poorly treated than the brown, though...

 

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Dewey

I'd choose four pairs of higher end boots. You buy nice things all your life and the good stuff accumulates.

It's not worth it to me. Plus I don't have that kind of money to play with. To me, Clarks is nice stuff.

 

[Robert]

Originally Posted by ataru

Hey, I've done it before

My brown pair has some nasty splotches from where it got soaked through in a Hawaii downpour. For some reason the sand suede looks better when it's poorly treated than the brown, though...

Actually, I tramped for about 3 blocks to my car in huge downpour in my chocolate brown suedes. I had sprayed them well with suede protector. Yes, they soaked through, but after drying at home, they're still perfect.